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October 4 , 2004
Eagle Update

John Arenberg is Emory sports information director

MEN'S SOCCER OPENS STRONG AT 7-1
Having finished second in the nation for best all-around athletics program, Emory is off to a good start this fall with three nationally ranked teams out of five fall sports.

With a No. 10 ranking, the men’s soccer team recorded shutouts in six of its first eight games, putting it well ahead of its pace last season when it had eight shutouts in 20 games and set a school record for lowest goals-against average. Emory opened with a 7-1 record, seeking to return to the NCAA Div. III national tournament for a second straight year. Mike Rubesch picked up his 200th career victory as Emory head coach with a 1-0 win against Methodist (N.C.), Sept. 4 in the championship game of Emory’s Sonny Carter Classic.

VOLLEYBALL
Late September saw the women’s volleyball team ranked 13th in the nation. The Eagles are coming off their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Final Four last season. This year Emory has a 12–4 record with a first-place finish and a pair of runner-up finishes in four tournaments. Despite
a challenging 2004 schedule filled with nationally ranked schools, Emory was 7-0 against Div. III opponents, including a 3-2 win after trailing 2-0 against No. 22 Elmhurst (Ill.). Coming into the season, Emory had been ranked in the Top 20 nationally in the weekly coaches poll 82 times since 1996, just two behind the national leader for that time period.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Ranked 18th in the nation, the Eagles won their first three meets, including the Clemson (S.C.) Invitational where they bettered several Div. I and II schools. Emory has won the last 13 NCAA regional championships, qualifying for the NCAA national meet all 13 years. Leading the team for a third consecutive year is senior Angela Davie of Cedar Crest, N.M. For the 5,000-meter courses, Davie has 12 career finishes under 19 minutes, a school record.

NEWS & NOTES
• On the same day, both Emory soccer coaches picked up their 200th career victories on the Eagles sideline. While Rubesch did so in the men’s contest, Michael Sabatelle did so when the Emory women beat the 17th ranked team in the nation, Virginia Wesleyan, 1–0, Sept. 4. Sabatelle became the 15th women’s soccer coach in Div. III history (and the 37th in any NCAA division) to reach the 200-win plateau.

• After the graduation of All-America runner Phil Hagedorn, the men’s cross country team needed its veterans to step up and improve their performances. Several have responded to the challenge. Senior Andrew Podgurski of Chesterfield, Mo., opened the season with a time of 27:07 for the 8,000-meter course, which he lowered to 26:15 the following week and then a career-best 25:42 the next week. Podgurski was the team’s top finisher in its first three races this season. Behind him was another senior, Jonathan High of League City, Texas, who lowered his career-best time to 26:18, nearly three minutes faster than his previous best.

• The women’s tennis squad has been cited as an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). In addition, six Eagles were honored as ITA Scholar-Athletes. Last semester, the team posted a collective grade point average of 3.51. Of its 11 players, nine had a 3.31 GPA or higher, and three made the Dean’s List. Last fall, the team GPA was 3.54.

The Eagles are one of 58 Div. III women’s teams in the nation (out of about 430) to receive the award. Of all the Div. III honorees, Emory is one of only two schools to be selected for the NCAA national team championship tournament last season and be listed among the Top 25 national universities by U.S. News and World Report.

Individual Emory honorees are Carina Alberelli, Petrel Chapman, Amanda Dechert, Breana Lai, Margaret Moscato and Jolyn Taylor.

Last season, Emory won its second consecutive NCAA national team championship. The Eagles also won the NCAA singles and doubles crowns for the second year in a row.

 

For the latest on Emory varsity athletics, check out www.go.emory.edu.

John Arenberg is Emory sports information director.

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