Overview

  1. Distinction
  2. Facilities
  3. 'Athletics for all'
Athletics

Students readily adopt Emory's long-standing "athletics for all" philosophy, with lively participation in varsity athletics, intramural teams, sports clubs, and exercise for health and fitness.

Emory's 18 varsity teams compete within NCAA Division III, whose members do not award athletic scholarships or give preferential treatment to student-athletes. The Emory Eagles are cheered on by a mascot named "Swoop."

Distinction

  • Emory's Department of Athletics finished sixth in the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Division III standings, as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. The honor recognizes overall excellence in athletic programs. The sixth-place finish marks the Eagles' ninth-straight Top 10 appearance.
  • Michael Goodwin and Lorne McManigle captured the men's and women's singles titles at the NCAA Division III Championships. The men's and women's teams both finished third in the nation.
  • The women's volleyball team won the 2008 NCAA Division III National Championship. Team coach Jenny McDowell was named the National Division III Coach of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Championship team player Dani Huffman was named a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
  • Liz Horvat was named the NCAA Division III Women's Swimmer of the Year after winning four National Championships at the division's 2009 Swimming & Diving Championships. Harrison Brown and Randall Scarborough each won six all-America honors at the finals. For the third time, Jon Howell was named the division's Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. The men's and women's swim teams finished second in the nation.

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Facilities

The athletics and recreation program is based at George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC) on the main campus:

  • Olympic-sized pool
  • large arena serving basketball, volleyball, badminton and fencing
  • eight outdoor and four indoor tennis courts
  • 400-meter outdoor and 200-meter indoor tracks
  • racquetball and squash courts
  • two climbing walls
  • two dance studios
  • weight and cardio fitness equipment

The main campus also features four irrigated athletic fields, along with the Blomeyer Fitness Center (faculty and staff only).

On the Clairmont campus, the Student Activity and Academic Center offers:

  • Olympic-size pool
  • outdoor tennis courts
  • basketball and volleyball courts
  • a strength conditioning room
  • state-of-the-art classrooms

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'Athletics for all'

Undergraduates are required to take four courses in physical education.

swimmers

All Emory students and WoodPEC members may participate in intramural league and club sports. Opportunities range from flag football to triathlons to ultimate frisbee.

For the record, Emory's "athletics for all" idea dates from the 1890s, when the school president denounced intercollegiate sport competition as an academic distraction.

At the same time, he encouraged athletic activity as good for the mind as well as the body, and had sports facilities developed on campus.

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Athletics for All

In 1897, President Warren A. Candler, pursuing his ideal of "athletics for all," pioneered a collegiate intramural sports program. The Emory Eagles now compete in the NCAA Division III University Athletic Association.

INTRAMURALS AND CLUB SPORTS