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Basketball (men)
This season’s squad came in with a plan to play an up-tempo style
and so far has executed accordingly. Aside from a blowout loss to NCAA
Division I Furman (S.C.), the Eagles were averaging 85.8 points per game.
At that pace, this would be the third most-prolific offense in school
history behind the two teams that won conference championships in the
late ’80s. Impressively, the Eagles are putting that many points
on the board despite the loss of their top returning scorer, Seun Abolaji,
who broke his foot in the preseason. Emory closed out the fall with an
88-77 win against University of the South (Tenn.), in which six Eagles
topped 10 points, a first under fourth-year coach Brett Zuver.
Basketball (women)
Sophomores Stephanie Seibert and Beth Byron were the team’s top two
scorers last season, and both are headed for the same feat this year.
One of them was the team's leading scorer in every game last semester.
Heading into January, both were averaging 17 points per game (only five
points separated their season scoring totals), and the duo has accounted
for 51 percent of the team’s scoring. Only one other player on the
team averages more than six points per game. Two newcomers, Dana Weston
and Lauren Dix, joined the team after Thanksgiving and are averaging a
combined 22 minutes per game.
Swimming & Diving (men)
Coming off a second-place finish at the Div. III national championships
last season, Emory has already made plans for a repeat performance this
year. Entering the spring, the Eagles have posted 31 national qualifying
times in individual or relay events. Six came in the 500- and 1,650-yard
freestyle, thanks to sophomore Richard Kinnett, freshman Dan Weissman
and senior Eric Caines. The trio rank fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively,
in the nation for the fastest time in the 1,650 free (also known as the
mile). Incredibly, their best times are less than three seconds apart
in an event that takes them approximately 16 minutes to swim. Caines is
bidding to become the first Eagle to earn All-America honors in the mile
all four seasons; he and Kinnett both were All-Americans last season in
the event.
Swimming & Diving (women)
The Eagles finished fourth at nationals last season but may be poised
improve on that result. Thus far, Emory has amassed 35 national qualifying
times either in individual or relay events. Eight of them are in the distance
freestyle events (500 free, 1650 free). Four Emory swimmers—freshman
Leigh Campbell, sophomore Tracy Shessler, senior Becky Mutz and freshman
Dana Inserra—have posted top 15 times nationally in the 500 free,
and four (Campbell, Mutz, Inserra and junior Lindsey Hoffner) rank among
the fastest 17 times in the nation in the 1650 free this season. Mutz
is a seven-time All-American in her career, making her the fourth-most
decorated Emory swimmer. She was second in the mile and third in the 500
free at last spring’s NCAA championships. Hoffner was an All-American
in both distance freestyle events last season.
Fall recap
Emory was 20th in the nation among Div. III schools in the fall standings
for the Sears Directors’ Cup, presented to the school with the best
all-around athletics program. Emory scored best in volleyball; the Eagles
advanced to the Sweet 16 round for the fourth time in six years. The women’s
cross country squad put together the second-best finish in school history,
16th place, thanks in part to senior Sarah Byrd who became the first Emory
female runner to earn repeat All-America honors. The men’s cross
country team placed 22nd at nationals, its best finish since 1992. Emory
finished 18th in the final national rankings for women’s soccer,
but the Eagles were not one of the 45 teams selected for the Div. III
national tournament.
Emory varsity sports updates are available on the Web at www.emory.edu/SPORTS.
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