Women's Basketball:
The Emory women's basketball team (19-6, 9-5 UAA) embarked on one of its most successful regular seasons in program history in the 2023-24 season. The Eagles' nine wins in the UAA saw them tie for third in the UAA and the second ranked defense in the conference.
With the regular season now in the rearview, though, the Eagles will play in their sixth NCAA Division III Tournament in program history when they travel to Lexington, Kentucky for the Regional hosted by Transylvania University. The Eagles will take on Ohio Wesleyan in the opening round, with Transylvania taking on Chatham. Since taking over as head coach in 2018-19, Head Coach Misha Jackson has now led the Eagles to three NCAA Tournament berths. This will be the first time in program history that women's basketball has made consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
The road to get to the tournament was not an easy one, taking on some of the nation's top teams including Christopher Newport as well as No. 1 ranked NYU twice. After losing their first game of the season to then ranked No. 3 Christopher Newport, Emory ripped off 12 straight wins – the second-longest winning streak in program history. The Eagles gained the attention of the national media, with d3hoops ranking them as high as No. 6 in the nation in early January – the highest national ranking in team history.
Graduate student Claire Brock served as the team's leader in 2023-24, taking a captain role while also being one of the nation's top scorers. Brock averaged a UAA-best 17.0 points per game while shooting an impressive 47.8% from the field. Nobody in the UAA knocked down more three-pointers than Brock either, hitting 58 this year. Junior Daniella Aronsky was close behind Brock, ranking second in the UAA in threes after hitting 55 this year.
Emory is averaging 71.1 points per game while knocking down 43.3% of their shots, the 29th best percentage in the nation. The Eagles thrived on the perimeter on both ends of the court this season, ranking eighth in three-point percentage (36%) and ranking ninth in three-point percentage defense (23.3%). The Eagles have been able to outpace their opponents via the three. When threes are falling for the Eagles, they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the nation.
Emory is coming into the tournament having won three of their final four contests while averaging 74.3 points per game over that stretch. Aronsky has been hot as of late, averaging 16 points over her last four. The junior knocked down seven threes in the win over Case Western Reserve. Senior Izzy Munson is coming off a solid performance in the season finale as well, knocking down three from beyond the arc en route to scoring 13 points.
The Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops finished their season with a 22-6 record and narrowly fell to DePauw in the NCAC championship game. The Battling Bishops are a strong team all-around, ranking in the top-30 in both offense with 75.6 points per game and in defense, allowing just 52.6 points per game. One thing the Battling Bishops do better than any other team in the nation is take care of the basketball. Ohio Wesleyan ranks first in the nation in turnovers per game and boasts the best assist-turnover ratio in the country with a staggering 1.6.
Ohio Wesleyan does this all without taking a ton of shots from beyond the arc, attempting just 17.2 per game. The Battling Bishops knock down 76.9% of their free throws and can score inside, with a field goal percentage of 42.9%. The Eagles will need to take care of the ball if they want to advance to the next round, as the Battling Bishops are fourth in the nation with a 13.36 turnover margin. This will be the first time the two schools meet on the court.
Senior guard Kasey Schipfer is leading Ohio Wesleyan this year, scoring 20.1 points per game on 51.9% shooting. Schipfer has done most of her work inside of the arc, only having made three three-point shots all season. The senior ranks 20th in the nation in points per game and averages 8.2 rebounds per game. The Eagles will need to play smart when guarding her, because Schipfer is the 6th best free throw shooter in the country, knocking down 88.3% of her shots from the stripe.
Should the Eagles win and advance to the Round of 32, they'll take on the winner of host and No. 2 ranked Transylvania and Chatham. Transylvania is the reigning national champion and have won 60 straight games, going 33-0 in 2023 and sitting at 27-0 heading into the tournament. The Pioneers boast the nation's top defense, holding their opponents to just 42.1 points per game this year. The Pioneers are fresh off a dominating run through the HCAC tournament where they claimed the championship after a pair of double-digit wins.
Meanwhile, Chatham are on a bit of a winning streak themselves, having won nine straight to finish the season as the PAC champions to secure the bid. Chatham also takes care of the ball, having a turnover margin of 12.04, the fifth best in the nation. They also force a lot of turnovers, with 26.67 per game, the seventh-best mark in the nation.
Games in Lexington, Kentucky will start at 5:30 PM on Friday, March 1st with Emory playing in the opening game. Transylvania and Chatham will clash at 8:00 PM. The winners of the opening round will then faceoff at 7:30 PM the following day, Saturday, March 2nd.
When/Where:
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Friday, March 1st – vs Ohio Wesleyan – 5:30 PM – Clive M. Beck Center (Lexington, KY)
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Saturday, March 2nd – Second Round (with win on Friday) – 7:30 PM - Clive M. Beck Center (Lexington, KY)
Coverage:
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Vs Ohio Wesleyan
Women's Tennis:
The No. 6 ranked Emory women's tennis team will travel to Nicholasville, Kentucky to take part in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships this weekend. The event features the nation's top eight teams, all vying for the ITA Indoor title in single-elimination format. The Eagles have won The ITA Indoors five times before and will look to claim their sixth this weekend.
The Eagles enter the tournament as the No. 4 overall seed and pitted against No. 5 seed Johns Hopkins in the first round. Emory is coming off a weekend in which it went 1-1, including an 8-1 win over No. 11 Sewanee, who is also participating in the ITA Indoor event as the No. 7 seed. Emory fell to NAIA powerhouse Georgia Gwinnett, 6-1, earlier in the weekend.
Junior Eliza McPherron and sophomore Iris Berman have dominated in doubles play out of the No. 2 position this season. McPherron and Berman won the Eagles' lone point in their doubles match, winning 6-3. The duo continued their strong start to the year with an 8-5 decision against Sewanee. The two are now a perfect 3-0 in their doubles matches this season.
Sophomore Emily Kantrovitz has been steady in the No. 1 singles position, going 2-1 in her matches this spring, including a win in three sets against Sewanee. Her doubles partner, senior Ana Cristina Perez, is also 2-1, all coming in the No. 2 singles position.
The Eagles' quarterfinals match against Johns Hopkins will start on Friday, March 1st at 9:00 AM. Should the Eagles advance, they will take on the winner of the match between No. 1 seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 8 Carnegie Mellon.
When/Where:
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Friday, March 1st-Sunday, March 3rd – ITA National Team Indoor Championships – Nicholasville, Kentucky
Coverage:
Swimming and Diving:
Emory divers will compete in the NCAA Region 2 competition this weekend, spanning Friday through Saturday. The Eagles saw three divers qualify for the event, with senior Tess Klugherz and sophomore Ren Watt qualifying for the women and senior Alex York earning a berth for the men.
Klugherz picked up a fourth-place finish in the 1-meter dive and a fifth place finish in the 3-meter at the UAA Championships. York secured his first-ever All-UAA nod when he finished second in the 3-meter event earlier this month.
The trio of Eagles will look to qualify for the NCAA National Championship Meet this weekend as they head to Trinity University for the Regional Event. The event will take place this weekend in the Alamo Heights Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas.
When/Where:
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Friday, March 1st-Saturday, March 2nd – NCAA Division III Midwest/South/West Diving Regional – Alamo Heights Natatorium (San Antonio, TX)
Coverage:
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TBA
Baseball:
The Emory baseball team (5-5) is coming off a successful weekend in which the Eagles' offense exploded for 36 runs over three games against the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers. Emory dropped the opening game of the series on Saturday before winning the final two games by a combined score of 27-10.
Junior Jack Halloran was the catalyst for the offensive outbreak, going a staggering 8-for-10 at the dish while driving in nine runs in the series. Halloran slugged two home runs and two doubles while also reaching base via the walk four times en route to picking up his second UAA Athlete of the Week honor of the season. Halloran's two home runs brings his career total to 18. One more home run will see the junior be tied for second all-time in program history.
Needing someone to deliver on the mound this weekend, junior Bennett Speicher delivered. Speicher entered the final game of the series with two runners on and no outs, with the Eagles trailing 3-2. The junior proceeded to escape the jam with no runs, recording three quick outs. Speicher went on to pitch five perfect innings on the bump for the Eagles, allowing Emory to regain the lead and pull away with a 16-4 win.
Having won four of their last five, Emory will play four games this week, starting in LaGrange on Tuesday. The Panthers come into the game with a 5-2 record and are outscoring their opponents 40-23. Centerfielder Fletcher Hislop is pacing the Panthers on offense, hitting .375 with three doubles this season. Emory has faced off with LaGrange 55 times before, with the Eagles owning the all-time series 37-18. The two split the series last year, with Emory winning the most recent matchup 10-6.
Emory will then take on Covenant in a three-game weekend series. The two will start on Friday afternoon at Covenant's home field in Lookout Mountain, Georgia before returning to Atlanta to play a doubleheader on Saturday. The second game of the doubleheader at Chappell Park will be a seven inning affair.
The Scots are entering their matchup with the Eagles having lost three of their last four. Covenant hosted Messiah this past weekend, going 1-2 in the series. Covenant's Kenny Mills is off to an impressive start, hitting .464 and slugging .714 in eight games played this year. The senior has also appeared as a pitcher this year, going two innings while allowing one earned run on four hits. Emory boasts a 17-10 record against the Scots, including three of the last four.
When/Where:
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Tuesday, February 27th – at LaGrange – 6:00 PM – Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium (LaGrange, GA)
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Friday, March 1st – at Covenant – 2:00 PM – Covenant Baseball Field (Lookout Mountain, GA)
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Saturday, March 2nd – vs Covenant – 12:00 PM / 3:00 PM – Chappell Park (Atlanta, GA)
Coverage:
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LaGrange
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Covenant
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Game 1
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Game 2
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Game 3
Softball:
The Emory softball team (4-2) is coming off its first week of games, including a 2-2 performance at the Maryville February Classic. The Eagles dropped the first two games of the event on Saturday, before rebounding for a pair of wins on Sunday.
The Eagles have received impressive starts from several freshmen this year. Freshman Ellie Zerr is off to a hot start in her rookie season, going 10-for-20 with two home runs and 10 RBIs this season. Zerr drove in seven RBIs in the February Classic, with one home run and one double. Freshman Sonia Klein slugged her first career home run in Emory's 10-2 win over Wittenberg to cap off her impressive weekend. Starting in all six games thus far, the rookie is hitting .313 with two doubles and a home run. Klein is second on the team in slugging percentage at .625.
Rookie pitcher Lexi Bach has had an impressive start to her career, boasting an ERA of 2.63 in 10.2 innings pitched this season. Bach went the distance in Emory's 4-2 win over Maryville, going 7.0 IP while allowing one earned run on six hits. Sophomore Ella Hoyle was impressive in Sunday's wins as well, driving in a team-high six RBIs on the day.
With a bit of momentum on their side, the Eagles will take on Bridgewater (Va.) this week with a two-game set. Bridgewater owns a 2-6 record this season and enter the midweek series against Emory having lost three of its last four. Bridgewater was swept in a doubleheader against No. 3 ranked Berry before splitting a doubleheader with Piedmont on Monday. The Eagles have been outscored 42-19 this season. The two programs have met 10 times before, with Emory having won nine of the meetings. The two last met in 2016, where Emory swept the doubleheader.
When/Where:
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Wednesday, February 28th – vs Bridgewater (Va.) – 2:30 PM – Cooper Field (Atlanta, GA)
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Thursday, February 29th – vs Bridgewater (Va.) – 2:30 PM – Cooper Field (Atlanta, GA)
Coverage:
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Game One
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Game Two
Men's Tennis:
Fresh off their ITA National Team Indoors Championship, the Emory men's tennis team will play two dual matches this weekend. The Eagles were dominant at the ITA Indoor Championships, winning their matches by a combined score of 17-1.
Highlighting the weekend was freshman Christian Liew. The rookie won all three of his singles matches in straight sets, outscoring his opponents 36-11 playing in the No. 4 and No. 5 singles spot. He also won two of his three doubles matches on court three.
Sophomore Dean Kamenev was solid as well, winning all three of his singles matches coming in the No. 1 position. Graduate student Justin Waldman made his first appearance for the Eagles in resounding fashion, scoring the match clinching point in the semifinal win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
The Eagles will look to keep it rolling this weekend as they gear up to take on North Georgia on Saturday and Piedmont on Sunday.
When/Where:
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Saturday, March 2nd – at North Georgia – 12:00 PM – UNG Tennis Complex (Dahlonega, GA)
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Sunday, March 3rd – at Piedmont – 10:00 AM – Burgen Tennis Courts (Demorest, GA)
Coverage:
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North Georgia
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Piedmont
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TBA