Eight Emory University student-athletes were selected as the University Athletic Association Athletes of the Week for March 4-10. The eight in a single week is the most by the Eagles so far this season and the most in a single week since October 15, 2018 when 11 student-athletes were chosen for weekly honors.
Earning the acclaim this past week were graduate student Nikki Boon and sophomore Henry Brandstadter from track & field, sophomore Mackenzie Duford and freshman Ellie Zerr from softball, junior Matthew Sicoli from baseball, sophomore Emily Kantrovitz from women's tennis and senior Jackson Klutznick and junior Sharon Mun from the golf programs.
Boon put the exclamation point on her first indoor season with the Eagles earning All-America status as she finished as the national runner-up in the pentathlon. She totaled 3763 points to break the Emory program record for the second time this season. She took a fourth place finish in the 60m hurdles, shot put and the long jump as well as a seventh place finish in the high jump. Her best event was the 800m where she took second place with a 2:21.97. Boon is the first-ever Eagle to reach the podium in the indoor pentathlon.
For the second time in his career, Brandstadter earned All-America status in the long jump as he helped the Emory men's team to its best finish ever at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Competing against 19 other individuals, Brandstadter recorded a mark of 7.34m in his third attempt to take second place in the event and earn the third ever All-America honor in the long jump in Emory history. His national-runner-up performance is the best finish ever by an Eagle in the event.
Sicoli powered baseball to a 2-0 record this past week as Emory earned non-conference wins over Covenant and Huntingdon. On Monday, Sicoli had a huge day in Emory's 16-10 slugfest win at Covenant as he went 4-for-5 with a double, one home run and drove in a career-high eight RBI (tied for the second-most in Emory history). On Sunday, Sicoli picked up two more hits, including a double, and scored three times as the Eagles mercy ruled Huntingdon 12-2 in seven innings. For the week, Sicoli was 6-for-9 with three extra base hits while slugging 1.222 and had a .600 on-base percentage.
Klutznick kicked off his spring season with a strong start at the Savannah Invitational. The reigning SwingU Division III National Player of the Fall finished the event tied for second in the strong individual field when he turned in a three-round total of 206 (-10). Klutznick's 206 saw him finish just one stroke back from the tournament's individual winner.
Zerr continued to be an RBI machine for the Eagles after helping Emory split the doubleheader against the Saint Benedict Bennies last Thursday. She totaled six RBI through both games, three of those in the seventh inning of game two in Emory's comeback attempt. She went 3-for-7 on the day (.428) with a double and a run.
In the same doubleheader against Saint Benedict, Duford was a force to be reckoned with in the circle throwing 9.2 innings across both games. In the Eagles' 10-0 win in game one, Duford held the Bennies hitless until the fourth inning and allowed just one hit and zero walks over 3.2 innings of work. She recorded three strikeouts in game one and earned her fourth win of the season. She entered game two with a 5-0 deficit in just the second inning and was able to keep the Bennies scoreless for the rest of the matchup. She totaled five strikeouts in game two and allowed just three hits across six innings.
Competing as an individual, Mun was Emory's top performer at the Westbrook Invite at the Lakes in Peoria, Arizona. Mun paced the Eagles on both days of the competition, shooting a one-under 70 on Saturday before carding a 71 in the second round on Sunday. Mun finished tied for fourth individually with her two-round score of 141.
Kantrovitz had a strong day on Sunday competing against the No. 1 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps as the Eagles began their west coast road trip. Kantrovitz and her doubles partner Ana Cristina Perez fell just short in their doubles match with an 8-6 decision at the No. 1 spot before heading into singles. Kantrovitz, ranked sixth in the Division in singles, faced No. 2 ranked Lindsay Eisenman and won with her 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback victory earning Emory's fourth point to tie the match before the Eagles fell 5-4.