Junior Jack Whetstone was recognized by the University Athletic Association this week for his first-place effort on Saturday at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. Whetstone received his third UAA Athlete of the Week award of the year he covered the Shelby Farms Park 8K course in 24:49, which put a full 16.7 seconds between him and the runner-up, and won him the Individual South/Southeast Regional Championship title. Whetstone's performance also caught the attention of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association earlier this week, as they dubbed him the NCAA DIII South/Southeast Male Athlete of the Year.

Whetstone is just the seventh Emory runner to finish first at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional, with the most recent occurrence coming back in 2015 when Lukas Mees took first place for the Eagles. The junior's effort helped his team accumulate just 41 points as a team, a total that gave Emory a 53-point advantage over runner-up Berea. Additionally, Whetstone played a major role in securing a bid for the right to appear in this upcoming weekend's NCAA National Championship. The Eagles are set to compete in the NCAA DIII National Championship at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky. The 8K race is slated to start at 10:45 a.m.