Athletes of the Week for October 30, 2017
Women’s Cross Country
Khia Kurtenbach — University of Chicago — Germantown, WI (Germantown)
University of Chicago senior Khia Kurtenbach earned Association Runner of the Year honors with her first-place finish at the UAA Cross Country Championships hosted by NYU at Garret Mountain Reservation in Woodland Park, New Jersey. After finishing a close second in the previous two UAA meets, she won by 10 seconds in a time of 23:04.7 over the mostly wooded, rocky six-kilometer course to lead the Maroons to a runner-up team finish.
Men’s Cross Country
David O’Gara — Washington University — Glenview, IL (Glenbrook South)
Senior David O’Gara became the fifth Association runner to earn back-to-back Runner of the Year honors at the UAA Cross Country Championships hosted by NYU at Garret Mountain Reservation in Woodland Park, New Jersey. He completed the eight-kilometer course in 25:36.6 to finish 30 seconds ahead of the runner-up and lead the Bears to their second consecutive Association title and 11th overall.
Football – Offense
Jacob Burke — Case Western Reserve University — Johnstown, OH (Northridge)
Senior Jacob Burke rushed for a season-high 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Case Western Reserve University defeated UAA foe Washington University 45-28. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry, while scoring touchdowns from nine and 10 yards out in the opening quarter. Burke raised his season totals to 748 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.
Football – Defense
Drew Fitzmorris — Carnegie Mellon University — Omaha, NE (Westside)
Senior defensive back Drew Fitzmorris recorded 18 tackles, including a career-best 13 solo hits, and added a sack in a 21-7 Carnegie Mellon University loss at Westminster College on Saturday night. His sack was for a loss of six yards and he added a pass breakup. Fitzmorris raised his career total to 231 tackles.
Cody Calhoun — Case Western Reserve University — Columbus, OH (Bishop Watterson)
Senior defensive back Cody Calhoun finished with a team-high 10 tackles, adding a fumble recovery and an interception, in a 45-28 Case Western Reserve University win over visiting Washington University. The Spartan defense limited the Bears to just 14 points and 194 yards of total offense through the first three quarters.
Football – Special Teams
Johnny Davidson — Washington University — Inverness, IL (Barrington)
Sophomore punter Johnny Davidson of Washington University punted five times for a 44.0 average in the Bears’ 45-28 loss at UAA rival Case Western Reserve University. He landed three punts inside the Spartans’ 20-yard line with a long kick of 51 yards. Davidson ranks sixth in NCAA Division III, averaging 42.1 yards per punt.
Women’s Soccer – Offense
Mia Calamari — University of Chicago — Barrington, IL (Barrington)
Senior midfielder Mia Calamari assisted on three of four University of Chicago goals as the Maroons moved to 17-0 with a pair of 2-0 UAA road victories. She assisted on both goals against NYU on Friday and the first goal against Brandeis University on Sunday.
Women’s Soccer – Defense
Jessica Kovach — Washington University — Arlington Heights, IL (Buffalo Grove)
Junior midfielder Jessica Kovach keyed the Washington University defense that posted a pair of UAA road shutouts. The Bears limited Brandeis University to three shots on goal in 3-0 win on Friday and held NYU to a pair of shots on goal in a 1-0 victory on Sunday.
Men’s Soccer – Offense
Carter Romero — University of Chicago — Austin, TX (Vista Ridge)
University of Chicago freshman midfielder Carter Romero scored a pair of game-winning goals as the Maroons moved into sole possession of first place in the UAA with victories at NYU and Brandeis University. He tallied the opening goal in the Maroons’ 3-0 win over the Violets and scored the only goal in the 80th minute of a 1-0 victory over the Judges.
Geoffrey Rouin — University of Rochester — Penn Yan, NY (Penn Yan)
University of Rochester senior midfielder Geoffrey Rouin scored three goals in a 2-0-1 week as the Yellowjackets stayed in the hunt for the UAA title. He netted the second goal in a 2-0 win over Case Western Reserve University on Friday after scoring both goals in a 2-0 shutout of regionally ranked State University of New York at Brockport on Monday.
Men’s Soccer – Defense
Aaron Katsimpalis — University of Chicago — Harrison Township, MI (L’Anse Creuse)
University of Chicago freshman goalkeeper Aaron Katsimpalis made seven total saves and earned a pair of shutouts in his first two collegiate starts. He stopped four shots in the Maroons’ 3-0 victory at NYU on Friday and made three saves as the Maroons moved into sole possession of first place in the UAA with a 1-0 road win over Brandeis University.
Women’s Tennis
Katie Chang — Emory University — Coto de Caza, CA (Santa Margarita Catholic)
Emory University first-year player Katie Chang finished 3-0 to win the Conquer Singles draw at the Wofford College Invitational. She won all three matches in straight sets, defeating opponents from NCAA Division I Wofford and Gardner-Webb College, and NAIA Bluefield College. Chang and Elaine Vernoff earned a pair of wins in doubles.
Volleyball
Rayne Ellis — NYU — Macon, GA (Mount de Sales Academy)
Senior middle blocker Rayne Ellis led NYU to a 3-0 weekend and the team title at the New York Region Challenge, hosted by University of Rochester on Friday and Saturday. She attacked at a .536 clip and averaged 3.30 kills per set, while totaling 10 blocks in 10 sets. Ellis hit at least .481 in each match, including a .692 hitting percentage in a three-set Violets’ victory over Rochester Institute of Technology.
Julianne Malek — Washington University — The Woodlands, TX (John Cooper)
Junior middle hitter Julianne Malek of Washington University was named to the all-tournament team at the Bears’ Baden Invitational. In four matches, she posted 56 kills (3.50 per set), a .402 hitting percentage, 15 blocks, nine digs, and four service aces. Malek hit .568 with a career-high 25 kills in a four-set loss to Hendrix College on Saturday.
Men’s Fencing
Grant Williams — NYU — Atlanta, GA (The Galloway School)
NYU junior Grant Williams opened his season by taking the sabre title at the Temple University Open on Sunday. He won all nine of his bouts in the first two rounds to earn the top seed in direct elimination. From there, Williams won four consecutive bouts to advance to the final, where he successfully defended his title in the event with a 15-9 victory over his Columbia University opponent.
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Nicole Zanolli — Washington University — Menlo Park, CA (Menlo-Atherton)
Senior Nicole Zanolli swam to three first-place finishes to lead Washington University to a 205-91 dual meet win over DePauw University. She captured the 100-yard backstroke (59.47 seconds), 100-yard freestyle (53.95 seconds), and the 100-yard butterfly (59.07 seconds).
Laura Barber — Washington University — Decatur, GA (The Westminster Schools)
Senior diver Laura Barber placed first in both the one- and three-meter diving events in the Washington University dual meet win over DePauw University. She totaled 240.00 points on the one-meter board and scored 231.70 in the three-meter event.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Sean Twomey — Case Western Reserve University — Crofton, MD (South River)
Freshman Sean Twomey of Case Western Reserve University swam the fourth-fastest time in NCAA Division III this season in the 400-yard individual medley. He placed first in the event in a time of 4:12.72 in a dual meet with Carnegie Mellon University.
Reona Yamaguchi — University of Chicago — Tokyo, Japan (Peddie School, NJ)
Sophomore Reona Yamaguchi posted three times that rank in the top five in NCAA Division III this season as University of Chicago faced NCAA Division I opponents Northwestern University and University of Illinois-Chicago. He won the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.51 seconds and took second in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:07.40) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:56.84).
Gabe Bamforth — Carnegie Mellon University — Cambridge, MA (Cambridge Rindge and Latin)
Junior Gabe Bamforth opened the season with two diving victories as Carnegie Mellon University defeated Case Western Reserve University 194-89. He won the one-meter event with a score of 253.92 and the three-meter board with a mark of 261.15.
Athlete of the Week selections are drawn from nominees submitted by member institution coaches and sports information directors. UAA Athletes of the Week are selected in each sport in which the UAA sponsors competition. They are selected on the basis of their individual performances and contributions to team efforts during the past week in both Association and non-Association competition.