Athletes of the Week for September 11, 2017
Women’s Cross Country
Gabrielle Stravach — Emory University — Westfield, NJ (Westfield)
Senior Gabrielle Stravach of Emory University crossed the finish line seventh of 163 runners at the predominantly NCAA Division I Furman University Classic. She recorded a six-kilometer time of 21:34.3 to help the Eagles place fifth of 17 teams, while finishing as the team’s top runner for the ninth consecutive time.
Khia Kurtenbach — University of Chicago — Germantown, WI (Germantown)
Senior Khia Kurtenbach of University of Chicago placed third of 163 runners at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Vic Godfrey Open. Her time of 17:51.7 over the five-kilometer course was just 0.2 seconds behind the top NCAA Division III runner. The Maroons finished third of 11 teams, first among Division III squads.
Men’s Cross Country
Bennett Shaw — Emory University — San Jose, CA (Bellarmine College Prep)
Junior Bennett Shaw of Emory University turned in a personal-best eight-kilometer time of 25:34.5 at the Furman University Classic. He finished 21st in the 176-runner field consisting of predominantly NCAA Division I competitors to help lead the Eagles to fifth place at the 14-team meet.
Football — Offense
Sam Benger — Carnegie Mellon University — Hingham, MA (Hingham)
Carnegie Mellon University senior running back Sam Benger rushed eight times for 208 yards to lead the Tartans to a 42-14 win over University of Rochester. He rushed for three touchdowns and scored on an 11-yard reception, marking the fifth four-touchdown game of his career. Benger’s 92-yard scoring run in the first quarter was the longest of his career.
Football — Defense
Ryan Montgomery — University of Chicago — Tampa, FL (Berkeley Prep)
Freshman defensive back Ryan Montgomery of University of Chicago made 14 tackles and intercepted two passes in a 28-12 loss at Washington University. He made 13 solo stops.
Jarrod Huther — Washington University — Sanger, TX (Sanger)
Sophomore linebacker Jarrod Huther made a career-high 16 tackles as Washington University retained the Founder’s Cup with a 28-12 win over University of Chicago. He added 1.5 tackles for loss to lead the Bears’ defense that limited the Maroons to 281 yards of total offense and 12 points.
Football — Special Teams
Willie Richter — Carnegie Mellon University — Leander, TX (Cedar Park)
Sophomore Willie Richter returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown in a 42-14 Carnegie Mellon University win over University of Rochester. The scoring return was the Tartans’ longest since 2012. Richter finished the game with three returns for 112 yards, averaging 37.3 yards per return.
Women’s Golf
Patty Treevichaphan — NYU — Bangkok, Thailand (International School of Bangkok)
NYU junior Patty Treevichaphan earned individual medalist honors as the Violets opened the season by capturing the team title at the St. Lawrence University Invitational. She posted rounds of 74 and 70 for a 144 total. The second round score of 70 marked the second-lowest score in program history.
Men’s Golf
Matt Shen — NYU — Honolulu, HI (Punahou School)
NYU sophomore Matt Shen finished second individually to lead the Violets to the team title at the St. Lawrence University Invitational. He carded rounds of 71 and 78 to finish one stroke behind the medalist.
Women’s Soccer — Offense
Taylor Cohen — Washington University — Pittsburgh, PA (Fox Chapel)
Washington University sophomore forward Taylor Cohen netted two goals each in Bears’ weekend wins over 10th-ranked Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Millikin University. She scored 3:23 into the game and tallied the final goal against the Sagehens. Cohen tallied the first goal of each half as the top-ranked Bears shut down the previously unbeaten Big Blue.
Women’s Soccer — Defense
Kelly Von Zup — Washington University — Temecula, CA (Great Oak)
Senior back Kelly Von Zup anchored the Washington University defense that allowed just one goal and posted a pair of shutouts last week. The Bears did not allow a shot on goal in a 2-0 victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Thursday. In wins over 10th-ranked Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and previously unbeaten Millikin University, the Bear backline allowed a combined six shots on goal.
Men’s Soccer — Offense
Max Lopez — University of Chicago — Tulsa, OK (Cascia Hall)
Junior Max Lopez scored four goals and added an assist in two University of Chicago wins, raising his season total to seven goals in four matches. The forward recorded his second career hat trick in a 7-1 Maroons’ win over St. Norbert College and then scored the game-tying goal in the second half of a 3-1 victory over 22nd-ranked and previously undefeated Carthage College.
Men’s Soccer — Defense
Alec Lam — Carnegie Mellon University — Upper Saddle River, NJ (Northern Highlands Regional)
Junior Alec Lam recorded a pair of shutouts as Carnegie Mellon University topped seventh-ranked University of Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges by an identical 1-0 score. He made three saves against the Bulldogs and four against the Sagehens.
Women’s Tennis
Hannah Rosenfield — Carnegie Mellon University — Manchester, England (Windermere Preparatory)
Carnegie Mellon University first-year player Hannah Rosenfield won three matches against NCAA Division I Duquesne University at the Tartans’ home invitational on Friday and Saturday. She captured the first two matches in straight sets before a 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 win in her third singles contest. Rosenfield also posted a pair of wins in doubles, including a win against Duquesne.
Men’s Tennis
Matthew Chen — Case Western Reserve University — Wynnewood, PA (Lower Merion)
Case Western Reserve University freshman Matthew Chen finished undefeated in singles and doubles in his collegiate debut at the Kenyon College Invitational. He finished 3-0 in second singles with two wins over Carnegie Mellon University opponents and one from Kenyon. Chen and sophomore Sam Concannon captured the second doubles flight with three victories.
Volleyball
Morgan McKnight — Emory University — Manassas, VA (Flint Hill)
Emory University sophomore outside hitter Morgan McKnight was named Emory Classic Most Valuable Player in leading the Eagles to a 4-0 record. She averaged 4.09 kills and 2.09 digs per set, while hitting at a .422 clip. McKnight registered 13 kills in sweeps of Chapman University and DeSales University, and hit .400 or better in three of four matches.
Julianne Malek — Washington University — The Woodlands, TX (John Cooper)
Washington University junior middle hitter Julianne Malek posted a .463 hitting percentage in a 3-2 week for the Bears. She finished the week with 66 kills, 13 digs, 12 service aces, and eight blocks. Malek hit .647 with 11 kills and no errors as the Bears completed the week with a four-set victory over St. Norbert College. She earned all-tournament honors for the second time in as many weeks.
Emma Griffith — University of Chicago — New York, NY (Calhoun)
University of Chicago first-year setter Emma Griffith averaged 11.71 assists and 4.14 digs per set as the Maroons defeated Carthage College and Dominican University (IL). She totaled 33 assists and 12 digs in a three-set win over the Lady Reds, and registered 49 assists and 17 digs in a four-set victory over the Stars.
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.