From Emory University Athletics
Emory University senior Aman Manji (Sammamish, WA) highlighted the tennis team's representation on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Year-End Awards list with his selection as the men's national recipient of the NCAA Division III Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. The award, which dates back from 1982, recognizes men's and women's players at the Division I, II, III, NAIA and JUCO levels who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
After playing sparingly as a freshman, Manji rose through the singles ranks his final three campaigns to where he held down the No. 1 spot during the 2016-17 season. Serving as a team co-captain, Manji helped the Eagles to their fourth-ever national title, finishing with a singles ledger of 28-6, with his victory total tying the school's sixth-highest individual mark.
The No. 1-ranked D-III singles player for the majority of the year, he earned All-America honors during the fall with a first-place finish at the ITA South Region Championships, and followed that performance by becoming just the second-ever Emory player to win the D-III Singles title at the Oracle Cup (formerly the Small College Championships).
The Atlantic South Region Arthur Ashe Award winner in 2016 and 2017, Manji was also tabbed by the ITA as the Region's 2017 Senior Player of the Year.
A three-time First Team All-UAA performer, Manji ranks 23rd on the program's all-time ladder with 66 singles wins and is 13th in career winning percentage. During his stint with the program, he helped the Eagles to three UAA titles and four appearances in the NCAA D-III Championships.
A biology major who graduated with a 3.53 grade-point average, he made made an impact away from the court, actively participating in a host of community and volunteer activities including Kids in Need, Forever Family, Volley Against Violence and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
A recipient of the Sonny Carter Scholarship Award, he was also selected as a 100 Senior Honorary.
Sophomore Jonathan Jemison (Marietta, GA) was the recipient of the Atlantic South Region's "Player To Watch," with that recognition going annually to one of the top-ranked returning regional players next year who has not yet won an ITA Regional singles championship or any other ITA National Event. Jemison hammered out a singles record of 27-6 during the year, including a 21-4 slate during the spring portion of the schedule with all of those decisions coming at No. 2. He captured all three of his singles outings at the NCAA D-III Championships, including a 7-6, 6-2, verdict over Glenn Hull of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps that gave Emory a 4-1 edge in the title match. After two years of action, Jemison has chalked up a singles record of 54-11 and his .830 winning percentage ranks fourth all-time in program annals.
Emory won its last 14 matches of the season and closed out the campaign with a 22-4 record. The Eagles finished with a 19-1 won-lost mark against Division III foes.