Athletes of the Week for February 4, 2019
Women’s Basketball
Kara Hageman — Case Western Reserve University — Pennington, NJ (Hopewell Valley Central)
Case Western Reserve University graduate student Kara Hageman notched a double-double in each of two Spartans’ games last weekend. She averaged 19.0 points and 11.5 rebounds, shooting 40.0 percent (14-for-35) from the field. Hageman scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Spartans’ 81-62 loss to first-place Washington University.
Julianna Okoniewski — University of Rochester — Selkirk, NY (Bethlehem Central)
University of Rochester first-year forward Julianna Okoniewski recorded back-to-back double-doubles as the Yellowjackets split a weekend road trip. She scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a 66-65 loss to NYU on Friday night before totaling 19 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks in a 74-66 overtime win over Brandeis University. Okoniewski averaged 18.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor.
Men’s Basketball
Justin Hardy — Washington University — St. Charles, IL (St. Charles East)
Freshman Justin Hardy averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as Washington University remained in a tie for first place in the UAA with a pair of road wins. He shot 69.0 percent from the field (20-for-29), including 9-of-12 from three-point range. Hardy totaled 25 points and five rebounds in an 87-85 win at Carnegie Mellon University on Friday and then finished with 26 points and a career-high eight boards in the Bears’ 66-63 win at Case Western Reserve University. Leading by two with 22 seconds left, he stole a pass and went in for a layup to make it 65-61 and secure the victory.
Women’s Fencing
Tiffany Luong — NYU — Newton, MA (Newton North)
NYU sophomore Tiffany Luong finished 15-2 in the foil over the weekend as the Violets posted a 4-2 record in Massachusetts. She earned two of NYU’s five wins in a 22-5 loss to Harvard University on Saturday before winning 13 of 14 bouts on Sunday. The Violets finished 4-1 at the Eric Sollee Invitational hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including a win over UAA foe Brandeis University.
Men’s Fencing
Matt Chen — NYU — Monmouth Junction, NJ (South Brunswick)
NYU junior Matt Chen finished 11-3 in the sabre over the weekend as the Violets posted a 5-1 record in Massachusetts. He earned two of NYU’s four wins in a 23-4 loss to Harvard University on Saturday before recording a 9-2 mark on Sunday. The Violets defeated all five opponents at the Eric Sollee Invitational hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including a 21-6 victory over UAA foe Brandeis University.
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Clio Hancock — Emory University — Evanston, IL (Evanston Township)
Emory University first-year swimmer Clio Hancock provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in a dual meet against Division I University of Georgia. She eclipsed the “B” qualifying standard in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:05.62 and placed fourth in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:07.54.
Elizabeth Cron — University of Chicago — Cincinnati, OH (Oak Hills)
University of Chicago first-year diver Elizabeth Cron earned two top-five finishes against mostly NCAA Division I competition at the University of Illinois-Chicago Invitational. She placed fourth in the three-meter dive with 259.00 points and fifth on the one-meter board with a score of 219.65.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Trey Kolleck — Emory University — Newburgh, IN (Castle)
Emory University senior Trey Kolleck provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in two events during a dual meet against Division I University of Georgia. He finished third in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events with NCAA qualifying marks of 20.60 seconds and 45.30 seconds, respectively.
Cassiel Yuzik — Case Western Reserve University — Kent, OH (Theodore Roosevelt)
Case Western Reserve University sophomore Cassiel Yuzik swept the diving events in the Spartans’ win over Notre Dame College on Friday. He finished first in the one-meter event with a score of 232.45 and captured the three-meter dive with a mark of 218.45.
Women’s Indoor Track and Field
Aly Wayne — Washington University — Lowell, MA (Phillips Academy Andover)
Graduate student Aly Wayne ran one of the fastest 3,000-meter times in Washington University history while winning the event at the Keck DIII Select Invitational on Saturday. She completed the race in 9:56.06, which converts to 9:51.00 and is the fastest time in NCAA Division III this season.
Cassandra Laois — Case Western Reserve University — Worthington, OH (Thomas Worthington)
Graduate student Cassandra Laois of Case Western Reserve University swept the throwing events at the Denison University Bob Shannon Invitational on Saturday to help the Spartans place fourth in the 14-team event. She won the weight throw with a mark of 16.73 meters and the shot put with a toss of 13.79 meters.
Eka Jose — Washington University — Kansas City, MO (Liberty North)
Sophomore Eka Jose won two individual events and finished second in another at the Keck DIII Select Invitational on Saturday. She won the long jump (5.81 meters) and triple jump (12.10 meters), while placing second in the 60-meter dash. Her long jump distance and preliminary time of 7.80 meters in the 60 meters rank second in program history.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field
John Harry Wagner — Washington University — St. Louis, MO (John Burroughs)
Sophomore John Harry Wagner ran to a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash (49.77 seconds) and helped the Washington University 1,600-meter relay time to victory at the Illinois Wesleyan University Keck DIII Select Invitational on Saturday. The 1,600-meter time of 3:19.87 converted to 3:16.74, which is the fastest time in NCAA Division III this season.
Justin Kiefel — Carnegie Mellon University — Downingtown, PA (Downingtown STEM Academy)
Freshman Justin Kiefel broke his own week-long record in the triple jump to help lead Carnegie Mellon University to its fourth consecutive title at the Denison University Bob Shannon Invitational on Saturday. His new mark of 14.28 meters ranks 11th in NCAA Division III. Kiefel added a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a leap of 6.42 meters.
Alexander Scott — University of Chicago — Plover, WI (Stevens Point Area)
Junior Alexander Scott won the shot put as University of Chicago hosted the Windy City Invitational. His toss of 16.26 meters ranks 11th in NCAA Division III this season. Scott also won the weight throw with a distance of 15.17 meters.
Wrestling
James Murdoch — NYU — Clifton, NJ (Clifton)
Sophomore James Murdoch won all three of his bouts to help lead 17th-ranked NYU to a 3-0 record at the United States Coast Guard Academy Duals on Saturday. The 165-pounder’s biggest win of the day came against 18th-ranked Coast Guard when he defeated his seventh-ranked opponent, 9-5, in an eventual 19-18 NYU victory.
Women’s Tennis
Danna Taylor — Carnegie Mellon University — Orlando, FL (Circle Christian School)
First-year player Danna Taylor led Carnegie Mellon University to a 7-0 win over NCAA Division II Slippery Rock University on Friday. She teamed with Melissa Strome for an 8-4 win at first doubles and then won, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 1 singles.
Men’s Tennis
Jeremy Yuan — University of Chicago — Johns Creek, GA (Northview)
University of Chicago sophomore Jeremy Yuan finished a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles in the third-ranked Maroons’ wins over Hope College and 25th-ranked Kalamazoo College. He and junior Tyler Raclin posted 8-2 and 8-4 wins at No. 1 doubles, while Yuan earned a three-set win against Hope and a straight-set victory over Kalamazoo at second singles.
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.