Athletes of the Week for March 18, 2019
Baseball
Mike Khoury — Brandeis University — East Bridgewater, MA (East Bridgewater)
Brandeis University sophomore shortstop Mike Khoury hit .364 (8-for-22) with a 1.000 slugging percentage, 13 runs scored, four home runs, and 13 runs batted in during the Judges’ 5-2 week. He also walked 11 times, recording a .588 on-base percentage. Khoury homered three times in a doubleheader split with Clark University on Saturday and hit another home run the following day in the first game of a doubleheader sweep of Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Samuel Neal — Case Western Reserve University — Smithfield, VA (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy)
Case Western Reserve University junior centerfielder Samuel Neal hit .414 (12-for-29) with 12 runs scored, two home runs, and 12 runs batted in during the Spartans’ 5-3 week. He doubled, homered, and drove in six runs in a 19-1 win over Roger Williams University on Wednesday and hit another home run the next day in an 8-4 Spartans’ win over the Hawks. Neal stole three bases, walked four times, and recorded a .553 on-base percentage and .724 slugging percentage.
Ryan Loutos — Washington University — Barrington, IL (Barrington)
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Loutos threw a complete game three-hitter to lead Washington University to a 4-0 win over 13th-ranked Concordia University. He walked one batter and struck out 13. Loutos allowed back-to-back hits to open the seventh inning before striking out the final three batters to earn the victory.
Women’s Golf
Navika Kuchakulla — NYU — Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Preparatory School)
Sophomore Navika Kuchakulla of NYU won the individual title at the Jekyll Island Women’s Collegiate Invitational. She shot a four-over par 220 (74-71-75) over the par-72 Jekyll Island Golf Club/Indian Mound course. Kuchakulla bested a field of 119 golfers and led the Violets to a third-place team finish.
Men’s Golf
Logan Ryan — Emory University — Fort Wayne, IN (Bishop Dwenger)
Freshman Logan Ryan helped top-ranked Emory University to a first-place finish at the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational. He landed all-tournament honors after tying for fourth place in the 150-player field, shooting a five-under par 211 (73-69-69) over 54 holes. Ryan birdied the final five holes on Sunday to shoot his second-consecutive three-under par 69.
Softball
Piper Johnson — Carnegie Mellon University — Riverside, CA (Martin Luther King)
Carnegie Mellon first-year player Piper Johnson hit .545 (12-for-22) with an .864 slugging percentage in a 4-3 week for the Tartans. She hit a walk-off two-run homer, the first round-tripper in program history, in a 6-4 win over State University of New York at Potsdam. She homered again the following day in a
10-0 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University, finishing the week with six runs scored and nine runs batted in.
Meghan Murphy — Emory University — Columbia, SC (Dutch Fork)
Emory University sophomore Meghan Murphy batted .500 (5-for-10) with eight runs batted in during the Eagles’ 4-0 week. She finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI in a 10-1 win over University of Rochester on Tuesday. The following day, Murphy knocked in five runs in the Eagles’ 7-4 victory over Emory & Henry College.
Sidney Brannam — Case Western Reserve University — Austin, TX (St. Dominic Savio Catholic)
Case Western Reserve University sophomore pitcher Sidney Brannam posted a 2-1 record with a 0.51 earned run average, allowing one earned run in 13.2 innings. She tossed a six-hit shutout in the final game of the Spartans’ spring break trip, a 5-0 win over University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Brannam struck out 12 batters.
Scotty McGee — Carnegie Mellon University — Huntington Beach, CA (Huntington Beach)
Carnegie Mellon University first-year pitcher Scotty McGee concluded the Tartans’ spring break trip with a five-inning no-hitter, walking one and striking out nine in a 10-0 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University. For the week, she yielded two earned runs in 19 innings, walking four and striking out 24 batters, to post a 2-1 record and 0.74 earned run average.
Women’s Tennis
Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico — Emory University — Pinecrest, FL (Gulliver Prep)
Sophomore Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico finished a combined 4-0 at No. 1 singles and first doubles as Emory University defeated two top-10 opponents. She earned straight-set victories in singles, dropping a total of eight games over four sets in the Eagles’ 8-1 win over third-ranked Amherst College and 7-2 victory over seventh-ranked Wesleyan University, Gonzalez-Rico teamed with Defne Olcay for a pair of doubles’ wins.
Men’s Tennis
Ethan Hillis — Washington University — Centennial, CO (Cherry Creek)
Sophomore Ethan Hillis earned straight-set wins at No. 1 singles over the seventh- and 18th-ranked players in NCAA Division III over spring break. He also split two matches at second doubles with classmate Benjamin van der Sman. Hillis moved to 25-6 overall in his first season with the Bears.
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
Rose Ciriello — Carnegie Mellon University — Madison, NJ (Madison)
Senior Rose Ciriello of Carnegie Mellon University won one event and ran on a runner-up relay squad at the season-opening Washington & Lee University Track and Field Carnival. She captured the 800-meter run with a time of 2:18.45 and ran on the second-place 1,600-meter relay (4:08.19).
Cassandra Laios — Case Western Reserve University — Worthington, OH (Thomas Worthington)
Graduate student Cassandra Laios broke her own Case Western Reserve University record in the hammer throw to lead the Spartans at the Washington & Lee University Track and Field Carnival. She claimed the title in the hammer with a mark of 51.62 meters, besting her 2017 mark of 51.30. Laios also won the shot put (12.65 meters) and finished second in the discus (38.80 meters).
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field
Graham Eversden — Carnegie Mellon University — Chandler, AR (Chandler)
Freshman Graham Eversden of Carnegie Mellon University posted two top-10 finishes at the Washington & Lee University Track and Field Carnival. He placed second in the 800 meters (1:55.87) and ninth in the 1,500 meters (4:13.50).
Jack Murphy — Carnegie Mellon University — Ithaca, NY (Trumansburg)
Sophomore Jack Murphy of Carnegie Mellon University won the pole vault at the Washington & Lee University Track and Field Carnival. He cleared a personal-best height of 4.57 meters.
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.