WALTHAM, Mass. – Three Brandeis University student-athletes have earned University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week honors for the week ending April 22. Junior Zach Cihlar of Phoenix, Arizona, was honored for men's tennis, while graduate student Irie Gourde of Portland, Oregon, and junior Scott Grote of Greenfield, Massachusetts, were honored for men's track and men's field, respectively.
Cihlar went 3-0 during a 2-0 week for the #17-ranked Brandeis men's tennis. On Thursday, in just his second singles match of the spring, Cihlar won the final match of a six-and-a-half hour contest against #25 MIT, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 6 to give the Judges a 5-4 win. On Sunday for Senior Day against Wheaton (Mass.), he lost just three games, winning 8-1 with senior Eric Goldberg of Solon, Ohio, at No. 3 doubles and winning 6-1, 6-1, at No. 3 singles. Cihlar and the Judges travel to Altamonte Springs, Florida, for the (UAA) tournament this week. The Judges meet #10 Washington University in the first round on Thursday morning.
Gourde broke his own school in the 200-meter dash at the MIT Sean Collier Invitational on Saturday. His time of 21.59 seconds won the race by 0.47 seconds and was 0.12 second faster than his previous University record set a year earlier. Gourde is now ranked tops in the UAA and 14th in Division III in the 200. He also won the 100m with a personal best of 10.96 seconds. He is qualified for the Open New England and New England Division III championships with the finishes.
Grote finished second in two throwing events at the MIT Sean Collier Invitational. He threw 45.86 meters (150 feet, 5 ½ inches) in the discus and 12.98 meters (42 feet, 7 inches) in the shot put. His distance in the discus was a personal record by six feet.
Gourde and Grote will be competing at the UAA Championships this weekend at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Cihlar is a 2015 graduate of Brophy College Prep.
Gourde is a 2013 graduate of York Academy, Toronto.
Grote is a 2015 graduate of Greenfield High School.