Cantrell, Funke named Bojangles Athletes of the Week

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum punter Hunter Cantrell and tennis player Franziska Funke have been named the Bojangles Athletes of the Week.                           

Cantrell, a senior from Sparta, Tennessee, averaged 43.1 yards per punt and pinned all eight of his punt attempts inside the 20-yard line in Tusculum's 32-31 double-overtime win over defending South Atlantic Conference champion Newberry.  The Pioneers snapped the Wolves' 12-game SAC winning streak and recorded their first win at Setzler Field since 2009.                                           

Cantrell flipped field position several times as six of his eight punt attempts were also pinned inside the 10-yard line as Newberry's average field position starts was at its own 14-yard line.  His eight punts inside the 20 are a new TC single-game record.                     

Cantrell broke the school record on Saturday with his 224 career punt attempts.  His 8,799 punting yards are second in school history while his 39.28 career average is fourth in TC history.  He leads the SAC this year averaging 41.7 yards per punt, which is 17^th in the nation (NCAA Division II).

Funke, a senior from Bochum, Germany, won the A draw singles championship and partnered with Katarina Majorova for the doubles title as the Pioneers swept the awards at the Grizzly Open, hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College last weekend.

Funke, seeded second in the A singles draw, defeated Maria Raich of Emmanuel 6-4, 6-2 in the round of 16 and beat teammate Annie McCullough 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Funke claimed a 6-1, 6-3 win over Gabrielle Robinson of Georgia Gwinnett in the semifinals, then beat top-seeded Henar Garcia Munoz of Georgia Gwinnett by a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 score in the championship match.

Funke and Majorova were the top seed in doubles, and began their run to the championship with an 8-1 win over Callie Franklin and Bailey McCammon of West Georgia in the round of 16. After receiving a default win over Pioneer teammates Mota and Ortiz in the quarterfinals, Funke and Majorova beat Chiara Rebecchi and Robinson of Georgia Gwinnett 8-1 in the semifinals. In the finals, Funke and Majorova downed Munoz and Mar Pardos Cid 8-6 to win the doubles championship.

The Tusculum College Athlete of the Week Award is sponsored by Bojangles, located at 3240 Andrew Johnson Highway in Greeneville.  The Bojangles Athlete of the Week Award honors one male and one female athlete each week from an in-season sport.

2017-2018 Bojangles Athletes of the Week