E8 Athletes of the Week: October 14, 2013
Competition is as tight as ever in the conference this season, leading to some outstanding performances by Empire 8 student-athletes.
Football Offensive Player - Utica
Jake Larson, Senior, RB – Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove
Senior running back Jake Larson broke the school-record for touchdowns scored in a single game after turning in a five touchdown performance on 32 carries and 122 yards on the ground. He also caught two balls for 13 yards as UC defeated host Frostburg State 44-27 Saturday. Larson also became the College's all-time leader as he now has 20 career rushing touchdowns. Larson is currently tied for the conference lead with nine touchdowns this season.
Football Defensive Player – Frostburg
Salaman Riddell, Sophomore, DB – Millersville, MD/Old Mill
Salaman Riddell led all tacklers with 18, including a school-record 17 solo tackles, against Utica. He also added a pair of tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Football Special Teams Player - Hartwick
Tanner Williams, Sophomore, WR – Eagle Bridge, NY/Hoosick Falls
Tanner Williams had three punt returns for 57 yards and four kickoff returns for 84 yards on Saturday for Hartwick. He had a 36-yard punt return of a 36 yard punt to give the Hartwick offense possession at the 19 yard line which led to his own score on a one-yard rush just a few plays later. Williams also added four catches for 71 yards and a second touchdown.
Field Hockey Offensive Player – Stevens
Marguerite Chavez, Senior, Forward – Oceanport, NJ/Shore Regional
Marguerite Chavez set Stevens' all-time points record with a five-point performance on the week. On Wednesday she dished out two assists for the Ducks against New Paltz. She had a three-point performance Saturday against St. John Fisher as she converted a stroke in overtime to lift the Ducks to the 4-3 win and stay undefeated in conference play. Chavez assisted on Stevens' first goal of the game and now stands at 130 career points, breaking the previous record of 129 set by Kara Borzillo (2006-09).
Field Hockey Defensive Player – Elmira
Lauren Thomas, Senior, Goalie – Marshfield, MA/Marshfield
Lauren Thomas helped lead the Soaring Eagles to back-to-back wins, including Elmira's first Empire 8 win of the season. She played a large role in Elmira's 2-1 OT win over Washington & Jefferson by making a season high 17 saves. EC's win was their first over Washington & Jefferson in college history. Lauren also helped post a 6-0 shutout win over Wells College.
Men’s Cross Country Runner – Ithaca
Sean Phillips, Freshman – East Aurora, NY/East Aurora
Freshman Sean Phillips paced the Bombers for the second consecutive week as Ithaca ran to a fourth-place finish out of 13 teams Saturday at the Hamilton Invitational hosted at the Hamilton College Golf Course. On the eight-kilometer course Phillips clocked a 26:53.30 finish to place third overall in a field of 148 runners.
Women’s Cross Country Runner – Utica
Ashton Villeneuve, Sophomore – Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent
Ashton Villeneuve led the Utica College women's cross country team to a third place finish Saturday across town at the Hamilton College Invitational. Villeneuve placed second overall with a time of 18:00.2 (5K), missing out on her third victory of the season by less than a second.
Men’s Golf Athlete – Moravian
Jim Maru, Sophomore – Allentown, PA/Lehigh Valley Academy
Jim Maru sank a bogey putt on the second playoff hole to earn medalist honors at the inaugural John Makuvek Cup hosted by Moravian College on the Weyhill Course at Saucon Valley Country Club on Oct 8. Maru had a 76 on the par 72 course, and then had a par four on the first hole of the playoff, which was also the first hole of the course. On the second hole and battling the setting sun, Maru put his tee shot on the green of the par 3 hole while his opponent saw his tee shot bounce off of a tree and into a water hazard. After the drop, his opponent two-putted for a five while Maru three-putted for the win.
Women’s Golf Athlete – Ithaca
Sharon Li, Junior – Happy Valley, Hong Kong/Hong Kong International
Sharon Li claimed tournament medalist honors with an exceptional 1-under-par 71 in Sunday's final round to win the Pat Clouse Invitational hosted by Wittenberg in Springfield, Ohio. Ithaca won the team total with a school-record tying score of 627, and a second-round team score of 311 that also matched the team scoring record. It was Li's fourth individual tournament title in six events this fall.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Player – Houghton
Landon Sheaffer, Freshman, Midfield – Richfield, PA/East Juniata
Landon Sheaffer had two goals and an assist in the 5-0 win over Alfred State on Wednesday. He then netted two goals in the 3-0 win over Nazareth on Saturday as the Highlanders improved to 10-1-1 on the season.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Player – St. John Fisher
Kyle Metcalfe, Senior, Goalie – Fairport, NY/Fairport
Kyle Metcalfe led Fisher to a 0-0 tie against nationally ranked #19 St. Lawrence last week after making eight saves including several in the overtime periods. The senior goalkeeper also made four stops in Fisher's 3-1 win over Alfred University on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Player – Nazareth
Olivia Derleth, Senior – Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Olivia Derleth helped Nazareth secure three shutout wins last week as the Golden Flyers improved to 8-3-2 overall and improved to 4-0-0 in conference play. She scored both goals Saturday in a 2-0 home-field win over Stevens and also scored a goal in Sunday's 3-0 triumph over Elmira.
Women’s’ Soccer Defensive –Ithaca
Anna Gray, Senior, Defender – Bethlehem, NY/Delmar
Senior Anna Gray played a huge part in the Bombers' 3-0 win over Elmira Saturday. Gray played stellar defense, anchoring Ithaca's defense in a shutout of the Soaring Eagles. Gray also chipped in offensively, scoring two of the Bombers' goals. Gray's offensive output marked the second multi-goal game of her career.
Women’s Tennis Player - Nazareth
Alison Tepas, Senior – Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park
Alison Tepas became Nazareth's first New York State singles champion in 19 years over the weekend as she won four matches to claim the first singles title at the New York State Tournament at Ithaca. Unseeded going into the tournament, Tepas defeated the No. 3, No. 1 and No. 4 seeds en route to the title. She improved to 12-3 in singles matches this fall and has 55 victories overall for her career to rank eighth on Nazareth's all-time list.
Women’s Volleyball Player – Nazareth
Kassandra Buseck, Junior, RS-OH – Johnstown, NY/Johnstown
Kassandra Buseck helped the Golden Flyers to five non-conference victories last week as she totaled 36 kills (3.27 per set) in 65 attempts for a .415 hitting percentage. She also had four service aces and six blocks.
Women’s Volleyball Rookie – Utica
Brandi Blaszak, Freshman, MH – Marcy, NY/Whitesboro
Brandi Blaszak had a team-best 16 blocks in six matches last week. She also recorded 50 kills and added 24 digs.