Empire 8 Athletes of The Week: February 11, 2013
Men’s Basketball Player – Houghton
Mark O’Brien, Senior, Guard – Seven Hills, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian
Mark O’Brien averaged 24.7 points, seven rebounds, 2.3 assists and three steals in a 1-2 week for Houghton College. The senior started the week off scoring 11 points and hauling in six rebounds in the loss to St. John Fisher on Tuesday. He shot 64 percent from the field and made 7-of-8 attempts from the free throw line Friday against Utica as he tallied 36 points and five rebounds. O’Brien finished the week off on Saturday with 27 points, 10 boards as the Highlanders picked up their first win of the season, 89-85 in overtime against Alfred. Over the week, O’Brien shot 52.5 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the free throw line.
Men’s Basketball Rookie – St. John Fisher
Chaz Lott, Guard – Wynantskill, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
The St. John Fisher College men's basketball team improved to 14-8 overall on Thursday night with a 75-62 win over host Houghton College. Freshman Chaz Lott shot 8-of-10 from the floor and had seven assists and three steals.
Women’s Basketball Player – Elmira
Jessica Zoltowski, Junior, Guard – Erie, PA/Harbor Creek
Elmira junior Jessica Zoltowski became the fourth player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. She averaged an impressive 17.7 points and 9.0 rebounds for Elmira in three games last week. Zoltowski finished with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds as Elmira picked up an important, 61-58, conference win over Alfred on Tuesday night. Friday against Stevens she finished with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals. The Erie, PA native capped off her week with a 17 point-eight rebound and three assist effort against Hartwick.
Women’s Basketball Rookie – St. John Fisher
Mary Kate Cusack, Guard – Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa
Freshman Mary Kate Cusack scored a career-high 25 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field as St. John Fisher College defeated Houghton 80-70 on the road Tuesday night. The guard set a career high for 3-pointers made in a contest, draining six shots from beyond the arc, including 4-of-5 attempts in the final half. Cusack also added four rebounds, two steals and two assists.
Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – N/A
Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – N/A
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete – Utica
Morgan Payne, Junior – Williamstown, NY/Altmar-Parish Williamstown
Junior Morgan Payne led the Utica College men's track team Saturday at the Hamilton Invitational as he won the 5000 meter run with a final time of 15:51.63, more than 14 seconds ahead of the competition.
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete – St. John Fisher
Kyle Koehler, Freshman - Pualski, NY/Pualski
Freshman Kyle Koehler broke his own personal record and set a new school record in the shot put, hurling a distance of 14.25 meters to win the event at the Hamilton Invite.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete – Ithaca
Jenn Randall, Senior – Cincinnatus, NY/Cincinnatus
On Saturday at the Cornell Kane Invitational, senior Jenn Randall snapped a decade-old school record to highlight seven top-10 finishes by the Bombers that met the ECAC Indoor Championship qualifiers. Randall placed second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.66 to break Lynn Janovich's record of 2:15.15 set on March 1, 2003.
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete – Ithaca
Emilia Scheemaker, Sophomore – Scarborough, ME/Scarborough
Sophomore Emilia Scheemaker hit two ECAC qualifiers on Saturday at Cornell's Kane Invitational. She won the triple jump with a mark of 11.35 meters and placed ninth in the long with a leap of 5.22 meters.