Empire 8 Athletes of The Week: February 25, 2013
Men’s Basketball Player – Ithaca
Frank Mitchell, Junior, Forward - Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough
Ithaca College junior forward Frank Mitchell was named the Empire 8 Men's Basketball Championship Most Valuable Player after helping guide the Bombers to their second conference title on Saturday. Mitchell had a game-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds in Friday’s semifinal 70-63 win over St. John Fisher. In the 70-55 championship win over top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology, Mitchell finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Ithaca earned automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championships and will be making its third straight and 12
th overall appearance.
Women’s Basketball Player – Ithaca
Devin Shea, Senior, Forward - Huntingdon Valley, PA/St. Basil Academy
Ithaca senior Devin Shea was named the Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship Most Valuable Player after averaging 10 points and four rebounds in two games as the top-seeded Bombers won their second consecutive E8 title and fifth overall. Shea shot 75 percent from the field and finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the 64-54 semifinal win against St. John Fisher College Friday night. She added six points and two boards in the 47-29 championship victory over Hartwick. Ithaca set a school record for wins in a season with their 25th victory, the previous mark of 24 was established last season
Men’s Swimming Athlete – Stevens
John Hu, Senior – Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor
John Hu, a senior from Stevens Institute of Technology, was named the Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Meet at the Upper New York State/Empire 8 Championships. Hu won three individual events in B-cut times that helped the Ducks to earn the team titles. He earned a win in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:51.98, carded a 4:00.43 in the 400-IM and clocked a 1:50.95 in the 200-yard butterfly.
Men’s Diving Athlete – Ithaca
Matt Morrison, Sophomore - Simsbury, CT/Simsbury
Ithaca sophomore Matt Morrison earned Male Diver of the Meet at the Upper New York State/Empire 8 Championships as he won both diving events. He set UNYSCSA and championship meet records in the 1-meter diving finals with a score of 553.30 and scored 554.45 in the preliminaries. Morrison totaled an association, facility, team and championship-meet record in the finals of the 3-meter diving with a score of 584.55.
Women’s Swimming Athlete – Nazareth
Carissa Risucci, Senior – Deerfield, NY/Whitesboro
Senior Carissa Risucci was named the Female Swimmer of the Meet at the Upper New York State/Empire 8 Championships as she led the Golden Flyers to a fourth-place team finish. Risucci won two individual events, hit one NCAA automatic-qualifying cut, one provisional cut-time, set two school records and one championship record during the four-day meet. On the final day of competition, Risucci won the 200 breaststroke with a school and championship record time of 2:16.20, automatically qualifying her for next month's NCAA Division III meet in Houston. The day before she successfully defended her title in the 100 breaststroke as she broke her own school record in the finals with a winning B-cut time of 1:03.93. Risucci also placed fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:09.49) and was part of the third-place 200 medley relay (1:48.69) and 400 medley relay (3:56.56).
Women’s Diving Athlete – Ithaca
Korie Fackler, Junior - Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin East
Ithaca junior Korie Fackler earned Female Diver of the Meet at the Upper New York State/Empire 8 Championships. Fackler highlighted the opening day of the meet with a record-setting performance on the 3-meter diving board. Fackler scored 494.50 in the championship dive format, which was a record in the UNYSCSA, the Empire 8 meet, and in the A&E Center Aquatics Pavilion. Fackler added to her 3-meter title with a first-place finish on the 1-meter board. She scored 475.35 in the finals, more than 40 points better than the runner-up as her score set a UNYSCSA and a school record.
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete - Nazareth
Jake Lafaver, Junior – Syracuse, NY/West Genesee
Jake Lafaver outkicked 12 competitors to the finish line to win the title in the 800-meter run at theh NYSCTC Indoor Championships. He clocked 1:55.72 to meet the ECAC qualifier, which set a new facility-record time.
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete – Ithaca
Alec Svoboda, Senior – Bayport, NY/Bayport-Blue Point
Senior Alec Svoboda won the heptathlon with a school-record 4,695-point performance to help the Bombers to an NYSCTC Indoor Championship title. Svoboda, who also set the meet record, finished in the top three in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:46.25, the 60 hurdles in 8.95, the pole vault with a 4.05-meter clear and the shot put with a 10.89-meter heave.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete – Ithaca
Harmony Graves, Sophomore – Ithaca, NY/Ithaca
Sophomore Harmony Graves was named NYSCTC Women's Track Athlete of the Meet helping Ithaca claim their fifth consecutive NYSCTC Indoor championship. Graves won the 200 dash with a facility record of 26.01 and raced to a first-place finish of 7.95 in the 60 dash. She also ran on Ithaca's 1:47.65 4x200 relay that placed fourth. All three races she competed in met the ECAC qualifier.
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete – Nazareth
Taylor Pierson, Freshman – Wellsburg, NY/Southside
Freshman Taylor Pierson a Nazareth school record Friday at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships. She beat 18 other competitors to win the long jump title with a leap of 5.48 meters (17 feet, 11 3/4 inches). She now ranks 21
st in Division III this season.