Empire 8 Athletes of The Week: March 18, 2013
Baseball Player of the Week – Stevens
Curt Lowenstein, Junior, Catcher – Egg Harbor Township, NJ/ Egg Harbor
Curt Lowenstein batted .556 (5-for-9) in two starts this week for Stevens. He also drove in two runs and stole two bases, while also throwing three runners out. Against Mount Saint Mary, he went 3-for-5 in a 3-1 loss with one steal and hit 2-for-4 with the game-winning 2-RBI single against New Paltz.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week – Houghton
Seth Cornell, Sophomore – Alfred, NY/Alfred-Almond
Sophomore Seth Cornell recorded the program's first-ever no-hitter in a 17-0 Houghton win over Bard College in the first game of a double header Sunday. Cornell struck out 13 and walked three in seven innings of work. He allowed only four base runners (three walks and an error).
Softball Player of the Week – Alfred
Dana Torchia, Freshman, Third base – Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township
Freshman Dana Torchia adjusted to the collegiate game quickly as she went 22-for-38 (.579 %) with two doubles, six RBIs and 11 runs scored in Alfred's 12-game spring trip to Arizona. She had one hit and one run to start the week in the 4-3 win over Edgewood. She went 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored three times in a 7-6 loss to Dickinson on March 12. Torchia continued to improve her stats on Wednesday going 3-for-4 from the plate with three RBIs. Her biggest game of the week came on Friday against Chatham when she went 4-for-5 with two doubles, one run scored and knocked in an RBI. She added two hits in both games on Saturday to complete her first week in a Saxon uniform.
Softball Pitcher of the Week – Utica
Abby Monroe, Freshman – Watertown, NY/General Brown
Abby Monroe gave up just one hit and struck out two batters in 5.2 innings pitched to help Utica defeat Springfield College 3-1 at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, FL on Sunday. Monroe picked up the win in her first collegiate start.
Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Week –Stevens
Nicholas Philippi, Senior, Midfield – Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview
Nicholas Philippi tallied eight goals, including two man-up, and one assist in two games this week for Stevens. He scored twice and assisted on another goal in a 12-11 overtime loss to No. 1 SUNY Cortland on March 13 and then posted six goals in an 18-14 setback to No. 11 Tufts on March 16. Philippi took 27 shots in the two matches and put 21 on goal for a .778 percentage.
Men’s Lacrosse Goalie of the Week – Ithaca
Scott Sidnam, Freshman – Camillus, NY/West Genesee
Scott Sidnam improved to 4-0 on the season with back-to-back spring training trip victories at Virginia Wesleyan and Christopher Newport. He tallied six saves against the Marlins in the Bombers' 11-6 victory and a career-best 11 stops in Ithaca's 8-2 win over the Captains. It was CNU's lowest scoring game since the 2011 season. Sidnam added three ground balls and one caused turnover.
Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Week – St. John Fisher
Melissa Leonhard, Senior, M/A – Penfield, NY/Penfield
Melissa Leonhard finished with a 12-goal week in three games for St. John Fisher. The senior scored three times on five shots in Tuesday’s loss to Geneseo, while picking up seven ground balls and winnings nine draws. Leonhard finished with four goals in the overtime loss to Fredonia on Friday afternoon. On Sunday, she led Fisher to a 19-5 win over Western New England University with six points on five goals and one assist.
Women’s Lacrosse Goalie of the Week – Utica
Stephanie Belanger, Senior – Lewiston, ME/Lewistown
Stephanie Belanger made 10 saves as Utica went 1-1 last week. On Wednesday, she had one save to help the Pioneers defeat Sage 19-3. On Saturday, Belanger had nine saves as UC lost to Clarkson 12-11 in triple overtime. Belanger has a 5.85 goals against average and is 4-1 on the season.
Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week – N/A
No Nominations