E8 Athletes of the Week: October 27
Empire 8 fall championships are quickly approaching, and student-athletes are performing at a top level as they prepare for the post-season. Those earning weekly honors include...
Football Offensive Player – Ithaca
Tom Dempsey, Senior, QB – Andover, MA/Andover
Tom Dempsey passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns in Ithaca’s win over Salisbury. Dempsey completed 26 of 37 passes in the game with no interceptions. He connected with seven different receivers in the game, and six of them had multiple receptions. It was his third-consecutive 300-yard passing game.
Football Defensive Player – Utica
Nick Woodman, Junior, DE – Utica, NY/Proctor High School
Utica junior defensive end Nick Woodman had a banner day, tying the school-record with 3.0 sacks, and he also added seven tackles (five solo), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as the Pioneers topped Buffalo State 31-21 Saturday. Woodman recovered a fourth quarter fumble that led to the Pioneers' game-sealing touchdown pass to give the Pioneers a 17 point lead with 8:36 to go in the fourth. Woodman also added two sacks and a forced fumble on the Bengals' final possession of the game to deny any hopes of the home team making a comeback.
Football Special Teams Player – Ithaca
Max Rottenecker, Junior, Kicker – Bochum, Germany/Hellweg
Long-distance place-kicker Max Rottenecker made field goals of 41, 45 and 31 yards and missed just short on a 46-yard attempt into the wind. He is the first Ithaca kicker to make three field goals in a game since Andrew Rogowski converted from 41, 21 and 31 yards on Sept. 17, 2011 at Union.
Field Hockey Offensive Player – Nazareth
Catherine Willard, Junior, Forward – Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland
Catherine Willard enjoyed a record-tying day at Hartwick Saturday as she scored four goals in the Golden Flyers' 5-0 victory over the Hawks. She tied a school record with the four goals in a game and now has 17 on the season, which also equals a Nazareth single-season record.
Field Hockey Defensive Player – Utica
Samantha Whitehouse, Freshman, Goalie – Greenwich, NY/Greenwich
Freshman Samantha Whitehouse allowed just one goal in two games last week. On Wednesday, she made six saves to help Utica top #15 University of Rochester 2-1 in overtime. She followed that up with four saves in a 3-0 win over RPI to pick up her first career shutout.
Men’s Cross Country Runner – Ithaca
Sawyer Hitchcock, Junior – Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern
Sawyer Hitchcock ran to a second place podium finish out of 120 runners at the NYSCTC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 25. He finished the eight-kilometer race in 25:46.6 and helped guide Ithaca to place third overall out of 11 teams competing. He earned All-Conference First Team honors from the NYSCTC for his finish.
Women’s Cross Country Runner – Alfred
Mary Baughman, Sophomore – Henrietta, NY/Rush-Henrietta
Mary Baughman crossed the finish line in 23:20.30 to finish eighth overall out of 113 competitors at the NYSCTC Championships on Saturday. She earned All-Conference Second Team honors from the NYSCTC for her finish.
Men’s Golf Athlete – Moravian
Kevin Kunkle, Freshman – Walnutport, PA/Northampton
Kevin Kunkle finished in a five-way tie for seventh place among the 96 golfers at the Franklin & Marshall College Invitational with a three-over par round of 74 at the Bent Creek Country Club. The Hounds had a team score of 311 to tie Messiah College for third place of the 19 teams.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Player – Stevens
Carson Pryor, Junior, Forward – St. Louis, MO/MICDS
After sitting out the first half due to nagging injuries on Saturday against Alfred, junior Carson Pryor started the second half and promptly scored eight minutes in. Dribbling up the right side of the field, Pryor beat his defender before beating the goalie one-on-one to give Stevens a 1-0 lead. Later in the 77th minute, Pryor made it 2-0 with a score off an across the box pass. Stevens capitalized on the momentum and scored two more times in the half giving them a 4-0 win that clinched the top seed in the Empire 8 Championship.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Player – Utica
David Abdou, Senior, Goalie – Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
David Abdou posted two shut outs over the course of a 2-0 week for Utica. He posted a career-high 13 saves as the Pioneers' topped host Canton 1-0 in overtime on Wednesday and then added six saves in a 2-0 must-win victory over St. John Fisher College at home on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Player –Houghton
Stephany Ellison, Senior, Forward – Whitesville, NY/Whitesville
Senior Stephany Ellison helped Houghton to a 2-0 week, scoring four goals and adding one assist. She recorded a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Alfred State on Tuesday and then tallied a goal and an assists in the 3-0 win over the University of Rochester on Saturday.
Women’s’ Soccer Defensive – Elmira
Danielle Fournier, Senior, Goalie – Southborough, MA/Worcester Academy
Danielle Fournier, who has played the entire year as a field player, started in net for Elmira against Alfred University on Saturday. Fournier made four saves en route to a 1-0 shutout win.
Women’s Volleyball Player – Stevens
Mary Tobin, Sophomore, OH – Boothwyn, PA/Archmere Academy
Sophomore Mary Tobin led Stevens to a perfect 4-0 week and clinched the No. 1 spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. Tobin tallied 61 kills on a .322 hitting percentage, 52 digs and five aces in 14 sets. She surpassed 16 kills in three of the matches and notched four double-doubles.
Women’s Volleyball Rookie – St. John Fisher College
Anna Marcy, Freshman, Opp – Rochester, NY/Penfield
Freshman Anna Marcy totaled 32 kills, 47 assists, 16 digs and eight blocks as St. John Fisher went 2-1 last week, including two wins in conference play. She had a team-high nine kills in a 3-0 loss to RIT and then had a game-high 11 kills, 13 assists and nine digs in a 3-0 win over Elmira. Marcy registered 12 kills, a career-high 31 assists and nine digs in a 3-1 win over Utica.
Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Hartwick
Miles Blaney, Senior – New York, NY/ NYC Lab School
Miles Blaney won three individual events and combined for another relay victory on Saturday as the Hawks swept St. Rose, Utica, and Cazenovia in a Quad-Meet. Blaney won the 200 freestyle in 1:45.34, 100 freestyle in 47.63 and the 100 Butterfly in 52.77. He was also a part of the winning 400 freestyle relay in 3:15.81 (with his anchor relay split of 47.79).
Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Stevens
Danielle Caruso, Sophomore – Chesterfield, NJ/Burlington County Regional
Danielle Caruso won three individual events to lead the Stevens women's swimming team to a convincing win over Division I foe Saint Peter's University. Caruso's first win of the afternoon came in the 1,000-yard freestyle, setting a new DeBaun Aquatic Center record with her 10:32.16. Caruso came back to win the 200-freestyle, clocking a 1:57.14, with win No. 3 coming in the 500-freestyle thanks to a time of 5:13.18. The sophomore also helped the 400-yard freestyle team place second with a 3:40.90.