Athletes of the Week: Oct 5-11
Competition is as tight as ever in the conference this season, leading to some outstanding performances by Empire 8 student-athletes during the week of Oct. 5-11, 2015. Those earning weekly honors include...
Football Offensive Player – Brockport
Dan Andrews, Junior, RB – Rochester, NY/Franklin
Dan Andrews was an offensive force on Saturday in a tight overtime contest with Utica College. The junior rushed for 256-yards on 34 carries, with an average of 7.5 yards a rush. Andrews picked up several key rushes, with a 38-yard run and a 47-yard rush both resulting in touchdown’s, two of his three scores on the day. The Rochester, N.Y. native also picked up 52-yards receiving, on just one catch for an all-purpose day of 308-yards.
Football Defensive Player – Ithaca
Logan Murphy, Senior, DE – Lagrangeville, NY/Arlington
Senior Logan Murphy enjoyed himself a career day in Saturday's Empire 8 clash at Hartwick College, recording a career-high four-and-a-half sacks with nine tackles as the Ithaca College football team handed Hartwick a 47-19 loss at Wright Stadium. Murphy's sack total is the most by a Bomber going back to the 2002 season, and he recorded the second-most sacks in a game by a Division III student-athlete this year, trailing only Stacey Sunnerville (Widener), who had a five-sack game. Murphy also had a career-best six tackles for a loss, which is tied with Josh Schneider (Lakeland) for the most by a Division III student-athlete in the country this year.
Football Special Teams Player – Utica
Thomas Woodburn, Senior, Kicker – West Islip, NY/West Islip, NY
Thomas Woodburn, who headed into the weekend leading the nation in field goals per game, was a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts in the Pioneers 22-19 overtime victory at Brockport in Empire 8 Conference action Saturday night. He knocked down the game-tying field goal from 34 yards out with one second left in regulation to tie the contest at 19-19. He then made the game-winning field goal in overtime from 35 yards out to help the Pioneers improve to 3-1 in Empire 8 play. He also connected on a career-long 44 yarder in the third quarter to give Utica its first lead of the game. With 16 points on the day, he passed former All-American Jeremy Meier as the College's all-time leading scorer. Woodburn now has 206 points in his career, making him the first Pioneer in program-history to score over 200 points. His five field goals made are a new school-record and he also set the school-record for most points scored by kicking in a single game. His 44 yarder was the third longest field goal in the program's 15-year history.
Field Hockey Offensive Player – Ithaca
Colleen Keegan-Twombly, Junior, Forward – Kingston, NY/Kingston
Junior Colleen Keegan-Twombly led Ithaca to a 3-0 week, including two Empire 8 wins, with five goals scored. Keegan-Twombly started the week with a hat trick in a victory over Wells and then added tallies in a 4-0 win over Elmira and a 3-2 victory against Stevens.
Field Hockey Defensive Player – Houghton
Elizabeth Piszkar, Sophomore, Goalie – Glens Mills, PA/Cardinal O’Hara
Elizabeth Piszkar made 43 saves in a 2-1 week for Houghton. She started the week with four saves against Morrisville on Tuesday and then had 18 saves against Cortland on Thursday. In Houghton's 1-0 victory over Oneonta, Piszkar carried her team with 22 saves ending with a shutout win.
Men’s Cross Country Runner – St. John Fisher College
Charles Collins, Freshman – Geneva, NY/Geneva
Charles Collins finished in 15th place out of 173 runners at the Hamilton College Invitational with a time of 26:46.0 on the 8K course.
Women’s Cross Country Runner – St. John Fisher College
Sammy Van Gee, Junior – Marion, NY/Marion
Sammy Van Gee turned in an impressive eighth place finish in the 5K Hamilton Invitational for Fisher, finishing with a personal best time of 18:06.9.
Men’s Golf Athlete – Elmira
Jarryd ten Vaanholt, Senior – West Vancouver, BC/Sentinel Secondary
Jarryd ten Vaanholt earned a pair of top-10 finishes in a two-tournament week for the Soaring Eagles. He opened the week with a second place finish at the Elmira College Fall Invitational with a score of 75 (+3), just one stroke off of the leader. His 75 was a season-low for ten Vaanholt and is also the third lowest 18-hole round of his Elmira career. He followed that performance up with a seventh place finish at the Nazareth College Invitational with a two-day total of 153 (+9).
Women’s Golf Player – Elmira
Audrey Clarke, Sophomore – Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili
Audrey Clarke took home medalist honors at the Elmria College Fall Invitational. Clarke carded an 84 (+12), her second best 18-hole total of the season, to win the event. Her 84 was 18 strokes better than the second place finisher.
Men’s Soccer Offensive Player – St. John Fisher
Joel Castellini, GR, Midfield – Baldwinsville, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Joel Castellini led Fisher with three goals in a 2-0 week, marking the first wins of the season for the Cardinals. Castellini scored in the eighth and 49
th minute in the 4-0 win over Alfred State and netted the second goal in a 3-0 win against Utica.
Men’s Soccer Defensive Player – Ithaca
Zach Jacobsen, Junior, Goalie – Frederick, MD/Frederick
Zach Jacobsen earned his second shutout of the season on Saturday as the Ithaca College men's soccer team moved into first place in the conference standings after defeating Houghton College, 2-0, in the Bombers' only contest of the week. Jacobsen was credited with his third win of the season after coming up with five saves in 90 minutes of play.
Women’s Soccer Offensive Player – Stevens
Zisi Komar, Freshman, Forward – San Diego, CA/University City
Zisi Komar tallied three goals and an assist to lead the Ducks to a pair of Empire 8 wins over the weekend. In a 4-0 win Saturday over St. John Fisher, Komar recorded a goal and an assist on three shots. Against Nazareth Sunday, she opened the scoring in the 20th minute. With time winding down in the first overtime, she knocked home a corner kick with one second remaining to send Stevens to a 3-2 win and hand Nazareth its second loss of the season.
Women’s’ Soccer Defensive – Ithaca
Beth Coppolecchia, Senior, Goalie – Katonah, NY/Somers
Beth Coppolecchia earned two more wins in goal last week as the senior goalie helped extend the Ithaca College women's soccer team's winning streak to three games after defeating Hartwick in conference play and downing nationally-ranked R.I.T. Against Hartwick, Coppolecchia was credited with her third shutout of the season after turning away five shots in 90 minutes. She would go on to make six saves against the No. 15 Tigers as Ithaca won, 2-1.
Women’s Tennis Player – Elmira
Ayaka Yoshino, Senior – Yokohama, Japan/Yokohama Futaba
Ayaka Yoshino helped Elmira win back-to-back Empire 8 Conference matches at home against Houghton College and Alfred University. Yoshino went 4-0 over the weekend at first singles and doubles, and in the process became Elmira College's all-time wins leader with 73 career wins (37 singles, 36 doubles). She picked up straight set singles wins against the Highlanders and Saxons, while also posting a pair of wins in doubles against those teams, including an 8-0 victory over Houghton.
Women’s Volleyball Player – Ithaca
Kayla Gromen, Sophomore, Setter – Lancaster, PA/Hempfield
Sophomore Kayla Gromen averaged 10.6 assists per set in a 2-1 week for Ithaca. Gromen began the week with a career-high 65 assists in a five-set win over Cortland, followed by 31 against Stevens and 42 versus Nazareth. She also notched three double-doubles on the week (35 digs) with nine kills and six aces.
Women’s Volleyball Rookie – Utica
Hannah Voss, Freshman, OH – St. Louis, MO/Oakville
Freshman Hannah Voss totaled 29 kills and 27 digs to help Utica go 2-1 last week. On Thursday, she recorded a career-high 17 kills and a .600 hitting percentage as Utica topped SUNY Cobleskill 3-0. She followed that up with seven kills and ten digs to lead Utica to a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory against St. John Fisher. It was the first UC victory over Fisher in 15 years. Voss capped off the week with five kills and ten digs against Elmira.