Athletes of the Week: Feb. 15-21, 2016
The Empire 8 swimming and diving championships were filled with season best times, indoor track and field athletes broke school records and the basketball regular season came to a close resulting in some of the athletic performance to date. Those earning weekly honors for the week of Feb. 15-21, 2016 include....
Men's Swimming & Diving Athlete - Hartwick
Matt Plunkett, Senior – Cooper City, FL/Cooper City
Matt Plunkett won two individual events at the Empire 8 Championship and was part of four relays. Plunkett won the 500 freestyle on Wednesday with a time of 4:35.81 and then won the 200 backstroke on Saturday with an NCAA B-cut and new E8 meet record time of 1:47.76. He finished second in the 100 backstroke with a B-cut time of 50.75, missing first place by .26 seconds. Plunkett helped Hartwick finish second in the 400 medley relay, 400 free relay and 800 free relay and take third in the 200 free relay.
Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Ithaca
Anna Belson, Sophomore – Hartland, WI/Arrowhead
Anna Belson won swept the 1-meter and 3-meter boards at the Empire 8 Swimming & Diving Championship. She scored a 434.20 in the 1-meter event on Thursday and then claimed the win in the 3-meter event on Saturday with a score of 482.50.
Men's Basketball Player - Houghton
Tyler McQuaid, Senior, Center – Lowman, NY/Twin Tiers Christian Academy
Tyler McQuaid eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone in the final game of the regular season and in the final game of his career. He would finish with 14 points, concluding his career with 1,013. On the week he averaged 17 points/game and 9.5 rebounds shooting 42% from the floor. McQuaid was pivotal in finishing the season with two wins on Houghton's home court.
Men's Basketball Rookie - Nazareth
Tyler Stenglein, Sophomore, Guard – Rochester, NY/Irondequoit
Tyler Stenglein averaged 17.5 points (13-of-23), seven assists and 3.5 rebounds in a 2-1 week for Nazareth. Notched 17 points (6-of-12) and nine assists in a 90-65 win over Stevens on Friday. Closed out the week with 18 points (7-of-11), five rebounds and five assists in an 83-61 triumph over Utica.
Women's Basketball Player - Stevens
Kaitlyn Astel, Senior, Guard – Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech
Kaitlyn Astel scored 20-plus points in all three games this week, leading the Ducks to a 2-1 week. Against Hartwick, she became the 12th player in program history to score 1,000 career points, scoring 22 total. Astel would score 21 points and five rebounds in a 75-65 win over Nazareth, and followed that up with a 26-point performance against Fisher Saturday.
Women's Basketball Rookie - Ithaca
Allie Tunick, Freshman, Guard – Centerport, NY/Harborfields
Freshman Allie Tunick totaled 21 points in a pair of wins for Ithaca last week, and went 5-for-12 from three-point range. Tunick scored 13 points in 16 minutes during Ithaca's win over Utica and then added eight points with three steals in the win against Hartwick Saturday afternoon.
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete – Stevens
Nick Zickgraf, Junior – Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearly
Nick Zickgraf placed fourth in the 800-meter run at the Princeton Invitational, finishing with a school record time of 1:55.42.
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete – Ithaca
Aaron Matthias, Senior – Rye, NY/Rye
Senior Aaron Matthias was the top performer in the long jump at Utica's Pioneer Invitational with a facility record leap of 6.93 meters.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete – Stevens
Mary Visca, Freshman – Pittsford, NY/Sutherland
Mary Visca broke the school-record in the 1,000-meter run at the Princeton Invitational, finishing with a time of 2:59.09.
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete – Utica
Sarah Wiatr, Senior – Poland, NY/West Canada Valley
Sarah Wiatr broke the school and facility records in the triple jump (11.86m) while placing first. Wiatr's jump ties her for second in the nation in the triple jump. She also placed third in the long jump with a jump of 5.33m. Her jump of 5.33m is her best of the season.