Athletes of the Week: April 17-23, 2016
Champions were crowned in Outdoor Track and Field and now the final week of regular season play is here as teams vie for tournament seeding. Those earning weekly honors for the week of April 17-23, 2017 include...
Baseball Player – Ithaca
Josh Savacool, Senior, 2B – Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville
Senior Josh Savacool went 9-for-17 last week (.529) with seven runs scored, four RBI, two walks, a triple and home run. Savacool was also a perfect 24-for-24 in fielding chances on the week. He began the week with a 4-for-5 opener against Houghton with two runs scored and followed it up in Game Two with a 3-for-4 outing. Against New Paltz, he drove in three runs on a home run and then concluded the week going 1-for-3 with two runs scored against Rochester.
Baseball Pitcher – Elmira
Conor Bawiec, Junior – Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest
Conor Bawiec hurled a complete-game victory in his only start last week for the Soaring Eagles, having earned his third consecutive win on the mound in a 2-1 triumph over E8 foe SUNY Canton on April 22. In that game, he surrendered just one unearned run while scattering five hits - all singles - across 7.0 innings. The right-handed junior also struck out seven without issuing a walk. He struck out all three batters he faced in the fourth inning and two of the three he saw in the sixth.
Softball Player – St. John Fisher
Katie Mazierski, Junior, 2B – North Tonawanda, NY/Niagara Wheatfield
Katie Mazierski of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College softball team played a significant role in helping lead the No. 10 Cardinals to a 6-0 record last week including four wins against conference opponents. Mazierski combined to go 12-for-19 (.706) over six starts with nine runs scored, three RBI, three walks and a pair of doubles. The junior infielder had four multi-hit games including going 5-for-7 in a sweep of Keuka on Tuesday. She followed up that performance by going 6-for-7 against Nazareth on Saturday including a 3-for-3 showing in the opening game.
Softball Pitcher – St. John Fisher
Lindsey Thayer, Junior – Winthrop, NY/St. Lawrence
Lindsey Thayer of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College softball team had a record-setting week as the No. 10 Cardinals went 6-0 including four wins in conference play. Thayer threw two no-hitters last week including her first-career perfect game and notched her 1,000th career strikeout on April 22. On April 21, Thayer tied an NCAA Division III record with 21 strikeouts in seven innings as the junior blanked Nazareth College. Against Keuka on Tuesday, Thayer had 18 strikeouts over seven innings and allowed just one walk. After notching 21 Ks on Friday, the Winthrop native was even better in the circle against Alfred on Saturday as she combined to throw nine perfect innings including a perfect game in the nightcap with 17 more strikeouts. On the week, Thayer went 3-0 with no runs, three hits and 60 strikeouts in 23.0 innings of work.
Men’s Lacrosse Player – Utica
Jake Bratek, Sophomore, Midfield – Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt
Utica’s Jake Bratek totaled six goals, two assists and two ground balls in two Empire 8 Conference games for the Pioneers last week. He tied his collegiate-best with three goals and two assists in Utica’s key Empire 8 win at home against St. John Fisher Saturday to help the Pioneers top the Cardinals for the first time since 2013. He added three goals in Utica’s road loss to nationally-ranked Stevens on Wednesday.
Men’s Lacrosse Goalie – Ithaca
Justin Isaacs, Senior – Woodmere, NY/Hewlett
Justin Isaacs got his first start of the season on April 22, backstopping Ithaca to a dominant 20-9 win over Alfred to move to 5-1 in Empire 8 play. Isaacs made seven saves, allowing just five Saxon tallies over 45 minutes of action, before turning over the net with IC holding a 19-5 lead in the fourth quarter. The senior added one caused turnover and a ground-ball in the game.
Women’s Lacrosse Player – Ithaca
Ally Runyon, Senior, Attack – Fairport, NY/Fairport
Ally Runyon became the first Ithaca women’s player to reach the 200-career-goal milestone as the Bombers went 1-1 this week. She posted six points, scoring five goals and adding an assist in Ithaca's narrow 13-12 defeat to No. 11 Hamilton on Wednesday. She posted her second five-goal outing of the week on Saturday, scoring all five goals in the opening 12:14 of game action in Ithaca's 17-4 win over Houghton.
Women’s Lacrosse Goalie – Elmira
Lindsay Wargo, Senior – Madison, CT/Daniel Hand
Lindsay Wargo started all three games for the Soaring Eagles last week and compiled a combined 29 saves with 11 ground balls and two caused turnovers in those games. She tied her single-game career high with 17 saves against Nazareth College on April 22. Those 17 saves also marked a season high, giving her double-digit stops on six occasions this year. The rest of the week saw Wargo make five saves against Stevens and seven stops against SUNY Canton.
Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete – Utica
Nicodemus Gambill, Senior – Rochester, NY/East High
Nicodemus Gambill won the 100 meter and 200 meter dash and was part of the winning 4x100 meter relay team to be named the Track Athlete of the Meet. He set new facility and meet records in the 100-meter (10.57) and the 200 meter (21.68) The 4x100 meter relay time of 42.08 also set a facility and meet record.
Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete – St. John Fisher
Mark VanMarter, Junior – Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Mark VanMarter was tabbed as the Field Athlete of the Meet for the third straight outdoor Championship. He took first in the long jump with a jump of 7.01 meters, and finished first in the high jump with a height of 1.80 meters. The junior also competed in the triple jump where he set a new school record leap of 14.35 meters.
Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete – Stevens
Gina Dello Russo, Freshman – Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park
Gina Dello Russo earned the Track Athlete of the Meet honor at the E8 Championship after she won two individual titles. Dello Russo won the 200-meter dash (25.52) and
400-meter dash (56.99).
Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete – Ithaca
Francesca Boylan, Senior – Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley
Francesca Boylan was named the Field Athlete of the Meet at the Outdoor E8 Championship. Boylan won the javelin with a mark of 34.45 meters (113 feet) and the shot put at 12.03 meters (39' 5.75"). She also finished second in the hammer with a performance of 46.82 meters (153' 7").
Men’s Tennis Player – Stevens
Danny Polk, Junior – Mechanicsville, VA/Hanover
Danny Polk had a strong week for the Ducks, winning at No. 1 singles (3-0) and No. 2 doubles (3-0). Polk started the week on Wednesday against TCNJ and partnered with Michael Feldman for an 8-5 win at doubles before earning a 7-6, 6-4 win in singles against 15th ranked (regionally) Mitchel Sanders. Against Ithaca, Polk and Feldman won 8-5 at second doubles and then Polk scored a 6-1, 7-6 victory at first singles against Minos Stavrakas who is ranked 25th regionally. In the match against Elmira, Polk partnered with Charles Drake for an 8-1 win at second doubles and then swept 6-0, 6-0 at first singles.
Men’s Golf Player – Scranton
Tyler Huggins, Senior – Harleysville, PA/Souderton Area
Senior Tyler Huggins shot three rounds in the 70’s last week as he improved on each day of competition. He started the week with a 7-over-par 78 on Monday to tie for medalist honors against Marywood and Keystone. The following day he carded a 6-over par 77 against King’s and then he wrapped up his week with a career-low 4-over-par 74 in the opening round of the Glenmaura National Collegiate Invitational.