Athletes of the Week: Jan. 15-21, 2018
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced that 12 student-athletes in seven different sports have been recognized for outstanding play during the week of January 15-21, 2018....
Men’s Basketball Player – Nazareth
Tyler Stenglein, Senior, Guard – Remsen, NY/Irondequoit
Tyler Stenglein helped Nazareth go 2-1 in three conference road games over the week, averaging 26 points on 65 percent from the floor (26-for-40). He also averaged 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Stenglein poured in 24 points (6-for-12), including the game-tying basket with five seconds remaining in regulation, to help Naz upend Fisher, 93-84, in overtime Tuesday night. He then had a career-high 35 points (13-for-17) in Nazareth's 96-89 win over Stevens. He closed the week with 19 points (7-for-11) and five assists in an 85-69 loss to Hartwick.
Men’s Basketball Rookie – Hartwick
Kevin Townes, Freshman, Guard – Lagrangeville, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes
Kevin Townes averaged 23 points and six rebounds per game in two Empire 8 victories over St. John Fisher and Nazareth. He would shoot 12-of-23 from the floor (.522), 8-of-16 (.500) from three-point range, and 14-of-17 (.824) from the free-throw line in the two games. Townes netted a game-high 25 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor and connecting on a career-high six three-pointers, in a 70-66 win over Fisher Friday. He grabbed six boards and also sealed the win with a free throw with under 10 ticks remaining to put the game out of reach. On Saturday, he added a game-high 21 points, shot 50% from the floor, made all nine of his free-throw attempts, and pulled down a team-high six rebounds in an 85-69 win over Nazareth.
Women’s Basketball Player – St. John Fisher
Erin Hulbert, Junior, Guard – Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
Erin Hulbert, a guard on the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team, helped lead the Cardinals to three wins last week as Fisher took down Nazareth, Hartwick and Stevens to move atop the conference standings at 6-1. The junior averaged a double-double on the week after posting 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds in three games to go along with 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals overall. Hulbert was 11-for-26 (.423) while knocking down eight 3-pointers on the week. Against Nazareth, Hulbert finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and five steals before adding eight points, nine more boards and five helpers against the Hawks. Hulbert closed out her week with a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds at Stevens.
Women’s Basketball Rookie – Alfred
Amanda Figueroa, Freshman, Guard – Cypress, TX/Rosehill Christian
First-year Amanda Figueroa had an amazing showing on Tuesday evening against Elmira College. She set her new career-highs in points (27), field goals made and attempted (8-of-14 for 57.1%), free throws made and attempted (8-of-10 for 80.0%) and steals with six. She left the road game on Tuesday with seven rebounds (five defensive and two offensive) and made three 3-pointers on the evening.
Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Utica
TJ Tellekamp, Junior – Oakdale, NY/Connetquot
TJ Tellekamp etched his named into the school’s 25-meter pool record book four times during Utica’s against Nazareth College. He placed first in the 50-meter freestyle event, setting a new-school, 25-meter pool, record time of 24.95. He would go on to swim a record time of 55.12 in the 100-meter freestyle event. Tellekamp also tied the 25-meter pool program-record time of 1:02.92, as he won the 100-meter butterfly. TJ was also a member of the 400-meter freestyle and 400-meter medley relay teams that broke the school's 25-meter pool records, with times of 3:54.92 and 4:21.35.
Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Alfred
Lauren Serotta, Freshman – Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna
First-year Lauren Serotta won two individual titles during Thursday’s meet at Division II LeMoyne College and then led the Saxons at Hartwick College on Saturday with three first-place finishes in individual events. Against LeMoyne she won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:17.65 and the 200-yard individual medley with a mark of 2:25.09. Against conference foe Hartwick, she defeated the rest of the pool in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:03.69, besting them by almost three seconds. In the 200-yard backstroke she swam a 2:19.42 for the win. Serotta finished her wins with a 2:28.61 in the 200-yard individual medley. She was a part of the second placed 200-yard medley relay that swam a 2:01.80. Serotta had the fastest backstroke leg of the race with a 29.33, topping the rest of the five-team field by almost two whole seconds.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete – Stevens
Gina Dello Russo, Sophomore – Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park
Gina Dello Russo snapped her own school record with a time of 57.28 in the 400-meters. She took fourth overall and was first among all Division III runners. It is the sixth-best time in Division III this season.
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete – Nazareth
Alycia Eaton, Junior – Remsen, NY/Remsen
Alycia Eaton edged Kristi Custer's eight-year record in the triple jump with a mark of 11.16 meters (36 ft., 7 1/2 in.) to take first at the Houghton Invitational Friday. Eaton's jump beat the school record by .01 meters (1/2 inch) and currently ranks 17th nationally. Eaton added a sixth-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 4.84 meters (15 ft., 10 1/2 in.).
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete – Utica
Kevin Gangemi, Junior – Cornwall, NY/Cornwall
Kevin Gangemi placed first individually in the 400-meter dash at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational, with a time of 49.85. He was also a member of the 4x400 relay team that not only placed first at the meet, but it also set a school-record time of 3:19.55. The time ran in the 4x400 currently ranks second in the NCAA Division III indoor qualifying list.
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete – St. John Fisher
Kyle Rollins, Freshman – Groveland, NY/Geneseo
Kyle Rollins jumped an impressive 2.12 meters at the Inter-Regional Invite, good for first place and to break the school record set in 2013. The jump ranks Rollins number two in the NCAA Division III indoor qualifying list.
Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week – Nazareth
Sam Bittker, Senior, Outside Hitter – Rochester, NY/Penfield
Sam Bittker helped Nazareth open the season 3-1, including taking down No. 10 Wentworth in five sets Friday night. He had 34 kills on a .333 attack percentage, four service aces, 21 digs and 13 blocks over four games. Bittker finished with eight kills and five blocks against Wentworth and had 10 kills on a .533 attack percentage, with four blocks against Elms Friday night. He added six kills on a .545 percentage against Rivier and ended the weekend with 10 kills (.250) and eight digs in a four-set win over Eastern Mennonite.
Men’s Volleyball Rookie of the Week – St. John Fisher
Mike Strumpfler, Graduate, Middle Blocker – Rome, NY/Holland Patent
Mike Strumpfler and the St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team took to the floor for the first time in the college's history this past weekend as they hosted the inaugural Fisher Classic and finished the weekend 3-1 overall. Strumpfler led the attack out of the middle for the Cardinals this past weekend, playing in all 13 sets and accumulating a total of 41.0 points, 21 kills, a team-high .378 hitting percentage, 10 service aces, four digs, three block solos, and 14 block assists. The Rome, NY native’s best match came in the straight victory over Bard College where Strumpfler notched nine kills, a very impressive .692 hitting percentage, seven service aces, and two blocks.