Athletes of the Week: Feb. 12-18, 2018
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced that 10 student-athletes in five different sports have been recognized for outstanding play during the week of February 12-18, 2018....
Men’s Basketball Player – Utica
Ivan Iton, Senior, Forward – Ossining, NY/Ossinging
Senior Ivan Iton finished his regular season on a high note as he averaged 22.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 6.5 blocks and 3.5 assists per game over the weekend. His weekend performance also helped the Pioneers clinch a spot in the Empire 8 Conference tournament. In Friday's win over Alfred, Iton scored 16 points, had a team-high 13 defensive rebounds, one steal, 5 blocks and 4 assists. The senior forward scored a team-high 29 points, recovered 11 rebounds, had two steals, 8 blocks and 3 assists in the overtime win over Stevens.
Men’s Basketball Rookie – Elmira
Shawn Backus, Freshman, Forward – Hamden, CT/The Governor’s Academy
Shawn Backus helped Elmira go 1-2 in a trio of Empire 8 games, including a 97-92 victory over the then-first-place Ducks of Stevens and a nail-biting 108-103 overtime loss to Houghton. Backus averaged 16.67 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 58.8 from the field. On Tuesday, he finished eight nine points against St. John Fisher before he posted the two highest-scoring games of his rookie season over the weekend. He registered his first double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Stevens, marking just the third win for the Soaring Eagles in the all-time series against the Ducks. Backus shot 9-of-12 from the field against the Highlanders en route to a 20-point performance as he added seven rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in the narrow overtime loss.
Women’s Basketball Player – Hartwick
Carly Johnson, Junior, Guard – Greenville, NY/Greenville Central
Carly Johnson averaged 22.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in a 2-1 week for the Hawks. She shot 44% (25-for-57) from the floor, 47% (8-for-17) from three-point range, and 90% (9-of-10) from the free-throw line. She added seven assists, four steals, and three blocks. On Tuesday against Sage, Johnson netted a career- and game-high 29 points, including five three-pointers, to go along with eight rebounds, and two steals. She added 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists in a victory over Houghton on Friday, and topped her week off with a game-high 19 points with three boards and three assists.
Women’s Basketball Rookie – Hartwick
Kelly Pine, Freshman, Forward – Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls
Kelly Pine averaged 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, shot 46% (13-for-28) from the floor, and added five blocks, four assists, and a pair of threes in a 2-1 week for the Hawks. She started her week on Tuesday against Sage as she scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds. On Friday in a win over Houghton, she shot 44% from the floor, scored 10 points and grabbed eight boards with a pair of blocks. She wrapped up her week in a win over Alfred in which she registered 13 points (5-of-7), eight rebounds, three assists, and three blocks.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete – Utica
Kaitlyn Stinson, Junior – South Kortright, NY/South Kortright
Kaitlin Stinson came in second place in the 3,000-meter run at the Ithaca College Tri-Meet, running a school-record time of 10:45.97.
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete – Utica
Abigail Guidarelli, Sophomore – Farmington, NY/Victor
Abigail Guidarelli placed second in the high jump at the Ithaca College Tri-Meet, matching her season-best clearance height of 1.53 meters.
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete – Alfred
Erik Diehl, Senior – Clarence Center, NY/Clarence
Senior Erik Diehl competed in The College at Brockport Golden Eagle Invitational on Saturday. In a field of 15 runners, including exhibition runners from individuals not attached to a team, Division I unattached runners, Division II runners from Daemen College and other Division III runners, Diehl won the 500-meter dash with a time of 1:07.81. The time puts him just behind St. John Fisher’s Eddie Mahana and his conference-leading 1:07.26 as both look towards the Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championships this Saturday at Houghton College.
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete – St. John Fisher
Kyle Rollins, Freshman - Groveland, NY/Geneseo
Kyle Rollins and the Cardinals competed in the Golden Eagle Invite on Saturday. Rollins posted the first-place finish in the high jump event with a jump of 2.06 meters, a full 0.15 meters ahead of the second-place finisher.
Men’s Volleyball Player of the Week – Elmira
Matthew Buffum, Senior, Middle Blocker – Chesterfield, MO/Parkway Central
Senior Matthew Buffum was critical to No. 15-ranked Elmira College’s sweep at a UVC tri-match, hosted by Bard this past weekend…The 6-foot-7-inch middle blocker led the Soaring Eagles in blocks with 11, in addition to ranking second on the team with 17 kills and a .517 hitting percentage…In the opener against No. 14-ranked SUNY New Paltz, Buffum tallied 10 kills to go along with a match-high seven blocks in the Purple and Gold’s 3-2 triumph…He was incredible in the deciding fifth set, as he was a part of three of EC’s final four points with two kills and a block to close out the frame…To end the weekend, Buffum finished second on the Soaring Eagles in both kills (7) and blocks (4), while also posting a .500 attacking percentage to propel Elmira over Sage in straight sets…With two wins over the weekend, EC improved to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2012.
Men’s Volleyball Rookie of the Week – Elmira
Landon Miller, Sophomore, Middle Blocker – Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg
Landon Miller paced the No. 15-ranked Soaring Eagles in kills (20), kills per set (2.50) and attack percentage (.621), while also posting the second-most blocks with 11 in Elmira’s pair of UVC victories over the weekend at a conference tri-match hosted by Bard…Miller began the two-game set by hitting at a fantastic .813 clip with 13 kills on 16 attempts and committing no errors in EC’s thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 14-ranked SUNY New Paltz…The .813 attack percentage is a new career high for the sophomore and it stands as the second-highest by any Soaring Eagle this season with at least 10 attempts. In the finale, Miller swatted a team-high seven blocks and floored seven kills in the Purple and Gold’s straight-set sweep of The Sage Colleges…With the two victories, the Soaring Eagles have begun league play a perfect 3-0 for the first time since the 2012 campaign.