Athletes of the Week: Feb. 19-25, 2018
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced that 18 student-athletes in ten different sports have been recognized for outstanding play during the week of February 19-25, 2018....
Men’s Basketball Player – Nazareth
Tyler Stenglein, Senior, Guard – Rochester, NY/Irondequoit
Tyler Stenglein was named the Empire 8 Tournament MVP after helping Nazareth defeat Utica 66-64 in the Championship Game. He averaged 16.5 points on 47.8 percent (11-for-23) from the field with 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during the tournament. He had 21 points (7-for-12), four rebounds and two assists in Nazareth's 73-72 semifinal win over Alfred. He then had 12 points, including scoring the game-winning bucket with 3 seconds remaining to help lift Nazareth to the Empire 8 title. He had six rebounds, three assists and four steals in the game.
Women’s Basketball Player – Stevens
Megan Brown, Senior, Forward – Laurel, MD/Laurel
Megan Brown led the Stevens women's basketball team to the Empire 8 Championship Title and was named the tournament's MVP after shooting 51.5% from the field 93.3% from the free throw line. Brown posted 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting with 10 rebounds in the 52-47 title game victory over top-seeded St. John Fisher College. In the semifinal win over Sage, 64-62, Brown netted a career-high 31 points on 11-of-21 from the floor to go along with a career-best 18 rebounds. Brown also recorded the game-winning assist with 18 seconds remaining to give the Ducks the two-point advantage.
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete – Stevens
Gina Dello Russo, Sophomore – Whippany Park, NJ/Whippany Park
Gina Dello Russo was named the Women's Track Athlete of the Meet at the Empire 8 championships for the second straight year after defending her titles in the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Dello Russo broke the Stevens record and the Empire 8 meet record in the 200 meters with a time of 25.27 to rank fourth in Division III this season. She won the 400-meter dash in 58.51. She also claimed two field events as she won the high jump in a personal best by clearing the bar set at 1.63 meters and claimed the crown in pole vault at 3.05 meters.
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete – Nazareth
Alycia Eaton, Junior – Remsen, NY/Remsen
Alycia Eaton came on strong at the Empire 8 Championship meet, winning the long jump and the triple jump en route to being named the Female Field Athlete of the Meet. Eaton broke the school record in the triple jump, vaulting to 11.39 meters (37 feet, 4 ½ inches). The previous mark of 11.15 meters (36 feet, 7 inches) was set in 2010. She also had personal best in the long jump, jumping 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2 ½ inches) to take the top spot.
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete – St. John Fisher
Peter Girardi, Senior – Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Peter Girardi earned the Male Track Athlete of the meet honors on Saturday for the second straight year. He set a new facility, meet and school record in the 60-meter hurdles (8.11 seconds), to rank fifth in Division III this season. Girardi also posted a first-place time of 49.02 seconds in the 400-meter dash and picked up a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash (22.70). He was part of the 4X400-meter relay team that sealed the runner up spot in the event with a time of 3:25.34.
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete – St. John Fisher
Mark VanMarter, Junior – Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Mark VanMarter was selected as the field athlete of the meet in the Empire 8 Championships this weekend for the fourth year in a row. VanMarter would post a top mark of 7.09 meters in the long jump event and take home two second place spots in the triple jump and high jump events. The high jump leap of 2.03 meters is a new personal best and ranks him 26th in Division III, while the 14.45 meters in the triple jumps ranks him 15th.
Women’s Swimming & Diving Co-Athlete – Stevens
Katie Prescott, Senior – Escondido, CA/Escondido
Katie Prescott was named the Women's Swimmer of the Meet after guiding the Stevens Institute of Technology women's swimming team to second place at the 2018 Empire 8 Conference Championships Saturday in Webster, New York. Prescott won both breaststroke events, was on the winning 400 medley relay and earned a B-cut time. She won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:05.70 and earned a B-cut time of 2:20.13 in the 200-breaststroke to win by over five seconds. She also posted a third-place finish in the 400 IM (4:38.84) as the Ducks swept the top three finishes in the event. Prescott was a part of the winning 400 medley relay (3:57.80), while the 200-medley relay took second (1:49.50).
Women’s Swimming & Diving Co-Athlete – Nazareth
Taylor Woltz, Freshman – Marilla, NY/Iroquois
Taylor Woltz was named the Empire 8 Women's Diver of the Meet after sweeping both the one-meter and three-meter titles. She scored a 421.55 in the 1-meter event and then scored a 461.05 on the 3-meter springboard.
Men’s Swimming & Diving Co-Athlete – Nazareth
Seth Farrand, Freshman – Franklinville, NY/Franklinville
Seth Farrand was a standout at the Empire 8 Conference men's swimming and diving championships as he was part of six school records and was named Rookie and Swimmer of the Meet in leading the Golden Flyers to a second-place finish in the team standings. He posted an NCAA B-cut qualifying time of :20.40 to win the 50-yard freestyle and also set a school record in the 100 free (:45.75). In addition, he was first in the 100 backstroke (:51.10). He also swam on four record-breaking relays -- the 200 free (1:24.34), the 200 medley (1:33.16), the 400 free (3:07.78) and the 400 medley (3:26.15).
Men’s Swimming & Diving Co-Athlete – Alfred
Christopher Deaver, Junior – Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley
Christopher Deaver was named the Empire 8 Male Diver of the Meet at the Empire 8 Championship after winning both diving events. Deaver won the 3-meter with a score of 484.40, just 10.35 away from tying his personal best. Two days later he won the 1-meter event with a personal best and new school record score of 500.30 points.
Men’s Volleyball Player – Sage
Ryan Guyton, Senior, Outside Hitter – Lockport, NY/Lockport
Ryan Guyton collected his 1,000th career kill as he totaled 28 kills on the week with a 3.11 kills per set average while hitting .314 with four aces and 34 points. He started the week six kills on 10 attempts (.600%) against New Paltz. Against No. 1 Springfield, he added 10 kills with 13 points while connecting for two aces with three digs. Guyton was the top performer verse Rivier with his 15 points in 12 kills with a .304 attack percentage.
Men’s Volleyball Rookie – Sage
Scott Sanders, Sophomore, MH – Los Angeles, CA/Taft
Scott Sanders hit .281 in a three-match week for Sage with 16 kills and six blocks. He started the week with four kills and four blocks against SUNY New Paltz before posting his best match of the week against No. 1 Springfield. Sanders finished with five kills on a .400 attack percentage verse the Pride. He closed out the week with seven kills and two blocks against Rivier.
Men’s Baseball Player– Ithaca
Webb Little, Junior, 1B – Syracuse, NY/CBA
Junior Webb Little went 7-for-12 (.583) in Ithaca's season-opening trip to Virginia last weekend. Little scored five runs and drove in five more as Ithaca went 2-1. Defensively, he did not commit an error in 28 chances. Webb was 3-for-5 in the opening game against The College at Brockport and also had a multi-hit game with three hits against Virginia Wesleyan to close out the weekend.
Men’s Baseball Pitcher– St. John Fisher
Jake Hewitt, Junior – Penfield, NY/Penfield
Jake Hewitt made his collegiate debut on Saturday as the Penfield native helped lead Fisher to a split at No. 8 Johns Hopkins. Hewitt took the hill for the second game of the doubleheader and earned his first-career win after throwing 5.0 shutout innings. Hewitt scattered just four hits in all and recorded four strikeouts on the day.
Men’s Lacrosse Player – St. John Fisher
Andrew Rosso, Senior, Attack – Kirkville, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa
Andrew Rosso had a strong start to the season as the Cardinals defeated the three-time defending NEAC Champion Morrisville Mustangs on Saturday in the team's season-opener. Rosso finished with a game-high five points with four goals and an assist while the senior attackman was credited with 10 shots overall. Rosso finished the day with three groundballs and caused one turnover.
Men’s Lacrosse Goalie – Stevens
Carson White, Junior – Downingtown, PA/Downingtown STEAM Academy
Carson White saved 13 shots and picked up his second win of the year, as No. 18 Stevens defeated Endicott, 14-4. He faced 34 shots and posted a 76.5 save percentage.
Women’s Lacrosse Player – Stevens
Kyra Bednarski, Sophomore, Attack – Syracuse, NY/West Genesee
Kyra Bednarski, the 2017 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, picked up right where she left off last season and had a strong first game of the 2018 campaign. Bednarski tallied five goals, two assists, four groundballs and three caused turnovers in the season opening win for the Ducks.
Women’s Lacrosse Goalie – Stevens
Stephanie Schnelzer, Senior – Carmel, IN/Carmel
Stephanie Schnelzer played all 60 minutes between the pipes against St. Joseph’s College of Long Island, making five saves with a 55.6 save percentage to earn her first win of the season.