Athletes of the Week: April 30 - May 6, 2018
The Empire 8 crowned team champions in softball, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and men's tennis over the weekend and some great performances were displayed. Those earning weekly honors for the week of April 30 - May 6, 2018 include...
Baseball Player – Stevens
Alex Detweiler, Senior, 1B – Sarasota, FL/Pine View School
Alex Detweiler hit .750 (6-for-8) with four doubles, four RBI, and five runs scored as Stevens outslugged Scranton, 16-14 and picked up an 8-2 win over St. John Fisher to sweep the season series. The senior drew two walks for a .818 on-base percentage and finished the week with a 1.250 slugging percentage.
Baseball Pitcher– Elmira
Conor Bawiec, Senior – Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest
Conor Bawiec made one appearance on the mound last week and pitched a gem. Bawiec tossed a five-hit complete game shutout against Medaille as he did not allow a walk and tied a season-high with nine strikeouts across 7.0 innings. The complete game was his second in a row and his third of the season, while the shutout was his second as a Soaring Eagle. The nine strikeouts against the Mavericks lifted his season total to 58, a career-high and an Elmira single-season record.
Softball Player – St. John Fisher
Sarah Kubik, Junior, 1B – Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park
Junior Sarah Kubik of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College softball team helped the Cardinals win the Empire 8 Championship over the weekend to earn the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. Kubik, who hit .600 in three tournament games, was named the Most Valuable Player. She went 3-for-5 with five RBI, two home runs, four runs scored and three walks.
Softball Pitcher – St. John Fisher
Lindsey Thayer, Junior – Winthrop, NY/St. Lawrence
Lindsey Thayer went 3-0 last week to lead St. John Fisher to the 2018 #E8 Championship. Thayer allowed one earned run in 17 innings of work. She struck out 21 batters and surrendered four hits and four walks in all while limiting the opposing batters to a combined .074 average.
Men’s Lacrosse Player – Stevens
John Boutureira, Senior, Midfield – Eastchester, NY/Iona Prep
John Boutureira was named the Most Valuable Player of the Empire 8 Tournament after he helped top-seeded Stevens win its first E8 title since 2012. Boutureira had three goals in Stevens semifinal win over Hartwick on Wednesday. He then led Stevens with five goals and one assist as the Ducks held off second-seeded St. John Fisher 13-9 in the title game to earn a bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament.
Women’s Lacrosse Player – St. John Fisher
Claire Bollin, Junior, Midfield/Attack – Webster, NY/Webster-Schroeder
Claire Bollin helped the Cardinals secure their seventh consecutive Empire 8 title and an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championships. She scored four goals and totaled 3 assists as Fisher downed Nazareth College and nationally ranked Stevens Institute of Technology over the weekend. She totaled eight ground balls, four caused turnovers and won 16 draw controls in the two-game stretch.
Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete – St. John Fisher
Peter Girardi, Senior – Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Peter Girardi won three individual events and was part of the second place 4x400 meter relay team to be named the Track Athlete of the Championship Meet. The senior set a new facility record for the Polisseni Track and Field Complex in the 400-meter dash after he clocked in at a whopping 47.98 seconds. The Cicero native also took first place finishes in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles with times of 14.35 and 54.51 seconds. The 4X400 meter relay took the second-place finish with a 3:20.97.
Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete – St. John Fisher
Mark VanMarter, Senior – Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Mark VanMarter was tabbed as the Field Athlete of the Meet for the fourth straight outdoor Championship. He took first in the long jump with a jump of 7.46 meters, and finished second in the high jump with a height of 1.87 meters. The senior also competed in the triple jump where he set a new school record leap of 14.64 meters.
Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete – Stevens
Gina Dello Russo, Sophomore – Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park
Gina Dello Russo earned the Track Athlete of the Meet honor for the second straight year at the E8 Championship after she won three individual running titles and one field title. Dello Russo won the 100-meter (12.222), 200-meter dash (25.56) and 400-meter dash (56.80). She also won the high jump at 1.57 meters, giving her four individual titles. Dello Russo was also part of the winning 4x400 relay team (4:03.75) and ran an incredible anchor leg, where she turned in a blistering split of 53.90 seconds to set a new school record.
Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete – Stevens
Katie Weeks, Junior – Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan
Katie Weeks was named the Field Athlete of the Meet at the Outdoor E8 Championship. Weeks swept through the hammer, shot put and discus competitions to win three individual titles. She set a new personal best in the hammer at 48.10 meters. Her marks and shot and discus were 12.85 meters and 38.4 meters, respectively. Weeks also placed second in the javelin throw with a toss of 34.60 meters.
Men’s Tennis Player – Stevens
Danny Polk, Senior – Mechanicsville, VA/Hanover
Senior Danny Polk led Stevens to its ninth consecutive Empire 8 Conference championship after an undefeated weekend at first singles and first doubles. Polk teamed with Bryan Szayna for a pair of 8-4 wins at first doubles defeating Hartwick in the semifinals and Houghton in the finals. At first singles, he defeated John Talbot of Hartwick in the semifinals 6-0, 6-2 and then won 6-0, 6-3 against Houghton’s Louis-Guillaume Garcia. For his efforts, Polk was named the championships MVP.