Empire 8 Athletes of the Week
Empire 8 Athletes of the Week
Football Offensive Player – Cortland
Brett Segala, Junior, QB – Webster, NY/ Webster Schroeder
Segala passed for 257 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for a score in Cortland's season-opening 51-14 win at Fitchburg State. He amassed the 257 yards on just 11 completions (in 18 attempts), with five completions of 30 or more yards. His TD passes covered 14, 40, 51 and 67 yards, including three in the first quarter to give Cortland an early 21-0 lead. His 10-yard TD run pushed the lead to 28-0 in the third quarter.
Football Defensive Player – Alfred
Cole Reed, Senior, LB – Gratz, PA/ Upper Dauphin Area
Cole Reed led the Saxons with 11 tackles, a half a sack, and one pass deflection in a win over Thiel on Saturday. He terrorized the opposing quarterback throughout the game, rushing him out the pocket and hitting him on the throw multiple times. Reed also orchestrated the AU defense as the captain that held Thiel to 10 yards rushing in the game.
Football Special Teams Player – Cortland
Nick Mongelli, Junior, K – Marlboro, NY/Marlboro
Mongelli made a 32-yard field goal and 6-of-7 PAT kicks in Cortland's 51-14 win at Fitchburg St.
Field Hockey Offensive Player – Elmira
Matilda Kennedy-Butler, Senior, F – Bel Air, MD/ John Carroll
Kennedy-Butler registered a hat-trick in EC's season-opener against King's (Pa.), which helped the Soaring Eagles solidify a 4-1 victory while playing with just 11 players. The trio of goals was a career first for the senior forward and the first hat-trick in a season-opening game since 2005. Additionally, Kennedy-Butler had not scored a single goal in her career leading up to her hat-trick performance.
Field Hockey Defensive Player – Elmira
Tina O’Donnell, Junior, GK - Kutztown, PA/Kutztown
O'Donnell registered 15-plus saves in Elmira's first two games of the year, as the Soaring Eagles went 1-1. The junior netminder turned away 15 shots, including a save on a penalty stroke, in EC's 4-1 season-opening win over King's (Pa.). She followed that performance up with a 17-save effort against an unbeaten Wooster side on Sunday afternoon. The 17-save performance was the second-most saves O'Donnell has registered in a single game, while the 15 saves against King's (Pa.) rank third.
Women’s Volleyball Player – Nazareth
Melissa Newcomb, Junior, MB, Syracuse, NY/Westhill
Newcomb was named to the all-tournament team as Nazareth opened the season with four wins at the Cortland Tournament. She posted a .375 hitting percentage (34-7-72) in the four matches with 12 service aces, 17 digs and 12 blocks. She had 15 kills and seven blocks as Nazareth knocked off Stockton in four sets Friday. She added seven aces in Saturday's four-set win over Cortland.
Women’s Volleyball Rookie – Sage
Emma Parkington, Freshman, OH, Dlaton, MA/Wahconah
Parkington played in all 15 sets on the opening weekend of play adding 25 kills with a .344 attack percentage with three aces, 14 digs and three TB. She averaged 1.67 kills and 0.93 digs per set in four matches.
Men’s Soccer Offensive – Stevens
Daniel Aversano, Senior, M – Saddle River, NJ/Northern Highlands
Aversano netted his second career hat trick in Stevens' 4-0 season-opening victory over FDU. He opened the game's scoring in the 17th minute, converting a Haddy Abdelhady crossing pass for his first goal of the night. The senior completed his hat trick in the second half with two goals in a 13-minute span.
Men’s Soccer Defensive - Nazareth
Brian Wilkin, Junior, GK – Rochester, NY/Hilton
Wilkin helped the Golden Flyers to a 1-1 start over the weekend. He had one save in a 1-0 loss to Brockport Friday, then had eight saves in Sunday's 2-0 shutout win over Rensselaer. The shutout was the eighth of his career.
Women’s Soccer Offensive – Sage
Joleen Marfone, Senior, F – Remsen/Remsen, NY
Marfone netted two goals on the week to lift Sage to a 2-0 start. She scored her first goal of the match on Friday in the Gators road win over ACPHS. She then tallied the game-winner in a home opening win over Castleton. She leads Sage with four points this fall and is now 12th on the College’s all-time list with 48 career points.
Women’s Soccer Defensive – Hartwick
Cassandra Robataille, Junior, GK - Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam
Robataille registered two shutouts this weekend as Hartwick captured its fifth straight Erinn K. Brozman Memorial Cup. She made six saves on Friday as the Hawks defeated William Paterson by a final score of 2-0. She earned a second shutout Sunday without needing to make a save in a 1-0 clean sheet against Keuka. The Hawks have not conceded a goal in the last 517 minutes dating back to the 2017 season.
Men’s Golf – Utica
Patrick Coughlin, Junior – New Hartford, NY/New Hartford
Junior Patrick Coughlin finished fifth overall with a two-day total of 151 last weekend at the Hamilton invitational. Coughlin shot a 77 on day one and knocked three strokes off on Sunday despite rainy conditions to lead the Pioneers.
Women’s Golf – Cortland
Danielle Bambola, Junior – Miller Place, NY/Miller Place
Bambola finished second out of 42 golfers at the Hamilton College Invitational Saturday and Sunday. She recorded a 79 Saturday and a 76 Sunday for a 155 and lost medalist honors by just one stroke to a competitor who eagled the second-to-last hole to take the lead. Bambola helped Cortland finish second in the eight-team field.
Men’s Cross Country – Utica
Tyler Wright, Senior – Little Falls, NY/ West Canada Valley
Tyler Wright placed second individually at the SUNY Poly Short Course Invitational with a finishing time of 19:41. Wright helped lead UC to a second place finish as a team, only behind regionally ranked Oneonta.
Women’s Cross Country – Hartwick
Alaina Carpenter, Freshman – Grandville, MI/Grandville
Carpenter finished first overall in a meet against SUNY Delhi on Friday evening. She covered the 4-kilometer course in 16:27.03, over 37 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
Women’s Tennis – Sage
Julia Geisel, Junior – Clifton Park, NY/Shenedehowa
In the Gators season opener, Geisel added the decisive win as Sage beat Oswego. She went 2-0 in singles with a 6-0, 6-4 win at fourth singles and an 8-2 win at second doubles vs. Oswego. On Sunday added a 6-0, 6-4 win at fourth singles against SUNY-Delhi with an 8-1 win at second double doubles.