Empire 8 Conference Players of the Week - January 21
Empire 8 Players of the Week
January 14 – January 20
Men’s Basketball
Player – Brandon LaForest, Hartwick (Senior, Cohoes, N.Y.)
LaForest averaged 20.5 points and seven assists in two wins for the Hawks. He scored 24 with four assists, two threes, and three boards in an overtime win against Utica Tuesday. He then shot 6-of-10 including a pair of three-pointers, 11 assists, seven rebounds, and two blocks in a win over Elmira.
Rookie – Brewster Marshall, Alfred (Freshman, Horseheads, N.Y.)
Marshall upped his collegiate career-high scoring to 23 points when he went 10-of-14 from the floor against Nazareth. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line on the week. Marshall added 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals over the three games. It’s the second-straight week and third time overall he’s been recognized with this award from the league office.
Women’s Basketball
Player – Anna Toke, Stevens (Graduate, Lincoln Park, N.J.)
Toke finished the week averaging 17 points and 11.6 rebounds over three wins for the Ducks. She registered two double-doubles during the week with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Stevens’ 65-50 win over Houghton and 20 points and 16 rebounds in the ducks 55-41 victory over Alfred. The center also chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds in Stevens’ win against Sage. Toke ended the three-game stretch making 11-of-14 from the charity stripe, along with totaling eight assists, seven blocks and six steals.
Rookie – Jess Broad, Stevens (Freshman, Marlboro, N.J.)
Broad scored game-highs of 22 points and 20 points in Stevens’ wins over Sage and Houghton, respectively. The freshman forward totaled 24 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two blocks during the three-game stretch – all wins for the Ducks. Broad leads the Ducks and the E8 with 111 made field goals. For the week, the freshman averaged 16 points and eight rebounds.
Swimming & Diving
Men’s Athlete – Daniel Rosenberger, Stevens (Junior, Media, Pa.)
Rosenberger touched the wall at 16:57.20 in the 1650-yard freestyle for a seventh-place finish in Stevens quad meet on Saturday afternoon. The Media, Pennsylvania native recorded a time of 4:54.82 in the 500-yard freestyle for a ninth-place finish. Both times would rank in the top ten in the E8 this season with his effort in the 1650 being the second-best mark (behind his own time of 16:40.49 earlier this season).
Women’s Athlete – Isabella Fairman, Stevens (Junior, Saint Paul, Minn.)
Fairman recorded two second-place finishes in Stevens’ quad meet Saturday. The Saint Paul, Minnesota native touched the wall at 5:02.02 in the 500-yard freestyle for a second-place finish – just three milliseconds behind the winner from Johns Hopkins. The junior swimmer registered another second-place finish in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:11.13. Fairman finished third in the 100-yard freestyle, coming in at 53.24. All three of her times were among the top three marks in the conference so far this season, with her 500-free time being the best mark and her 200 IM time being second-best.
Indoor Track & Field
Men’s Track Athlete – Nicholas DiMaria, Stevens (Junior, Spotswood, N.J.)
DiMaria posted a personal best in the 400-meter dash, while posting the 18th-fastest mark in Division III by winning his heat with a time of 49.81 seconds at Friday's NYC Gotham Cup. The mark is the fastest in the Empire 8 thus far and the time bested the Spotswood, New Jersey native's PR on the outdoor surface.
Men’s Field Athlete – Keanu Heedram, Utica (Junior, Rochester, N.Y.)
Heedram continued to climb up the early season national leaderboard in the shot put as a season-best toss of 15.78 meters won his specialty event at the Hamilton College Invitational on Friday. His throw currently ranks sixth in the nation, and produced a better mark than the one that netted him an 11th place national finish at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships. He also placed third in the weight throw at Friday's meet.
Women’s Track Athlete – Gina Dello Russo, Stevens (Junior, Whippany, N.J.)
Dello Russo was the top Division III finisher in the 400-meter dash, reaching the finish in 57.11 seconds to post the third-fastest time in DIII to date and the top time in the Empire 8 so far this season.
Women’s Field Athlete – Katie Weeks, Stevens (Senior, Toms River, N.J.)
Weeks was the highest Division III finisher and posted the fifth-best distance in DIII with a mark of 17.15 meters in her final attempt at the weight throw in the NYC Gotham Cup. The mark was just short of a personal record in the event, which was set at last year's Indoor Championship. It's also the longest distance in the conference to date.
About the Empire 8 Conference
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and aspire to be regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8.