Empire 8 Conference Players of the Week - January 28
Empire 8 Players of the Week
January 21 - January 27
Men's Basketball
Player - Tyler Stenglein, Nazareth (Senior, Rochester, N.Y.)
Stenglein led the Golden Flyers to three E8 road wins last week as Nazareth remained unbeaten in conference play. He averaged 18.3 points in wins over St. John Fisher, Hartwick and Utica. For the week, he was 15-for-31 from the floor and 24-for-28 from the foul line. He had a game-high 24 points in last Saturday's win at Utica with 15 of his points coming in the second half as Nazareth came from behind to win.
Rookie - Rashaad Nurse, Elmira (Freshman, Queens, N.Y.)
Nurse finished second on the team with 11.7 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game in a 2-1 week for Elmira. He shot 50.0% from the field (13-26) and 82% from the free-throw line (9-of-11). Also accumulated three blocks, two assists, and two steals. He made his first career start in an 83-64 win over Houghton and scored seven points with three rebounds and one block. Netted a career-high 15 points with five boards, two steals and one block vs. Sage and made his third consecutive start and scored 13 points with a season-high eight rebounds to help Elmira upset Stevens 71-64 on Saturday.
Women's Basketball
Co-Player - Caitlin Corbett, Hartwick (Senior, Altamont, N.Y.)
Corbett had one of the best performances in program history and scored her 1000th career point in the process, averaging 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over a three-win week that saw Hartwick's winning streak hit nine. In Tuesday's 89-77 win over Utica, she scored 34 points on 13-16 shooting and 7-10 from three, and also had a game-high 12 rebounds. She was just four points behind the single-game program record, three off of the program record for field goals in a game, and one behind the program record of eight three-pointers in Against Nazareth on Friday, she led the team with 20 points on 8-15 shooting in a 76-56 victory. She also tied for the team-high with nine rebounds and had six assists, two steals, and a block. She capped the week with a 25-point performance in a 93-50 win against Sage on Saturday, becoming the 16th member of the program's 1,000 point club on a contested lay-up in the opening minutes of the game. Overall, she was 11-16 from the field, had six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Co-Player - Rachel Benedict, Nazareth (Junior, Brockport, N.Y.)
Benedict posted three more double-doubles last week to bring her season total to 12 as the Golden Flyers won two of the three games they played. She had 17 points and 15 rebounds in a four-point win at St. John Fisher last Tuesday. She added 16 points and 13 rebounds in Friday's loss at Hartwick and then posted 24 points with 15 rebounds in a 10-point win at Utica Saturday. She also became the 17th Nazareth player to surpass the 1,000-point mark in career scoring.
Rookie - Maggie Kirby, Hartwick (Freshman, Selkirk, N.Y.)
Kirby averaged 12.0 points and 6.7 (2.7 offensive) rebounds in a perfect 3-0 week for Hartwick. In an 89-77 win over Utica on Tuesday, she scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists. In Friday's 76-56 victory over Nazareth, she had 12 points on 4-8 shooting, five rebounds and a steal. On Saturday, in a 93-50 win over Sage, she had 13 points on 6-12 from the field, a team-high eight rebounds, and two steals.
Swimming & Diving
Men's Athlete - Andy Edmister, Alfred (Junior, Belmont, N.Y.)
Edmister had a standout day on Saturday at Ithaca College in the Saxons' final dual meet of the season. He won two individual events, while earning two second-place finishes in relays. Edmister won both of the backstroke races as he swam a 54.68 in the 100 and a 1:56.92 in the 200. He then teamed with Richard Berger, Vincent Tamplain and Ryan Brown in the 200-yard medley relay where they swam a 1:40.87 for silver. To close out the day, Edmister was joined by Noah Koltenuk, Bryan Rafoth and Zach Goodwin in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The squad edged the Ithaca third place team by 0.26 seconds to earn second with a time of 1:33.15.
Women's Athlete - Taylor Woltz, Nazareth (Sophomore, Marilla, N.Y.)
Woltz finished first in both diving events as Nazareth dropped a dual meet to RIT Saturday. She eclipsed the NCAA Regional qualifying score with a total of 256.55 to win the 1-meter competition. She also won the 3-meter event with a winning score of 226.00.
Indoor Track & Field
Men's Track Athlete - Eddie Mahana, St. John Fisher (Junior, Clay, N.Y.)
Mahana continued to blow away the competition in the 60 meter hurdles as the junior took first place at the Golden Eagle Invite over the weekend with a mark of 8.18. Mahana, who currently holds the 4th fastest time in Division III in the 60 meter hurdles, also took first place in the 4x400 meter relay as the quartet of Cardinals finished in 3:28.71.
Men's Field Athlete - Ka'Sean Watlington, Utica (Junior, Bayport, N.Y.)
Watlington produced another herculean effort with his winning leap in the Triple Jump at Saturday's Pioneer Open. He delivered a new personal best jump of 14.51 meters to set a new school record, and improve upon his previous national standing as he climbed up to third in the nation in the event. He also finished fourth in the long jump as the Pioneers finished second in the team competition.
Women's Track Athlete - Edena Sanchez, Houghton (Sophomore, Amsterdam, N.Y.)
Sanchez ran a conference-best time of 2:21.03 in the 800-meter dash over the weekend at the Brockport Invitational. The time was also a regional qualifying mark for the sophomore.
Women's Field Athlete - Katie Weeks, Stevens (Senior, Toms River, N.J.)
Weeks turned in her top distance in the shot put, reaching 13.13 meters in her third attempt at the Moravian Indoor Track and Field Invitational to place first in the event by twenty-two-hundredths-of-a-meter. Weeks also won the weight throw with a mark of 16.89 meters in her third attempt, topping the field by 1.31 meters. Both marks qualified the Toms River, New Jersey native for the All-Atlantic Region Indoor Track and Field Championship. Weeks' distance in the shot put currently ranks 11th in Division III. It also marks the second consecutive week she's been recognized by the E8 with this honor.
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.