General | 10/28/2019 12:58:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on Oct. 28, 2019 for games played from Oct. 22-Oct. 27. It is the ninth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2019-20 season.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Kyle Engelhart, Utica, Jr., Marcy, NY/Whitesboro
Engelhart was the top Empire 8 finisher at the Hamilton College Tune-Up Invitational on Saturday, placing seventh overall and covering the 5,000-meter distance in a time of 16:38.8 (5:21.5-mile rate).
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Stinson, Utica, Gr., South Kortright, NY/South Kortright
Stinson finished fifth overall at the Hamilton College Tune-Up Invitational on Saturday, recording a time of 16:34.5 over the 4,000-meter course (6:40.1-mile rate). It is her third weekly honor of 2019.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lindsay Scott, St. John Fisher, Sr., F, Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder
Scott tallied three goals and an assist to help lead the Cardinals to a pair of wins in conference play last week as St. John Fisher clinched the top overall seed and the Empire 8 regular season title with wins over Elmira and Washington and Jefferson. Against Elmira, Scott finished with one goal before closing out the week with a five-point performance including two goals and a helper in a 4-0 win over the Presidents of W&J. Scott leads the Empire 8 and is among the national leaders with 18 assists in 2019. Her 36 points are third among all E8 players.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Amanda Chuttey, Nazareth, GK, So., Auburn, NY/Port Byron
Chuttey made eight saves and allowed just one goal in 105 minutes of action in leading Nazareth to a pair of wins for her second E8 weekly honor of the season. She played the first three quarters in a win over Wells College on Tuesday, before stopping eight shots in a 2-1 overtime victory over Elmira on Saturday. Chuttey has eight wins, a 1.95 goals against average and an .806 save percentage this season.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brett Segala, Cortland, Sr., QB, Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Segala completed 17-of-31 passes for 399 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in a 42-37 win at St. John Fisher on Saturday. He averaged more than 23 yards per completion, with six passes of at least 25 yards, and threw TD passes of 64, 50 and 28 yards. Segala broke the school record with his ninth career game of at least 300 passing yards while finishing one yard shy of his second career 400-yard game. Segala has 17 passing touchdowns to just three interceptions and a 159.3 efficiency rating in seven games this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kenny Hernandez, Brockport, So., DB, Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury
Hernandez picked off two passes, one of which he returned 42 yards for a score in the fourth quarter, as Brockport topped visiting Utica 41-14 on Saturday. He also added three tackles and one pass break up in the victory. Hernandez currently ranks second in the conference with four interceptions this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – James Jones III, Alfred, Fr., CB, Rochester, NY/Aquinas
Jones III blocked a field goal that led to a 91-yard return for a touchdown, in Alfred's 34-7 victory over Hartwick on Saturday. Jones III also added four tackles (two solo) and an interception on defense.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Saif Alseyofi, Alfred, Fr., F, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/AQS
Alseyofi provided the offense for Alfred, tallying two second half goals six minutes apart in a crucial, come-from-behind 2-1 Saxon victory over Utica Saturday evening. He tallied with 10:43 left in regulation to tie the game and scored the game-winner with 4:45 remaining, both on headers off corner kicks. The first-year forward has four goals this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Giovanni Garufi, Elmira, So., GK, Binghamton, NY/Seton Catholic
Garufi made four saves in Elmira’s 1-1 tie versus St. John Fisher that clinched the Soaring Eagles’ first Empire 8 postseason berth since 2015.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – McKayla Hughes, Nazareth, Fr., M, Point Pleasant, NY/Point Pleasant Beach
Hughes scored both goals for Nazareth this week, including the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Utica that vaulted the Golden Flyers to the top of the E8 standings. She also scored on Sunday versus regionally-ranked non-conference foe Carnegie Mellon. Hughes leads Nazareth with 12 points on five goals and two assists this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hannah Miller, Nazareth, Sr., GK, Butler, PA/Butler
Miller recorded five saves in a 1-0 shutout win over Utica Wednesday and a season-high 14 saves in the 2-1 double overtime loss at regionally-ranked non-conference foe Carnegie Mellon Sunday. Miller is 9-3-2 in 2019 with a 0.72 goals against average and an .888 save percentage, both of which lead the Empire 8.
MEN’S SWIMMNG & DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ryan McLoughlin, Hartwick, Sr., Fly/Breast/Free, New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes
McLoughlin won all four races he was a part of this weekend at Hartwick's home meet against Utica, Saint Rose, and Cobleskill. Individually, he took the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:00.29 and 500-yard freestyle in 5:01.77, showcasing his versatility. He was part of Hartwick's two relay wins as well, in the 200-yard medley, where he swam a 50-breast split of 26.52 seconds (in the program's all-time top ten), and in the 200-free, where he swam the anchor leg in 22.12 seconds.
WOMEN’S SWIMMNG & DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Olivia Bart, Hartwick, Sr., Free, Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern
Bart had a strong showing in Saturday's home meet against Cobleskill, Utica, St. Rose, and Cazenovia, putting up three wins and a second-place finish on the day, as Hartwick went 3-1 as a team. Individually, she won back-to-back races in the 50-and 100-yard freestyle events, finishing in 24.85 seconds (in the program's all-time top ten) and 55.45 seconds, respectively. She also swam the first leg of the day's final race, the 200-yard freestyle relay, in 24.97 seconds, as the Hawks took home a win. Bart was also part of her squad's second-place effort in the 200-yard medley relay, swimming a 24.21 second 50 free split.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Melissa Newcomb, Nazareth, Sr., MB, Syracuse, NY/Westhill
Newcomb led Nazareth with 43 kills (3.58/set) and a .368 hitting percentage in three matches last weekend. She also had six aces, 10 digs and five blocks for 52 points in a 2-1 week including a pair of Empire 8 victories that secured the No. 3 spot in the tournament. That helped Nazareth qualify for its 14th straight E8 Tournament. She slammed 17 kills in each match and hit over .400 in consecutive league wins over Elmira and Hartwick. She is fourth among all E8 players in kills per set (2.86), third in points per set (3.48) and third in hitting percentage (.290).
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Haley Unverdorben, Houghton, So., S, Cuba, NY/Portville
Unverdorben dished out 79 assists to go along with 21 digs and 10 kills, while hitting .625 in three consecutive three-set wins over Alfred, Sage and Utica that helped Houghton lock in the second seed for the Empire 8 post-season tournament. Unverdorben is now second in the league, averaging 9.00 assists per set (738 total) this season. It is her second weekly accolade of 2019.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Lauren Gilbert, St. John Fisher, Fr., OH, Dublin, OH/Dublin-Jerome
Gilbert helped the Cardinals clinch its first-ever Empire 8 regular season title last weekend, as she averaged 13 kills, 11 digs, two aces and 2.5 blocks overall in wins over Elmira and Hartwick. In a straight-set win over Elmira, Gilbert chipped in with a match-high 14 kills to go along with nine digs before adding 12 more kills, 13 digs and four aces at the service line in a win over Hartwick. Gilbert, a four-time Empire 8 Rookie of the Week, is third among all E8 players with 3.01 kills per set (292 total) this season.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished 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. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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