General | 12/16/2019 12:58:23 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on Dec. 16, 2019 for games played from Dec. 9-Dec. 15. It is the 16th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2019-20 season.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jonathan Park, Nazareth, So., C, Angola, NY/Lakeshore
Park came off the bench to record game highs of 22 points and nine rebounds as Nazareth defeated Alfred State, 80-55 on Saturday. Park's 22 points also were a career high as he made 10 of 13 shots from the field and 2 of 2 free throws. He also had a pair of blocked shots. Through eight games, Park is shooting a sizzling 67.8 percent (40-for-59) from the field to lead the Empire 8.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Thomas Morreale, Utica, Fr., F, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Morreale had 20 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes of action to help propel Utica to a non-conference win over Clarkson on Saturday. He was 7-of-9 at the foul line in the winning effort to garner his second straight E8 Rookie of the Week accolade. Morreale is averaging 11.4 points per game, while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Przygoda, Utica, So., F, Freehold, NJ/Freehold
Przygoda averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 62.5 percent from the field to lead the Pioneers to two wins in three contests. Przygoda recorded 15 points and seven rebounds in a win over Alfred State and added 29 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals to propel Utica past Morrisville State. She leads the E8 in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game and is among the national leaders , shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kristine Miller, Utica, Fr., C, Red Hook, NY/Red Hook
Miller turned in one of Utica's best-ever shot blocking performances as she swatted away five shot attempts versus Hamilton Monday. That is the best performance in that category by a Utica player in at least the last nine seasons. She also shot 6-for-9 from the field and pulled down nine boards on the week.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Kyle Engelhart, Utica, Jr., Distance, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Engelhart built off a terrific cross country campaign with an opening time of 16:31 over 5,000 meters at the Pioneer Winter Classic on Saturday. He placed third in the event and was the second fastest collegiate athlete and fastest Division III runner in the event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Kyle Rollins, St. John Fisher, Jr., Jumps, Groveland, NY/Geneseo
Rollins, a 2019 All-American, made a stellar season debut in the jumping events at Houghton on Friday. He jumped 2.07 meters in the high jump to claim first place. The jump ranks number one in all of Division III so far this season. In addition, Rollins won the triple jump with a jump of 14.42 meters, which is the second best in the nation this year. Rollins also set a new facility record in both events.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Megan Alper, Alfred, Sr., Sprints, Belmont, MA/Belmont
Alper picked up an individual win and had two third place finishes in the season-opener for Alfred University at the Houghton College December Classic Friday. She won the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.21 while picking up a third in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.18. She then teamed with Krissy Roberts, Olivia Chamberlin and Ashley Page to run a 1:57.24 in the 4x200-meter relay to finish third on Friday.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Katrina Cornick, Utica, Fr., Throws, Mason City, IA/Mason City
Cornick was a dual runner-up in the throws as Utica hosted the Pioneer Winter Classic on Saturday. She placed second in the shot put with a mark of 11.40 meters, and later debuted in the weight throw with an All-Atlantic Region Championships qualifying mark of 14.46 meters.
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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