Empire 8 Conference Players of the Week - Feb. 18
Empire 8 Players of the Week
February 11 – February 17
Men’s Basketball
Player – Dom LeMorta, Alfred (Senior, Scotia, N.Y.)
LeMorta helped lead the Saxons to a 3-0 week and put them in a position to either claim the Empire 8 regular season championship title, or the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The wins were home against Elmira, at Utica and at regionally-ranked St. John Fisher where he and the Saxons handled the Cardinals in dominant fashion as they broke the school record for most consecutive Empire 8 wins since joining the conference as they are now on a 10-game streak. LeMorta averaged 21.7 points per game as he scored a season-high 26 points against Utica, making a career-high 12-of-12 free throws. He hit eight 3-pointers on the week including a 4-8 performance at Utica. LeMorta pulled down 11 rebounds on the week, while assisting on nine buckets. He also stole the ball four times including a career-high three against Elmira.
Rookie – Elliot Bowen, Alfred (Freshman, Salamanca, N.Y.)
Bowen helped lead the Saxons to a 3-0 week and put them in a position to either claim the Empire 8 regular season championship title, or the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Bowen averaged 16.3 points over the three games, including a career-high 27 against St. John Fisher. Saturday's game also saw a career-high seven free throws on eight attempts, while he tied his career-high in field goals made with a 10-15 performance from the floor. Bowen totaled 16 rebounds while tying his career high in offensive rebounds with four against Elmira on Wednesday. He also tied his career-high in blocks as he stuffed three shots against Utica. Bowen wrapped up his stellar week with four steals over the three wins.
Women’s Basketball
Player – Carly Johnson, Hartwick (Senior, Greenville, N.Y.)
Johnson had a huge game in first-place Hartwick's 71-64 win over second-place Stevens on Saturday. She scored 24 points on 50% shooting and 4-6 from three, while also picking up three rebounds and a game-high three steals. She had 16 points in the first half, leading the Hawks to an 11-point lead at the break, and became the program's all-time leading three-point scorer by making her 167th career three with 1:26 left in the half.
Rookie – Sydney Przygoda, Utica (Freshman, Freehold, N.J.)
Przygoda totaled 30 points and was 11-of-12 from the field in two games to guide Utica this past weekend. She notched her fourteenth and fifteenth double-doubles of the season as the Pioneers split a pair of games in Empire 8 action. On Friday, she racked up 12 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in a loss to Alfred. She shot 5-6 from the field in the defeat. On Saturday, she was a perfect 6-6 from the field and posted 18 points and 10 rebounds to help hoist Utica to a senior day win over Houghton.
Indoor Track & Field
Men’s Track Athlete – Mitchell Marlow, Utica (Junior, Malone, N.Y.)
Marlow ran just the second Sub-4:30 mile of the Empire 8 indoor season at Friday's St. Lawrence open. His time of 4:29.82 was good for third in the event, and he also anchored Utica's winning distance medley relay entry to help Utica to a second place finish in the team standings. Marlow has both Sub-4:30 performances in the men's one mile run in the conference this year.
Men’s Field Athlete – Keanu Heedram, Utica (Junior, Rochester, N.Y.)
Heedram moved up the national leaderboard yet again with his winning performance in the shot put at Friday's St. Lawrence University Open. He posted a new season-best toss of 16.35 meters to move up into 12
th nationally on the NCAA Division III qualifying list.
Women’s Track Athlete – Edena Sanchez, Houghton (Sophomore, Amsterdam, N.Y.)
Sanchez posted a regional qualifying effort and the second-best time in the E8 so far this season in the 400m with her time of 59.99 over the weekend at RIT. She also posted the 7
th-best time in the conference this season in the 200m with a final time of 27.25.
Women’s Field Athlete – Katie Weeks, Stevens (Senior, Toms River, N.J.)
Weeks broke her own school record in the weight throw, reaching 18.25 meters at the Fastrack Last Chance invitational. She’s just the fifth thrower in Division III to clear 18 meters. Her distance currently ranks fourth in Division III and tops the Atlantic Region by nearly two meters.
Men’s Volleyball
Player – Jack Bittker, Stevens (Sophomore, Penfield, N.Y.)
Bittker ended Stevens 3-0 week averaging 3.63 kills per set. He led the Ducks with 10 kills against SUNY Poly, while adding a career-best 16 against NYU and 14 against No. 12 Lancaster Bible. The Penfield, N.Y. native issued a match-high four aces against Lancaster and ended the week with a total of eight. Bittker also totaled 13 digs over the three matches.
Rookie – Andres Ramirez, St. John Fisher (Freshman, Sanford, Fla.)
Ramirez helped the Cardinals extend their winning streak to ten matches this past weekend with non-conference wins over D’Youville and Medaille. Over the Cardinal’s two-match weekend, he totaled 17 kills, five blocks, 10 digs, and a .298 hitting percentage. Ramirez finished with a team-high nine kills and a .438 hitting percentage in the straight set win over D’Youville on Sunday. The Sanford, Florida native also notched one block and five digs in Fisher’s first match on Sunday afternoon. Following the win over the Spartans, the freshman posted another eight kills, four blocks, five digs, and a service ace in the straight set win over Medaille.
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 and
https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ