Empire 8 Conference Players of the Week - Feb. 25
Empire 8 Players of the Week
February 18 – February 24
Baseball
Player – Antony Mantova, St. John Fisher (Junior, Albany, N.Y.)
Mantova had a day as the No. 21 Cardinals defeated Johns Hopkins on the road, 19-13. He went 4-5 at the dish with two home runs and seven RBI overall including a grand slam in the eighth inning. The Albany native also scored three runs in the win and had one walk.
Pitcher – Nick Cottone, Elmira (Senior, Toms River, N.J.)
Cottone won his lone start on the mound at Greensboro, becoming the first starting pitcher in Elmira's five seasons to earn a win on opening day. The win is the second of his career and his first as a starter. He allowed just one run on two hits, and posted four strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Opponents batted a mere .095 against him and he threw five consecutive shutout innings after giving up one run in the bottom of the first.
Men’s Lacrosse
Player – Ian Evans, St. John Fisher (Freshman, Jamesville, N.Y.)
Evans had a big debut as the freshman helped lead Fisher to a 20-3 win over The College of Wooster on Saturday. He scored a game-high seven points including five goals and two assists in his first collegiate game. The Jamesville, New York native also scooped up two ground balls and had seven shots overall.
Goalkeeper – Darin Eakins, St. John Fisher (Junior, Hamburg, Germany)
Eakins had a big debut as the junior transfer earned his first collegiate win behind a 20-3 drubbing of the College of Wooster on Saturday. He played 45 minutes in goal and allowed just three goals in all. The Hamburg, Germany native made nine saves in the win and accounted for one ground ball and one caused turnover on the day.
Women’s Lacrosse
Player – Mallory Eymer, St. John Fisher (Junior, Syracuse, N.Y.)
Eymer helped lead the No. 18 Cardinals to a convincing win over the University of Rochester on Saturday in the team's season debut. She finished the game with five points, including three goals and two assists in a 13-3 decision. The junior attacker also had seven shots in the win to go along with two ground balls and a caused turnover.
Goalkeeper – Hali Vandermeulen, Utica (Junior, Walden, N.Y.)
Vandermeulen delivered a strong start in just 30 minutes of work with seven saves on eight shots as the Pioneers posted a decisive 14-3 win over Morrisville in their season opener.
Men’s Volleyball
Player – Jonathan Frenzel, Stevens (Junior, Rossmoor, Calif.)
Frenzel helped lead No. 2 Stevens to a 2-0 weekend with his average of 2.29 kills per set. He registered a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage, delivering 10 kills on 10 swings, as Stevens swept St. John Fisher. The Rossmoor, California native added six kills in the 3-1 win over Nazareth, along with three blocks, two aces, one ace and one dig.
Rookie – Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher (Freshman, Cicero, N.Y.)
Bigford helped St. John Fisher improve to 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the UVC this past week with conference victories over Nazareth and NYU, before falling to No. 2 Stevens on Sunday. Over the course of the three matches, he totaled 42 kills, 14 digs, five blocks, and posted a .275 hitting percentage. Bigford led the way in Fisher’s sweep of Nazareth on Wednesday as he posted a game-high 13 kills, six digs, two blocks, and a .286 hitting percentage. Over this past weekend, Bigford finished the thrilling five-set win over NYU with career-high 22 kills, six digs, three blocks, and an impressive .404 hitting percentage. Versus No. 2 Stevens, the Cicero native wrapped up the week with seven kills and two digs.
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
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