Field Hockey | 9/16/2019 12:51:35 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on Sept. 16, 2019 for games played from Sept. 9-Sept. 15. It is the third Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2019-20 season.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Deuschle, Houghton, Sr., DePew, NY/DePew
Running in unseasonably warm temperatures and high wind gusts, Deuschle took first place overall at the Penn State Behrend Invitational 8,000-meter course on Friday with a time of 27:45, eight seconds ahead of the field. He recorded a mile rate of 5:34.4 in defeating 120 runners.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Kerry Flower, Sage, So., Schenectady, NY/Schalmont
Flower made it three straight weekly honors to start 2019 by crushing the field of 48 runners at the SUNY Oneonta Airfield Invitational on Saturday by 48 seconds, blazing the 5,000-meter course in 18:59.7. She recorded an average mile time of 6:06.8 in winning her second consecutive event. Flower led Sage to a second-place team finish.
FIELD HOCKEY
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Micalli Johnston, Sage, Jr., F, Plattsburgh, NY/Saranac
Johnston exploded for 12 points on five goals and two assists in a 1-1 week for the Gators. She began the week by tallying six points on two goals and two assists in a 4-1 victory over Elms to give Sage's rookie head coach Tamara Mills her first career win. On Saturday, Johnston scored all three Sage goals in a 4-3 loss to Keuka in the home opener. She leads the team and is third among all Empire 8 players with 14 points on six goals and two assists this season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bre Socker, St. John Fisher, Jr., F, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Socker recorded four goals, nine points and fired 18 shots to lead the unbeaten Cardinals earned wins over Geneseo and New Paltz. Socker scored two goals and added an assist, while becoming just the third player in program history to reach 100 career points in a 4-2 win over Geneseo Wednesday. She wrapped up the week with two more goals in a 5-2 non-conference win over visiting New Paltz on Saturday. Socker leads the Empire 8 with seven goals and 17 points in four games this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Megan Chamberlain, Utica, So., Queensbury, NY/Queensbury
Chamberlain was tremendous in goal against No. 14 Rochester on Friday. Despite a 2-0 loss to the nationally-ranked Yellowjackets, the sophomore goalkeeper combined with the tremendous efforts of the Pioneer backs to make 17 saves on 19 shots, keeping her squad in the match. Chamberlain leads all Empire 8 goalkeepers with 45 saves in four appearances this season.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brett Segala, Cortland, Sr., QB, Webster, NY/Webster Schroder
Segala threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns in Cortland's 31-7 win at The College of New Jersey Saturday. In the process, he tied Cortland's school record with his eighth career 300-yard passing game. Segala threw a 55-yard touchdown pass on the game's second play to give the Red Dragons an early lead and also had three 14-yard TD passes. He finished the game 20-of-44 for 306 yards and four scores with one interception. Segala has seven passing touchdowns and a passer efficiency rating of 152.5 this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Raylens Boutin, Brockport, Fr., DB, Nyack, NY/Nyack
Boutin returned his first two collegiate interceptions for touchdowns just four minutes apart in the third quarter on Saturday to account for both Brockport scores as the Golden Eagles defeated visiting Framingham 14-0 in their home opener at Bob Boozer Field. He also added two pass breakups, six tackles, and one tackle for loss. Boutin is tied for the team lead with 11 tackles this season and he leads the secondary with three pass breakups.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Marquis Simpson, Utica, Sr., CB, Middle Island, NY/Longwood
Simpson made a pair of big plays to help the Pioneers earn a 26-15 win over Buffalo State Saturday. Late in the second quarter, Simpson downed a punt with a spectacular effort at the one-yard line to pin Buffalo State. In the third quarter, Simpson came up big again as the Pioneers were clinging to a 10-9 lead after an interception touchdown return by Buffalo State. With the Bengals kicking for the tie, teammate Shane Walpole blocked the kick, and Simpson grabbed hold of the ball and ran it back for a huge two-point return that sparked a 16-0 Utica run as the Pioneers pulled away to start the season 2-0.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Erik Schleicher, Oswego, Sr., Elma, NY/Iroquois
Schleicher was dominant at the Keuka College Fall Invitational on Wednesday, finishing with an even-par 72 to win the event. He was able to stay bogey-free on the front nine, complimenting it with two birdies. Schleicher finished one stroke ahead of the next closest competitor and led the Lakers to a first-place finish, topping a 10-team field, defeating the next closest team by eight strokes.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Adam Nichols, Elmira, Sr., F, Candor, NY/Candor
Nichols scored both goals for Elmira in a 1-1 week. On Wednesday, Nichols tallied his third goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to defending CSAC champion Keystone. Nichols scored the game-winner in the 54th minute on Saturday to lead the Soaring Eagles to a 1-0 victory at D'Youville. Nichols has four goals in six games to start the season and is tied for the league lead with two game-winning markers.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Randy Miksch, Utica, Jr., GK, Lake Villa, IL/Warren Township
Miksch made eight saves to help lead Utica to a 1-0 shutout victory over Clarkson Saturday. He has allowed a goal or less in his last two starts and has not conceded more than two goals in any match this season as the Pioneers have opened the season with a 3-1-1 mark.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sierra Neddo, Houghton, Fr., F, Beaver Falls, NY/Beaver River
Neddo exploded for six goals on a pair of hat-tricks in three Highlander victories during the week. On Wednesday, Neddo scored three times in a span of just 6:25 early in the second half to help Houghton pull away in an 8-0 win over Pitt Bradford. On Saturday, Neddo accounted for all three goals in a 3-1 win over Medaille. She tallied two first half goals, including the game-winner in the 24th minute and added a key insurance marker in the 59th minute. Neddo is now tied for the league lead with six goals and 12 points.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hannah Fuller, Alfred, Fr., GK, Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks
Fuller recorded a pair of shutouts in a 1-0-1 week for the Saxons. She began the week by earning the win in a 5-0 victory over Hilbert on Wednesday and faced 11 shots, making five saves in a scoreless draw versus The College at Brockport Saturday. Fuller has not allowed a goal over her last 357:38 and leads the conference with a 0.18 goals against average and has a .933 save percentage in six games this season.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Maelah Nadeau, Nazareth, Sr., Raymond, ME/Windham
Nadeau earned a pair of victories, including an 8-0 win with teammate Brooke Murphy at No. 1 doubles in the 8-1 win over Alfred that kicked off conference play on Friday. Nadeau also posted a 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) win at No. 1 singles over Alfred’s Tori Pellegrino.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alea Steigerwald, St. John Fisher, So., OH, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Steigerwald helped lead St. John Fisher to three wins and the team title at the Bengal challenge hosted by Buffalo State, as she averaged 15.3 kills, 13 digs and 3.0 service aces per match, while hitting .316. to along with 6.2 points per set. The Penfield native produced a match-high 19 kills and 12 digs in a straight-set sweep of John Carroll before adding 12 kills, 16 digs and five aces against Cazenovia. Steigerwald wrapped up her week with 15 kills, 11 digs and three aces in a sweep of Medaille to earn her second straight Empire 8 weekly accolade. She is among the Division III women’s volleyball national leaders, averaging 5.4 points per set early on this season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Colette Maloney, Hartwick, Fr.,
Maloney averaged 17.3 kills and 13 digs, while hitting .278 over three contests for her second straight Empire 8 weekly honor, helping the Hawks to a 2-1 record. On Wednesday, she helped push rival Oneonta to five sets, posting her third career double-double with a match-high 17 kills and 17 digs, as well as two aces. Maloney kept up the strong play in Friday's tri-match against King's and SUNY Poly, leading the Hawks to a pair of four-set wins. Maloney put up yet another double-double with a team-high 19 kills and 14 digs, also chipping in with a block in the win over King’s. She added 16 kill, eight digs, a block and an ace in the win over SUNY Poly. Maloney is third in the league with 126 kills, 2.8 kills per set and fourth with 3.24 points per set.
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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