General | 2/24/2020 12:55:51 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on Feb. 24, 2020 for games played from Feb. 17-Feb. 23. It is the 25th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2019-20 season.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justin Graham, St. John Fisher, Sr., INF, Orlando, FL/Webster Schroeder
Graham went 4-for-9 on the weekend as the Cardinals opened up their season with a sweep of No. 14 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on Saturday. Of Graham's four hits, three went for extra bases as the shortstop accounted for two doubles and a home run on the week to go along with three RBI and three runs scored. Graham slugged 1.000 overall and carried a .500 on-base percentage. In the opening game of the doubleheader, Graham was 3-for-6 with a double, a homer and three RBI before going 1-for-3 with a walk a double and a run scored.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Zach Williamson, Elmira, RHP, Sr., Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Williamson earned his first collegiate win and guided Elmira to its first victory of 2020 over Bates. He pitched a career-high 8.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) for a team-low 2.25 earned run average through the first week of the season, while striking out four batters against just two walks.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Brian Norsen, St. John Fisher, Fr., INF, Hamburg, NY/Frontier
Norsen burst onto the collegiate scene over the weekend as the Cardinals kicked off their season with a sweep of No. 14 Johns Hopkins on Saturday in Baltimore. Norsen combined to go 4-for-9 (.444) in both games to go along with a homer, three RBI and a run scored. He slugged .778 overall and drew one walk. Norsen drew a walk in his collegiate debut before exploding with a 4-for-6 effort with a homerun and three RBI in a come-from-behind win.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kyle Bradshaw, Hartwick, Sr., F, Tinton Falls, NJ/Mansaquan
Bradshaw erupted for a career-high 33 points in his final collegiate game on Saturday in an 86-66 victory over Elmira. He started strong in the first half as he hit 7-of-11 from the floor with three treys to lead all scorers with 19 at the break. Bradshaw would end up 11-of-18 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range to go along with six rebounds, two steals, and a block in the victory.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Justice Brantley, Utica, Fr., G, Catskill, NY/Catskill
Brantley averaged 13.5 points per game for the Pioneers as they split their final two regular season games. In Tuesday's previously rescheduled game against Houghton, he had nine points, five assists, and two steals in a Utica win. In Saturday's loss to Sage, he was 7-of-15 from the field and finished with a team-high 18 points in his first career start. He also added an assist and five rebounds in the weekend's efforts.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ella Eckert, St. John Fisher, So., F, East Amherst, NY/Clarence
Eckert posted her ninth double-double of the season on Saturday as the Cardinals defeated Nazareth College in the team's regular season finale. Eckert posted 18 points, 15 rebounds and also handed out five assists in the win. The sophomore forward hauled down seven offensive rebounds in the win and also came away with two steals on the defensive end of the floor for her second E8 weekly accolade of 2019-20.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Ana Ion, Alfred, Fr., G, Bucharest, Romania/Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Ion led the Saxons to a 64-60 win over Houghton in the season finale on Saturday. This is the first time since the 2001-02 season that Alfred University won three Empire 8 league games in a row. Ion led four Saxons in double-digit scoring as she scored 16 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Ion, a five-time E8 Rookie of the Week in 2019-20, finished the season with 18 double-digit point efforts.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Josh Tomaka, Nazareth, So., Middle Distance, Vestal, NY/Vestal
Tomaka recorded a career-best in the mile (4:26.59) as he placed second at the Conference Tune-up Meet at Nazareth on Friday. He was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay that finished in 3:49.29.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Antwan Kelly, Utica, Fr., Throws, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Kelly had his second best performance of the year men in the weight throw, as his mark of 15.55 meters held up for a fourth place finish and top mark among E8 athletes at the Conference Tune-Up Meet held at Nazareth on Friday.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – McKenna Cone, St. John Fisher, Fr., Hurdles/Jumps, LeRoy, NY/LeRoy
Cone set a new personal-best in the 60-meter hurdles at the Conference Tune-Up at Nazareth on Friday. Her time of 9.73 seconds ranks second the conference.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Madison Palmer, Alfred, So., Throws, East Aurora, NY/East Aurora
Palmer finished seventh in the shot put at the Conference Tune-Up Invitational at Nazareth on Friday with a throw of 11.42 meters while placing ninth in the weight throw with a toss of 14.13 meters. It is her second E8 weekly honor of 2019-20.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ian Evans, St. John Fisher, So., A, Lafayette, NY/Lafayette
Evans scored a career-high six goals on seven shots to lead the No. 14 Cardinals to a 18-13 season-opening win over Ithaca at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus in Victor on Saturday. All of his six shots on goal found the back of the net while he also picked up two ground balls.
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK – Eric Almquist, Nazareth, So., GK, Wakefield, MA/Malden Catholic
Almquist made 13 saves as Nazareth opened the season with a 14-10 win over Springfield. He was especially stout in the second half, making seven saves, while helping limit Springfield to just a pair of goals, as Nazareth out-scored the Pride, 6-2 over the final 30 minutes.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Rachael Goetz, Elmira, Sr., A, Lake View, NY/Frontier
Goetz was outstanding as the Soaring Eagles opened the season with a 1-1 record during a trek to Texas. She tallied a team-high 10 goals, picked up a team-best seven ground balls and won nine draw controls. Goetz also went 3-for-5 on her free position opportunities. After supplying two goals in the season opener against Southwestern, Goetz came alive in Elmira's 19-7 win over Dallas. The senior matched her career-best with eight goals and scooped up six ground balls.
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK – Alex Cox, Elmira, Fr., GK, Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan
Cox came on in relief Wednesday and excelled in Elmira’s 19-7 win over Dallas, making five saves, while allowing just one goal over the final 33 minutes of play. She stopped all five shots on the goal that she faced without allowing a goal in the second half of play.
MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
CO-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – John Koch, Nazareth, Jr., Butterfly/IM, Ithaca, NY/Lansing
Koch was named Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Swimmer of the Meet at the 2020 Empire 8/Allegheny Empire Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center last week. Koch won the 200-yard individual medley (1:53.87), 400-yard individual medley (4:08.11), 200-yard butterfly (1:53.38), and was also part of the winning 200-yard medley (1:33.07), 400-yard medley (3:26.07) and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:01.86) teams.
CO-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Sidney Taylor, Nazareth, Jr., Diver, Rochester, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Taylor was named Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Diver of the Meet at the 2020 Empire 8/Allegheny Empire Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center last week. He won both diving events, the 3-meter with a score of 487.30 and 1-meter championship, recording 473.80 points.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
TRI-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Abby Miller, Hartwick, Sr., Freestyle, Oneonta, NY/Oneonta
Miller was named 2020 Empire 8 Female co-Swimmer of the Meet at the 2020 Empire 8 Swimming and Diving Championships last week at the Webster Aquatic Center. Miller won the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.66), 500-yard freestyle (5:11.06), 1,650-yard freestyle (18:02.47), and was a member of the winning 800-yard freestyle relay (7:54.23), as Hartwick earned runner-up honors.
TRI-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Abigail Santos, Nazareth, Fr., Butterfly/IM, Gardiner, NY/New Paltz
Santos was named Empire 8 co-Swimmer and Rookie of the Meet honors and earned Allegheny Empire Swimmer and Rookie of the Meet honors in leading Nazareth to its third straight league title at the 2020 Empire 8/Allegheny Empire Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center last week. She won the 100-yard butterfly (:57.00), 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.68), 200-yard individual medley (2:08.64) and was part of the winning 200-yard freestyle (1:36.07), 400-yard freestyle (3:32.24) and 200-yard medley relay (1:47.05) squads.
TRI-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Allie Norwood, Nazareth, So., Diver, Lockport, NY/Lockport
Norwood was named Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Diver of the Meet at the 2020 Empire 8/Allegheny Empire Swimming and Diving Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center last week. She earned her second consecutive Empire 8 Diver of the Meet accolade after winning both the 1-meter (438.45) and 3-meter diving events (470.95) in helping lead Nazareth to its third straight E8 Championship.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher, So., OH, Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Bigford hit .433 with 41 kills and 45.5 points in two games last weekend. He set a new career-high with 27 kills on Friday at No. 5 Vassar while also tallying six digs and four total blocks. Bigford followed that up by hitting a season-high .545 at Sage with 14 kills, three digs and two blocks in the straight-set win over the Gators on Saturday. Bigford is second among all UVC student-athletes in kills per set (3.93) and points per set (4.51) this season. It is Bigford’s third E8 weekly honor of 2020.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Matt Beiter, St. John Fisher, Fr., OH, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Beiter had six kills, three aces, two total blocks and seven digs for the No. 14 Cardinals in a straight-sets win at Sage on Saturday. He also had one ace and three digs at No. 5 Vassar on Friday. It is Beiter’s second E8 Rookie of the Week accolade in 2020.
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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