General | 3/22/2021 2:06:44 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 22, 2021 for games played from March 15-March 21. It is the fourth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2020-21 season.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Adam Zebrowski, Jr., C, Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Zebrowski collected eight hits last week over three wins as the Cardinals blanked Alfred State on Wednesday before finishing off the week with a non-conference sweep of Rochester to remain unbeaten on the season. The catcher was 8-for-11 (.727) at the plate with a double, three runs, four RBI and a walk. Against the Pioneers, Zebrowski was 2-for-3 with an RBI, one run scored and a walk before going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a sac fly in the opener against Rochester. He closed out the week with three more hits in five at-bats including a double and an RBI.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Hunter Kendall, Houghton, So., P, Gillett, PA/Troy
Kendall was an ace for the Highlanders in his outing on Saturday against Alfred State. In seven innings of work, Kendall surrendered just three hits and one earned run while striking out eight and earning the complete-game win for Houghton.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – James Murphy, St. John Fisher, Fr., INF, Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna
Murphy batted .500 last week, helping lead the Cardinals to three wins overall including a 10-0 victory Alfred State and a sweep on Rochester. Overall, Murphy was 5-for-10 with a double, a triple, four RBI, six runs scored and a walk as the Cardinals remained unbeaten on the season. Against Alfred State, Murphy was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs and a pair of RBI before adding two more hits in three at bats including a double, two RBI and three runs in the opener against the Yellowjackets on Sunday.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jillian Cortez, Elmira, So., P, Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Cortez excelled in Saturday's season-opening doubleheader vs. Alfred State with an .800 batting average (4-for-5), with three of her hits going for extra bases (two doubles and a home run), while slugging a team-high 1.800 with a 2.633 OPS to go along with five RBIs. She also threw three innings with four strikeouts and a team-low .241 batting average against. After going 2-for-2 with three RBI in the opener, Cortez slugged a double, home run and stole a base in the nightcap.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Emily Trotman, St. John Fisher, Sr., P, East Amherst, NY/Mount St. Mary Academy
Trotman was a force in the circle for the No. 11 Cardinals last week as Fisher took both ends of a doubleheader against visiting Buffalo State. Trotman started in the circle for the opener and threw a complete-game as the senior allowed just one unearned run on five hits to go along with five strikeouts. Trotman helped her own cause after going 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run, RBI and three runs scored in the Cardinals' 9-1 five-inning victory. She finished the week with a 2.000 slugging percentage and a perfect on-base percentage.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Daniel Cook, St. John Fisher, So., F, Honeoye Falls, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Cook averaged a double-double last week as the Cardinals remained unbeaten in Empire 8 play after picking up wins over Nazareth, Utica and Alfred. Over three games, Cook averaged 25.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 25-for-41 (.610) from the floor and 23-of-27 from the free throw line (.852). Against Nazareth, Cook finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds on 9-for-13 shooting before scoring a career-high 36 points that including 16-of-18 free throw attempts in a win at Utica. Cook finished the week with 18 points and 10 boards in a win over Alfred.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Jajuan Preaster, Houghton, Fr., F, Orlando, FL/Central Florida Christian
Jajuan Preaster averaged 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals for the Highlanders as they went 1-1 on the week. He scored 11 points and added five boards versus Nazareth and pulled down a season-high seven rebounds in a victory over Elmira.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jadyn Abrams, Nazareth, Jr., G/F, Bath, NY/Haverling
Abrams averaged over 20 points per game in a 3-0 week for the Golden Flyers. On Sunday, Abrams scored 31 points and 12 rebounds in a come-from-behind 78-70 win at Sage. She also had 13 points in a road win over St. John Fisher and 17 points in the home win over Sage Friday. It is her second straight E8 weekly accolade
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Claire Kruszka, St. John Fisher, Fr., G, Lake View, NY/Frontier
Kruszka helped lead the Cardinals to a 2-1 record last week, including back-to-back 90-plus point performances. Kruszka averaged 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2,0 steals per game while burying nine 3-pointers on the week. Against Nazareth, Kruszka finished with a career-high 21 points, six rebounds and four steals before adding 10 points in a win over Medaille on Thursday. She closed out the week with her first-career double-double at Alfred with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Garrette Briggs, Alfred, Sr., F/O, Horseheads, NY/Horseheads
Briggs won 16-of-18 faceoffs on Saturday to help the Saxons top The College at Brockport on Saturday. He also led all the players on Saturday with 10 ground balls, seven more than any other player.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Josef Korpics, Utica, So., GK, Center Valley, PA/Moravian
Korpics was excellent in goal for the Pioneers, stopping 28 of 40 shots for a sensational .700 save percentage to go along with a 6.00 goals against average. Korpics turned aside 16 of 22 shots to help Utica to a 13-6 win over Castleton on Wednesday. He made another 12 saves in a 9-6 win over New Paltz on Friday.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brittany Halpin, St. John Fisher, Jr., M, Syracuse, NY/Liverpool
Halpin helped lead the No. 11 Cardinals to a pair of wins last week including a 7-6 triumph over No. 17 William Smith and an Empire 8 victory over Utica. Halpin combined to scored five goals and assisted on two others while taking 14 shots on the week. Against Utica, Halpin scored a pair and assisted on two others before scoring three goals in Fisher's win over the Herons. Her second goal broke a 5-5 tie while her third proved to be the game-winning tally.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Alyssa Piechota, Alfred, Fr., GK, Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Piechota picked up her first collegiate win as she faced 22 shots (15 on goal) and stopped 10 from finding the back of the net in Alfred’s 10-5 win over Wells. She also picked up a game-high six ground balls.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ellen Lyga, Utica, Fr., New Hartford, NY/Utica Notre Dame
Lyga was a perfect 4-0 across singles and doubles competition on Saturday in helping Utica to a pair of shutout 9-0 team wins over Hartwick and Alfred. In the Hartwick match, she won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles before teaming up with Ellen Collie in an 8-2 win at first doubles. Against Alfred, she recorded an 8-0 singles win before teaming with Collie again to post an 8-1 win at first doubles. Lyga is 4-1 in singles this year, and 4-1 in doubles play.
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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