General | 3/29/2021 2:07:54 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 29, 2021 for games played from March 22-March 28. It is the fourth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2020-21 season.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sean Vanegas, Utica, Sr., OF, Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael
Vanegas was brilliant offensively over the three games he played in helping the Pioneers take three out of four games from Houghton during the past week. He was 4-of-9 with five runs scored and three RBI, while the Pioneers won all three games he played in. He also totaled four bases on balls, a hit by pitch, and a stolen base.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Taber Carter, Elmira, Sr., Hannibal, NY/Hannibal
Carter pitched a complete-game gem to lead Elmira to its first win of the season over SUNY Canton on Saturday. Carter tossed his third career complete game and first shutout, while scattering four hits and one walk across 7.0 innings. He struck out three batters and needed just 94 pitches. Carter's shutout was the first for the Soaring Eagles since blanking Medaille on May 5, 2018.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Ryan Cardone, Utica, Fr., IF/P, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Cardone turned in an excellent two-way performance in aiding Utica to three wins in four games over Houghton. He scored three runs to help the Utica offense. He also threw two innings of relief in a Saturday road win at Houghton, allowing two runs on two hits.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Paul, Utica, Jr., U, Albany, NY/Guilderland
Paul was an offensive dynamo as she went 6-of-13 at the plate with a pair of home runs, while slugging 1.077 to lead lead Utica to a 3-1 start. In Thursday's doubleheader with Morrisville, she was 2-for-6 with a homer, double and two runs scored along with two RBI. In Saturday's split with SUNY Poly, Paul went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and four RBI in game one and finished 1-for-2 in game two with a run scored.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jessica Wilcox, Alfred, Gr., P, Forestville NY/Pine Valley
Wilcox won three games on the mound and struck out 34 batters and did not walk a batter in 20 innings, while allowing just 12 hits for the Saxons. In addition, Wilcox tied the all-time Alfred University record with 39 pitching wins after Saturday’s victory over Buffalo State. She also tied her very own single-game strikeouts record with 14 against No. 22 SUNY Geneseo. It was the third time she has earned 14 strikeouts in a single game as she did that against St. John Fisher in 2019 and Sage in 2018.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Daniel Cook, St. John Fisher, So., F, Honeoye Falls, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Cook posted three double-doubles last week and nearly broke Fisher's single game scoring record as the Cardinals went 3-0 to remain in first place. Over three games, Cook averaged 26.0 points and 15.0 rebounds while shooting 27-of-45 (.600) from the floor and 23-for-28 (.821) from the free throw line. Cook scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 17 rebounds against Houghton on Wednesday. His output was just two points shy of tying the Cardinals' single game mark and was the most points scored in a game for Fisher since 2011. Cook followed up that performance with 24 points and 13 rebounds against Keuka before closing out the week with 16 points and 15 more rebounds on Friday in a rematch with the Wolves. It is Cook’s second straight weekly accolade.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Brijon Warren, Houghton, Fr., G, Phoenix, AZ/Imagine Prep
Warren averaged 10.5 points per game on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting from the field including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc in a pair of games during the week. Warren also went 4-for-5 from the free throw line and added an average of 3.0 rebounds per game, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game for the Highlanders. It is his second weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Madasyn Bush, Russell Sage, Sr., F, Pottersville, NY/North Warren Central
Bush enjoyed a banner senior night contest in the win over Keuka Friday night, scoring 21 points and adding 14 rebounds for the double-double. She shot 57.1% from the floor and was 5-for-6 from the foul line with two assists.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ian Evans, St. John Fisher, Jr., A, Lafayette, NY/Lafayette
Evans combined to score nine goals and assisted on another as the Cardinals went 1-1 on the week against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents. Against the top-ranked RIT Tigers, Evans finished with four goals on 11 shots to go along with two ground balls and a caused turnover in a 16-15 loss Wednenday, before adding a game-high five goals and an assist on 12 shots in a 17-9 win over No. 18 Ithaca. Evans also finished with 12 shots, three ground balls and a caused turnover.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Scott Kimiecik, Alfred, Jr., GK, Randolph, NJ/Randolph
Kimiecik picked up his third win in a row with a season-high save percentage of .778 as the Saxons topped Russell Sage College at home on Wednesday. He faced 18 shots with half of them on target, stopping seven and only allowing two to find the back of the net. Kimiecik also had one caused turnover and one ground ball on the day in his 45 minutes of play.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Ferguson, Elmira, Fr., A, Waterloo, NY/Waterloo
Ferguson tallied a career-high 10 points on five goals and five assists, as Elmira improved to 2-1 with a 17-3 win at Wells. She scored five goals in a game for the third straight contest. Ferguson’s 10 points are the most by a Soaring Eagle in a game in five years.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Alyssa Piechota, Alfred, Fr., GK, Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Piechota broke an Alfred University school record and tied another versus Russell Sage last week. Piechota broke the Alfred University school record for single game ground balls on the exact date it was set by Leigh McKinly by picking up 13 of her own. Piechota also tied the school’s single game saves record of 24, as she faced 46 shots on the day with 39 on goal. Piechota also caused a collegiate career-high of three turnovers on the day.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ben McKay, Houghton, Sr., Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley
McKay picked up a singles victory against Division II Daemen College by scores of 7-5 (11-9), 6-3 for his first win as a lineup player for Houghton.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jade Killikelly, Hartwick, Fr., Jamaica, NY/The Mary Louis Academy
Killikelly won all four of her matches Saturday to help Hartwick clinch an Empire 8 playoff berth. She won an 8-0 match at first singles against Alfred and teamed with Victoria Wilson for an 8-6 victory at first doubles. She then scored an 8-5 singles win over Houghton and combined with Wilson in doubles, also by a count of 8-5.
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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