General | 4/5/2021 2:06:12 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 5, 2021 for games played from March 29-April 4. It is the eighth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2020-21 season.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Noah Campanelli, St. John Fisher, So., INF, Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Campanelli batted .643 as the Cardinals picked up three wins, including a sweep of Keuka College to open Empire 8 play. Campanelli was 9-for-14 on the week with four doubles, 7 RBI, 11 runs scored, three walks and a pair of stolen bases. Against RIT on Wednesday, Campanelli was 2-for-5 at the plate with a double, an RBI and two runs scored before adding two more hits in three at-bats with four RBI and four runs in a 17-0 win over Keuka. He closed out the week with a 5-for-6 performance that including two doubles, two RBI and a team-leading five runs scored in a second win over Keuka Saturday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Anthony Brophy, St. John Fisher, Gr., P, North Tonawanda, NY/St. Joseph’s Collegiate
Brophy made two appearances on the hill last week and moved to 3-0 on the season as the Cardinals defeated RIT on Wednesday before sweeping Keuka in an Empire 8 doubleheader on Saturday. Brophy combined to allow just five hits over 7.0 innings as he did not allow a run on the week. Against RIT on Wednesday, Brophy came on in relief and threw a scoreless inning before starting the opening game at Keuka on Saturday where he scattered just four hits over 6.0 innings and finished with eight strikeouts in a shutout win.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Arianna Papas, Russell Sage, Jr., CF, Castleton, NY/Maple Hill
Papas batted .900 and was 9-for-10 at the plate with a double, six runs scored, and three runs batted in, leading Russell Sage to two dramatic walk-off wins over Utica Saturday. She was also perfect defensively with 6 putouts and had a 1.000 slugging % and a .900 on-base percentage to lead the Gators to a 2-0 start in Empire 8 play. Papas was 4-for-4 in the opener and 5-for-6 with two RBI in the nightcap. She scored three times in each contest.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Whitney Tyler, Keuka, Sr., P, Meshoppen, PA/Elk Lake
Tyler tied a career-high with eight strikeouts and earned her seventh complete-game shutout, in leading Keuka to a 4-0 win over against Elmira Saturday. Tyler scattered just two hits and faced just four batters over the minimum.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Daniel Cook, St. John Fisher, So., F, Honeoye Falls, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Cook posted his ninth double-double of the year, as Fisher completed an unbeaten conference schedule behind an 81-74 victory over Nazareth Thursday. Cook finished with a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds. The forward was 12-of-15 from the floor and was perfect at the stripe after making all four shots. Cook added two blocks in the win. It is Cook’s third straight E8 weekly accolade.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Walker, St. John Fisher, So., F, Camillus, NY/West Genesee
Walker helped lead the Cardinals to a 90-65 win over visiting Alfred University on Wednesday. Walker was 10-for-12 from the floor and finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds in just 21 minutes.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Leah Harkenrider, Alfred, Fr., G, Hornell, NY/Hornell
Harkenrider was 5-of-8 from the 3-point arc and perfect at the free throw line in a 17-point effort at St. John Fisher Wednesday. She also had three steals for another collegiate best. Earlier in the week, Harkenrider scored six points and pulled down two rebounds versus Nazareth earlier in the week. Both of her buckets were 3-pointers as 20 of her 22 field goals made this season have been from 3-point land.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Nicholas Miller, St. John Fisher, Sr., A, Ithaca, NY/Ithaca
Miller became the program's all-time leading scorer with 225 career points. He finished the week with 10 points including eight goals and a pair of assists as No. 14 Fisher went 2-0 on the week with wins over Keuka and Nazareth. Against the Wolves, Miller finished with four goals and a helper to go along with two caused turnovers before adding four more goals and another assist in a 17-6 win over Nazareth on Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Josef Korpics, Utica, So., GK, Center Valley, PA/Moravian
Korpics was on the winning end of the goaltending decision in Saturday's conference win over Keuka. In 52 minutes of play, he stopped 11 of the 18 shots he faced while the Pioneers built a big lead in a 16-9 win for his second E8 Goalie of the Week honor in 2021.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lexi Scaccia, Utica, Jr., A, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Scaccia enjoyed a brilliant performance as the Pioneers topped SUNY Canton in a non-conference game by a 16-3 score on Friday. She had nine points on six goals and three assists, while also scooping five ground balls and causing three turnovers. During the game, she recorded her 100th career point.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Alex Cox, Elmira, So., GK, Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan
Cox improved to 3-0 on the season in goal, helping Elmira secure a 13-7 win at Houghton on Wednesday. Cox played a season-high 43:39 between the posts, before playing the remaining minutes in the field. She allowed just five goals and made a season-high 12 saves, tying her career-high, while causing one turnover.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brooke Murphy, Nazareth, Gr., Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Murphy won all four of her matches en route to being named 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Player. On Thursday, Murphy won a tough, three-set match at second singles versus Houghton and teamed with Aliya Guzman to earn an 8-6 victory at first doubles, as Nazareth recorded an 8-1 win in the semifinals. On Saturday, Murphy and Guzman opened the day with an 8-2 win at first doubles and Murphy earned a key point with another three-set win at second singles, as Nazareth won the E8 Championship, 6-3 over St. John Fisher. Murphy is 7-1 in singles and 8-0 in doubles with Guzman this season.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Connor McCauslin, Nazareth, So., Sprints, Albany, NY/Colonie
McCauslin set Nazareth’s school record in the 110-meter hurdles as he won the event at the season-opening Geneseo Invitational with a time of 15.05 Saturday. He shattered the previous school of 15.48, which was set in 2016. He was also fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.49.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Joe Jerkovich, St. John Fisher, Jr., Throws, Jupiter, FL/Jupiter
Jerkovich had a career day as he broke the nearly seven-year program record in the javelin throw by over three meters at the SUNY Geneseo Invitational Saturday. Jerkovich's throw of 51.18 meters not only won him a first-place finish in the event, but also brought his name to within the national top-40 in the event. He also smashed his career best in the hammer throw after reaching a mark of 38.90 meters.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brenna Johnson, Nazareth, Jr., Sprints, Cortland, NY/Homer
Johnson laced second in both the 100-and 200-meter dash events at the Geneseo Invitational Saturday. She set personal records in both events, crossing the finish line in a time of 12.72 in the 100-meters and 26.40 in the 200-meters.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jordan Lehman, St. John Fisher, Sr., Port Leyden, NY/South Lewis
Lehman posted a career-best pitch of 45.68 meters, which won her a first-place finish in the event at the Geneseo Invitational and puts her in the nation's top-40. She also won the Cardinals another nine points after placing second in the discus throw and sixth in the shot put Saturday.
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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