Women's Volleyball | 9/13/2021 12:58:34 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on September 13, 2021, for games played from September 6-September 12. It is the second Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2021-22 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Dave Russo, Houghton, Sr., Depew, NY/Depew
Russo finished second overall at the Daemen Duels Invitational. His time of 28:55 for the 8,000-meter race was the fastest of the year in the E8 over that distance to date and helped the Highlanders to a first place finish in the event that included Daemen, D'Youville, and Erie Community College.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Claire Bargabos, Nazareth, Sr., Manlius, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Bargabos finished 11th overall at the Hamilton Short Course event with a time of 15:28.1 over the 4,000-meter course, which was a career-best and shaved nearly 40 seconds off her previous best time.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Scaccia, Utica, Gr., F, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Scaccia had a five-point outing, scoring two goals while adding an assist to help the Pioneers to a 6-3 win over Washington & Jefferson in the Empire 8 Conference opener on Saturday. She assisted on Utica’s opening goal 2:05 into the contest and scored the game-winning goal that gave Utica a 4-2 lead just 23 seconds into the third quarter and tallied Utica’s fifth goal later in the frame.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sofia Gildemeister, Houghton, Sr., GK, Houghton, NY/Cuba=-Rushford
Gildemeister saw 11 penalty corners and made eight keys saves in Houghton’s 4-1 conference win on Saturday over Keuka. She helped Houghton maintain its lead during an extremely dangerous third quarter in which Keuka attempted 10 shots. Gildemeister also made seven saves on Tuesday versus Morrisville.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brees Segala, Cortland, Sr., QB, Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Segala completed 21-of-30 passes for a career-high 326 yards and four touchdowns in just three quarters of action in Cortland's 49-6 win at The College of New Jersey Saturday. His first three TD passes, covering 10, 25 and four yards, came in the second quarter and turned a 6-0 deficit into a 21-6 halftime lead. He added a 7-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to extend the lead to 35-6. Segala is now a two-time Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week in 2021 and has six passing touchdowns, 559 yards and a 179.2 efficiency rating this season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Anthony Manna, St. John Fisher, Sr., DB, Towaco, NY/Montville Township
Manna recorded the defensive hat-trick in the Cardinals' 38-7 victory over Framingham State on Saturday with an interception, sack, and fumble recovery, which went for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Manna scooped a botched snap and sped 39 yards into the opponent's end zone to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead. He also recorded five tackles in the contest to cap off his impressive day.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justin Wheeler, Cortland, Sr., LB, Binghamton, NY/Susquehanna Valley
Wheeler led Cortland with 12 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the Red Dragons' 49-6 win at The College of New Jersey Saturday. Three of his tackles were for a total of 14 lost yards, including one sack. Cortland held the Lions to 165 yards of total offense, including just 38 rushing yards on 32 attempts.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Toure Hall, Morrisville, Jr., WR/KR, Stratford, CT/Stratford
Hall led Morrisville's efforts Saturday in the return game against Hobart, returning a total four kicks for 104 yards, an average of 26 yards per return. His longest return of the day was a 37-yard scramble.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Stuart Phair, Russell Sage, Sr., Canberra, Australia/Trinity Christian
Phair earned his second straight Empire 8 weekly honor, tying the best 18-hole round of his collegiate career, shooting a five over par 77 to finish second overall at the Russell Sage Invitational Saturday. He led the Gators to Russell Sage Invitational team title.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kalum Holbrook, Alfred, Sr., F, Atlanta, NY/Wayland-Cohocton
Holbrook came off the bench to score a hat-trick and add an assist in just 29 minutes of play in Sunday’s 8-0 win over SUNY Cobleskill. He assisted on a goal by Justin Eaton, scored a goal from a William Moore assist, tucked in another one from an Alexander Teijeira pass and cleared the hat-trick with a penalty kick in just under 20 minutes of action. The three goals were scored in a span of 6:14.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jodi Johnson, Hartwick, So., GK, Seaford, DE/Sussex Technical
Johnson conceded just one goal over three games last week, backstopping the Hawks to a 2-0-1 record. He made one save in Hartwick’s 3-0 midweek win over Bard, stopped two more shots in Saturday's 1-0 Mayor Cup opener victory against St. Lawrence, and then made three saves in Sunday's 1-1 draw vs. Clarkson in the Mayor's Cup finale. Johnson was named to the All-Tournament team for his performance.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kayla Silverstein, Alfred, Fr., F/M, North Chili, NY/Churchville-Chili
Silverstein helped the Saxons go 2-0 on the week with wins over SUNY Brockport and King’s College (PA). She totaled two goals and one assist on the week. Her first goal opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over the Golden Eagles Wednesday, as she finished with two shots on goal in the game. In the Saxons’ home-opener Saturday, she fired one shot for the third goal of the game while assisting on the first, all in the second half of the 3-1 win over the Monarchs.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jacey Palmgreen, Alfred, So., D, Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia
Palmgreen played every minute during the week, helping the Saxons pick up two non-conference wins over SUNY Brockport and King’s College. On Wednesday, she helped the Saxons defeat the Brockport, 3-2, recording an assist on the second goal of the game. On Saturday, in the Saxons’ home-opener, Palmgreen and the defense kept the Monarchs to only six shots (three on goal) and only one goal. She was credited with the game-winning goal in the 64th minute of play when a ball rolled back to her, giving her time to prep for the 35-yard boot to find the upper left corner of the net.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Aliya Guzman, Nazareth, So., Penfield, NY/Fairport
Guzman continued her undefeated dual record for her career as she went 2-0 in the Empire 8 opener at Alfred Saturday. Guzman paired with freshman Claire Pullen for an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles and then won her No. 1 singles match in convincing fashion, 6-0, 6-0. Guzman is now 10-0 in singles and 10-0 in doubles in regular season duals for her career.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kurstan Martin, Utica, Sr., OH, Owego, NY/Tioga
Martin led all Utica players with 38 kills over three matches last week while also finishing with 31 digs and six service aces in addition to a .196 hitting percentage. Martin recorded a season-high 15 kills on a .359 hitting percentage to go along with four service aces and an assisted block for a 19.5-point performance against MCLA on Saturday afternoon. She added 14 digs and 11 kills in a win over Norwich and 12 kills versus Delhi.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Tessa Grover, Nazareth, Fr., S/RS, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Grover finished the three-match Brockport Invitational with 30 kills, 37 assists, 18 digs and 12 blocks for the Golden Flyers. Her 18 kills and 10 blocks against Thiel were career highs. She just missed a quadruple-double in that match, adding 18 kills and nine digs. The 10 blocks in a match are tied for seventh on the Nazareth single-match record list. It is her second straight E8 Rookie of the Week honor of the season.
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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