General | 1/31/2022 1:00:42 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on January 31, 2022, for games played from January 24-January 30. It is the 20th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2021-22 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s volleyball.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Rashaad Nurse, Elmira, Sr., F, Queens, NY/Fallsburg
Nurse helped the Soaring Eagles to a 2-1 record last week, while averaging 21.3 points per game on 59.5 percent shooting to go along with 10.7 rebounds and two blocks, while averaging 31.6 minutes per contest. In Saturday's loss to Keuka on the road, Nurse scored 33 points while grabbing 17 rebounds, both career-highs.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Bryan Adams, Elmira, Fr., G, Bronx, NY/The Gunnery School
Adams averaged 26.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game in a 2-1 week for the Soaring Eagles, while shooting 52 percent from the floor. Adams put together a 28-point, seven-rebound effort against Keuka on Tuesday before scoring 30 points at home against Houghton on Friday. It is Adams’ fourth E8 Rookie of the Week honor this season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Miyah Sizer, Nazareth, Sr., G, Rochester, NY/Brighton
Sizer led Nazareth with 17.5 points, 5.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game for the Golden Flyers last week. She tallied 16 points and seven assists in a win over Alfred Friday and added 19 points and three assists at No. 23 St. John Fisher in a battle of the beaks Saturday afternoon. It is Sizer’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Desiree Roy, Elmira, Fr., F, Stafford, VA/North Stafford
Roy averaged 14.5 points and 12 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and averaging 37 minutes per game in a pair of wins for Elmira. Roy recorded her eighth double-double of the season on Saturday when she exploded for 15 points and 15 rebounds against Keuka. She added 14 points and nine boards in a win over Houghton Friday. It is Roy’s second weekly honor of the season.
CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Sidney Tomasso, St. John Fisher, Fr., G, Waverly, NY/Waverly
Tomasso produced two career highs last week as the No. 23 Cardinals went 2-1 overall including two more wins in league play. Tomasso averaged nearly 12 points and four rebounds while shooting 15-of-33 as the Cardinals fell to Ithaca before defeating Keuka and Nazareth. Tomasso produced a career-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds in a win at Keuka on Friday before exploding for a career and game-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting in a hard-fought win over Nazareth on Saturday. It is Tomasso’s third straight E8 Rookie of the Week honor.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Connor McCauslin, Nazareth, Jr., Sprints/Hurdles, Albany, NY/Colonie
McCauslin placed sixth in the 60-meter dash prelims with a time of 7.30 second and then took seventh in the finals with a time of 7.29 in a very competitive Conference Challenge Cup meet at Nazareth on Saturday. He was also fourth in the 60-meter hurdles prelims with a time of 8.59 and then was third in the final with a time of 8.50 seconds, which moves him into the top-50 nationally.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Josh Pomerleau, Nazareth, Sr., Pole Vault, Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder
Pomerleau equaled his career-best and school-record height of 4.40 meters (14' 5 1/4") as he finished sixth overall at Nazareth’s Conference Challenge Cup meet Saturday. He is tied for 49th nationally in the event.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
CO-TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ciarra Franz, St. John Fisher, Fr., Sprints,
Franz excelled at Saturday's Conference Challenge at Nazareth in each of the short sprints. In the 60-meter dash, Franz placed seventh overall in the first round with a time of 8.18 seconds but saved her afterburners for the hurdles. Franz surpassed the AARTFC qualifying mark in the preliminary round of the 60-meter hurdles, running a personal best time of 9.27 seconds, then turned around to run a 9.29 second final round to finish third overall. She currently has the 31st best time in Division III in the 60-meter hurdles.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Lea Richard, Nazareth, So., Throws, Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls
Richard set Nazareth’s school record in the weight throw on her second toss of 15.49 meters, (50' 10") beating her previous best and school record by more than a foot (49' 7" was the previous mark) at Saturday's Conference Challenge. She also took 10th in the shot put with a toss of 10.39 meters. Richard currently has the 33rd best weight throw in Division III this season.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Michael Schultz, Hartwick, So., Freestyle, Individual Medley/Freestyle/Butterfly, Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley
Schultz finished first in the 200-yard butterfly, winning by just under six seconds in a time of 1:57.83, while placing first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:00.37 on Saturday. He was also second in the 100-fly (52.91) and helped lead Hartwick to a runner-up effort in the 200-yard medley relay in the final regular season meet versus Stevens. It is Schultz’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Taylor Robey, Nazareth, Gr., Freestyle, Hurley, NY/Kingston
Robey broke her own school records in both the 50-yard freestyle (25.69) and the 100-yard freestyle (57.34) in winning both events easily, leading Nazareth to a dual meet win over Penn State Behrend Saturday. She also swam in the winning 200-yard medley relay (2:05.30) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (4:09.94). It is Robey’s third E8 weekly accolade of the 2021-22 season.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Wickens, Nazareth, So., OH/S, Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Wickens led Nazareth with 12 kills, while hitting .417 in a three-set win over Misericordia Sunday. He also added one service ace, two digs and three blocks for his second E8 weekly accolade of the 2022 season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Alberto Mauricio, Elmira, Fr., OH/RS. San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic/Liceo Gaston Fernando Deligne
Mauricio helped the Soaring Eagles to a 1-1 record after recording 17 kills 14 digs, three service aces, and two total blocks for a total of 21.0 points. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season. He hit .500 with 11 kills, five digs and two service aces in a four-set win over Thiel on Sunday.
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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