General | 10/24/2022 12:54:15 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 24, 2022, for games played from October 17-October 23. It is the eighth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Michael Roberts, Utica, So., Remsen, NY/Remsen
Roberts was Utica’s top finisher at the Hamilton College Tune-Up on Saturday afternoon. He placed 12th overall out of 117 runners in a time of 16:13.9 over the 5,000-meter course.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Gianna Welker, Utica, Fr., Rome, NY/Oriskany
Welker led the way for Utica as she placed 14th overall at the Hamilton College Tune-Up on Saturday. She recorded a time of 15:47.9 over the 4,000-meter course. It is her second E8 weekly honor of 2022.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Gagnon, Hartwick, Sr., F, Chestertown, NY/North Warren Central
Gagnon scored four of Hartwick's five goals on Saturday against Houghton to clinch the Regular Season title and top seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Postseason Tournament in a 5-1 win. She scored Hartwick’s first three goals in the opening half and added a fourth tally early in the fourth quarter. It is Gagnon’s second E8 weekly accolade of the 2022 season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lyla Cushman, Utica, So., GK, Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent
Cushman allowed one goal per game on a .584 save percentage in a 2-0 week for Utica. In the team's 2-1 over Russell Sage on Wednesday, Cushman stopped one of two shots faced while in the Pioneers' 7-1 over Medaille on Saturday, Cushman made two saves on three Medaille shots. It is her second straight E8 weekly honor of 2022.
FOOTBALL
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jaden Alfanostjohn, Cortland, So., RB, Westhampton, NY/Westhampton Beach
Alfanostjohn rushed 12 times for 162 yards (13.5 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in Cortland's 48-21 win at Utica in a battle of unbeaten teams Saturday. He scored on a 66-yard run early in the second quarter to put the Red Dragons ahead 14-0 and he scored on a 4-yard run on the opening drive of the third quarter to give Cortland a 41-7 lead. Alfanostjohn had a 41-yard run during that third-quarter drive. In addition, he caught two passes for 15 yards. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the 2022 season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Gino Fontanarosa, SUNY Brockport, So., KR/RB, Lewiston, NY/Lewiston Porter
Fontanarosa posted career-highs across the board with 38 carries, 246 yards, and four rushing touchdowns in Brockport's 35-14 win over Hartwick on Saturday. His longest run of the day was a 40-yard rush, as he averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Fontanarosa’s touchdowns came from distances of 34, 2, 2, and 4 yards in the victory. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of the season, as he earned Special Team honors last week.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Philemon Benjamin Jr., SUNY Morrisville, Sr., LB, Queens, NY/Springfield Gardens
Benjamin led the Mustang defensive unit to their second shutout victory of the season, a 36-0 win over Empire 8 foe Alfred University on Saturday. Benjamin registered nine total tackle with five solo stops, that included 2.5 tackles for a loss of four yards. In addition, he also recovered a fumble on a muffed punt return by Alfred that set up a Mustang score.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mailk Kelly, SUNY Brockport, Fr., DB, Bronx, NY/Capital Prep Harlem
Kelly was a key contributor in the Brockport secondary during the 35-14 win on the road over Hartwick Saturday. Kelly notched his first two career interceptions in the game. Included in his stat line was a 65-yard interception returned for a touchdown that put the game away in the fourth quarter. Kelly also totaled three tackles and three pass breakups for Brockport.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Cole, SUNY Morrisville, So., K, Maspeth, NY/St. Francis Prep
Cole contributed 12 points to the Morrisville shutout win over Alfred on Saturday, kicking three field goals and adding three point-after attempts. He registered field goals of 29- and 28-yards in the second quarter, before hitting a day long 36-yarder in the third. In addition to his scoring, Cole also averaged 59.7 yards per kickoff, recording three touchbacks in seven kicks.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justin Bonetto, St. John Fisher, Gr., M, Buffalo, NY/Williamsville North
Bonetto tallied one goal and two assists in a pair of crucial wins over league opponents that clinched an Empire 8 postseason berth. On Wednesday versus Houghton, Bonetto scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal in the 55th minute, before assisting St. John Fisher’s third goal of the afternoon 15 minutes later. On Saturday, he netted an assist in the 57th minute against Russell Sage that gave Fisher a 1-0 lead in an eventual 2-1 victory.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zachary Raffino, Elmira, Sr., GK, Bethlehem, PA/Freedom
Raffino helped the Soaring Eagles to a 1-0-1 record, including a win over Medaille that snapped a 13-game unbeaten streak to start the season. Raffino made a pair of key saves in the 2-1 win over Medaille. On Saturday, Raffino was able to make seven saves, allowing just one goal as Elmira tied Nazareth 1-1 in a crucial Empire 8 contest. It is Raffino’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Carson Smith, Keuka, Fr., GK, Horseheads, NY/Horseheads
Smith was tremendous in goal for the Wolves, stopping 22 shots in a 2-0 week. On Wednesday, Smith stopped all 15 shots he faced, as Keuka, who played a man down for the final 60 minutes of regulation, defeated Nazareth, 1-0. Smith also stopped a crucial penalty kick in the match that kept it scoreless. On Saturday, he added seven saves in Keuka’s 3-2 win over Utica that keeps them in the postseason chase.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Natalie Ricci, Russell Sage, Gr., F, Cohoes, NY/Cohoes
Ricci scored two goals in Saturday's win at league foe Medaille, as the Gators moved closer to securing an Empire 8 postseason berth.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Nevaeh Winston, Elmira, So., GK, Wilson, NY/Mount Saint Mary Academy
Winston was credited with Elmira's first conference win in net since the 2015 season on Saturday when she recorded a clean sheet, making 14 saves in Elmira’s 1-0 shutout victory over Keuka Saturday. She also lifted Elmira to a tie, a 1-1 draw against Medaille on Wednesday. Winston finished the week with 19 saves, lowering her goals against average from 2.03 to 1.76 while eclipsing 100 saves for the season.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Michael Schultz, Hartwick, Jr., Freestyle/Butterfly/Individual Medley, Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley
Schultz went 3-for-3 in his individual events over the weekend, winning the 200-yard individual medley, the 200-yard butterfly, and the 100-yard butterfly. He also helped the squad to a second place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Hartwick defeated all three teams that they hosted at their quad meet. It is his second straight E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth, Jr., Diving, Hamburg, NY/Hamburg
Tripp picked up where she left off last season with an impressive start to the season at Nazareth’s first dual meet of the year at Geneseo on Saturday. Tripp won the 1-meter diving with a score of 256.60 and placed second on the 3-meter board with a score of 248.48.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Collette Maloney, Hartwick, Sr., OH, Williston Park, NY/Mineola
Maloney enjoyed a stellar weekend for the Hawks both offensively and defensively, as they clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. In Hartwick's win over Keuka Friday, Maloney posted a career-high 28 digs to go along with 12 kills and a block. She followed that performance with another double-double, recording 15 kills and 14 digs. She also added two aces in the Hawks' win over Utica Saturday.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Emma Cole, Houghton, Fr., MB, Houghton, NY/Fillmore Central
Cole recorded a season-high 18 kills versus Medaille on Wednesday, recording a strong .361 hitting percentage during the match. That also marked the third straight match in which she surpassed double-digit kills. It is her second straight E8 weekly honor.
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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