General | 12/12/2022 12:47:59 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on December 12, 2022, for games played from December 5-December 11. It is the 15th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s indoor track and field.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Darius Hopkins, Utica, Gr., G, Tampa, FL/Seffner Christian
Hopkins packed the stat sheet in Utica's 76-70 win at Hamilton College on Thursday. Hopkins led all scorers with 23 points coming from 60 percent shooting from the field (9-for-15) and 75 percent shooting from three (3-for-4). He also finished tied with a game high four assists while also recording two rebounds and a pair of steals.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Devin Milton, Keuka, Sr., G, Opleousas, LA/Beau Chene
Milton averaged 29.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as he led the Wolves to a pair of non-conference wins. He opened the week with a career-best seven 3-pointers to buoy a 25-point performance as Keuka College defeated SUNY Geneseo for the first time in over 25 years. then followed that with a career-high 33 points as the Wolves came back from 10 points down to defeat Pitt. -Bradford, 82-78 on Friday night. Milton's 3-pointer with 31 seconds left broke a 76-76 tie. He shot 51.5 percent from the floor, 50 percent from behind the arc and 82.4 percent from the foul line.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Esafe Taufahema, Houghton, Fr., F, West Jordan, UT/West Jordan
Taufahema averaged 14 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 11-for-15 from the floor in games at Alfred and Wells this past week. On Saturday, Taufahema was 9-of-11 from the floor, tallying 21 points and 14 rebounds versus Wells. The Highlander now has four double-doubles and is shooting 64.9% in his opening campaign. It is his second E8 weekly accolade.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Walker, St. John Fisher, Sr., F, Camillus, NY/West Genesee
Walker scored 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor to go along with seven boards, one assist, one block and one steal in just 20 minutes of play, as the Cardinals rolled to an 86-45 win over Clarkson University on Friday evening. She scored 12 of her 20 points in the first half, as St. John Fisher went on a 23-0 run over a nine minute stretch to lead 46-17 at the break.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Hailey Burchhardt, Utica, Fr., G, Schenectady, NY/Schalmont
Burchhardt averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, five assists and one steal per game. In the team's 108-34 win over Wells on Dec. 8, Burchhardt scored eight points while also coming away with seven rebounds and dishing out a career high seven assists. The freshman went on to set another career high on Saturday with 21 points to go with eight rebounds and three assists. It is her second E8 weekly accolade.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Kaleb Luton, Nazareth, Sr., Sprints/Hurdles, Amherst, NY/Sweet Home
Luton excelled at the season-opening Nazareth Alumni Invitational on Friday afternoon, as he won the 60-meter hurdles event with a time of 8.38 seconds. That time is currently the 10th best in Division III this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Zuriel Wright, Utica, Sr., Jumps, Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial
Zuriel Wright scribbled his name into the Utica history books by claiming a long-awaited school record in the men's high jump. After notching the No. 2 performance in school history last season, Wright eclipsed the record set by Rayshawn Scott in 2014 with a new program standard of 2.05 meters. Long after securing the win, Wright cleared the record height on his first attempt before bowing out at 2.07 meters. His performance sits second nationally through the second meet of the campaign.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Amanda Burrichter, Houghton, Sr., Distance, Houghton, NY/Fillmore Central
Burrichter won the mile run at the Nazareth Alumni Invitational on Friday with a time of 5:09.51, which is the top time in the Empire 8 and eighth best in NCAA Division III this season. She also competed in the 4 x 400m relay, whose team time sits as third in the Empire 8 this season.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Michaela Kurbs, St. John Fisher, Jr., Jumps, Lockport, NY/Lockport
Kurbs won the long jump at the Nazareth Alumni Invitational on Friday with an impressive leap of 5.61 meters (18' 5"). For the moment, that is the third best long jump in all of Division III this season.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Lea Richard, Nazareth, Sr., Throws, New Hartford, NY/New Hartford
Richard started the season in impressive fashion as she posted a first place finish in the weight throw at the season-opening Nazareth Alumni meet. She won the event with a toss of 16.09 meters (52' 9 1/2"), which is currently ranked 11th in Division III this season. She was also 10th in the shot put with a final distance of 10.68 meters (35' 1/2").
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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