General | 2/14/2022 1:00:19 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on February 14, 2022, for games played from February 7-February 13. It is the 22nd 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 and men’s volleyball.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Daniel Cook, St. John Fisher, Jr., F, Kirkville, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Cook recorded three more double-doubles as the Cardinals defeated nationally-ranked Nazareth and Keuka last week. Cook averaged 19.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, nearly 4.0 assists and two steals per game while shooting 25-of-49 from the floor. Against No. 23 Nazareth, Cook finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds before adding 20 points and 12 rebounds against the Wolves on Friday. Cook closed out the week with 12 points and 11 boards on the road at Utica to earn his third E8 weekly honor of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Bryan Adams, Elmira, Fr., G, Bronx, NY/Gunnery School
Adams averaged 17.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in a pair of games for the Soaring Eagles. He scored 19 points to go along with four steals against Alfred on Tuesday and added 15 points, six boards and three steals at Hartwick on Wednesday. Adams is now a five-time E8 Rookie of the Week.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Giuliana Pritchard, Hartwick, Sr., F, Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam
Pritchard led the Hawks to a 3-0 week, averaging 16.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 blocks per game, while shooting 49 percent from the floor. She started the week by scoring 13 points to go along with 10 boards and five assists in a win over Utica. On Friday, Pritchard poured in 17 points in just 24 minutes in a victory over Alfred and finished the week with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, as Hartwick defeated Houghton. She has now scored in double figures in six straight games.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Syrita Faraj, Russell Sage, Fr., G, Troy, NY/Tamarac
Faraj averaged a double-double of 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in two wins last week, while shooting 50 percent from the floor. She topped all players with 16 points and added eight rebounds in Friday's win versus Houghton and recorded a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's victory over Alfred. It is the third E8 weekly honor of the season for Faraj.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Malcolm Smith, Houghton, So., Sprints, Marietta, GA/Sprayberry
Smith put together a pair of impressive showings at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University on Saturday, setting set school records in the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash events. Smith's 7.24 second 60-meter dash is the third fastest time in the E8 this year, and his 22.58 second 200-meter sprint lands him is the second best time in the E8 this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – John Coddington, Russell Sage, Jr., Throws, Amsterdam, NY/Broadalbin-Perth
Coddington set a pair of program records at Saturday's David Hemery Valentine Invitational from Boston University. He achieved a mark of 14.21 meters in the shot put and 15.48 meters in the weight throw.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Samantha Shea, St. John Fisher, Sr., Sprints, North Tonawanda, NY/Starpoint
Shea enjoyed a standout performance for the Cardinals at last weekend's Valentine Classic Invite in Boston. She broke her own program record in the 400-meter run with a new time of 57.88 seconds on Saturday, which now rests at 21st amongst national competitors. She also was the anchor leg of the 4x400 meter relay team that set a new program record in the event with a time of 4:02.14. Shea is now a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brenna Johnson, Nazareth, Sr., Jumps/Sprints, Homer, NY/Cortland
Johnson finished third overall in the long jump behind Division I (Albany) and Division II (Bloomsburg) athletes with a leap of 5.58 meters (18' 3 3/4") for her indoor career-best effort on Friday. It is the 17th best jump of the year at Division III and puts her third in the region. Johnson is now a two-time E8 weekly honoree in 2021-22.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Oscar Munoz Trindad, Elmira, Jr., S/RS, Jarbacoa, Dominican Republic/CEFAM
Munoz Trinidad set the program record for hitting percentage in a match, recording 19 kills on 21 attempts in a three-set win over Hilbert for a hitting mark of .905. The previous record belonged to Jose Malave '21, who recorded a percentage of .867 against Thiel on Jan. 27, 2018. Munoz Trinidad finished the week with an average hitting percentage of .741, leading the Soaring Eagles to a 2-0 record. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Josh Weaver, Nazareth, Fr., RS/MB, Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa
Weaver had nine kills and eight blocks in a 2-1 weekend for Nazareth. He slammed .375 in a three-set win over SUNY Poly on 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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