General | 2/28/2022 12:48:08 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on February 28, 2022, for games played from February 21-February 27. It is the 24th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2021-22 season. Sports featured include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – James Murphy, St. John Fisher, So., INF, Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna
Murphy picked up right where he left off to begin the 2022 season as the No. 23 Cardinals defeated RPI, 15-9, on Wednesday in the team's season opener. Murphy went 3-for-4 in the win and scored a game-high four runs. The corner infielder had a double, a home run, drove in two runs and worked two walks in the win.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Hunter Kendall, Houghton, Jr., P, Gillett, PA/Troy
Kendall fired four scoreless innings to earn the win in Houghton’s 2022 season debut, 4-1 over Cairn on Saturday. He allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out six batters in a 68-pitch effort.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Brett Warden, Elmira, Fr., INF, Yorktown Heights, NY/Yorktown
Warden batted .294 with a .588 slugging percentage and .956 OPS over his first five collegiate games. Warden doubled once, ripped two triples, drove in three runs and scored four times for the Soaring Eagles. He went 2-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and three RBIs in the season-opening win over Gallaudet. He reached base at least once in all five games.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Stephen Gabel, Nazareth, Gr., G, Victor, NY/Fairport
Gabel was named Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament after leading Nazareth to its fourth league title in program history and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. Gabel averaged 22.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while shooting 53 percent from the floor in the two postseason contests. He scored 25 points, pulled down 10 boards and dished out four assists in the E8 semifinal win Friday over St. John Fisher. On Saturday versus Utica, Gabel scored 19 points, including five made 3-pointers, while grabbing nine rebounds to help the Golden Flyers withstand a late Pioneers comeback bid and earn a 54-53 win. It is Gabel’s fifth E8 weekly honor of the 2021-22 season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Amy Gardner, St. John Fisher, Sr., G, Dryden, NY/Dryden
Gardner was named Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament after leading St. John Fisher to its sixth league title in program history and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament. Gardner averaged 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game, while playing lockdown defense in the two tournament games. She scored 14 points in St. John Fisher’s 83-52 win over Nazareth in the Empire 8 Championship game.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ian Evans, St. John Fisher, Sr., A, Lafayette, NY/Lafayette
Evans led the high-powered No. 7 St. John Fisher offense on Saturday as the Cardinals knocked off Ithaca College, which is receiving votes in the latest USILA national poll, 20-12. Evans finished with six points, including five goals and an assist and was credited with two ground balls and a caused turnover in the win, while firing seven shots on goal.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Justin Mosher, Alfred, Jr., A, Hilton, NY/Hilton
Mosher led the Saxons to a season-opening and home-opening win, 22-0 over Medaille College on Wednesday evening. He totaled nine points on four goals and five assist. Mosher recorded one man-up tally, four ground balls and two caused turnovers.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Ben Hammond, St. John Fisher, So., G, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Hammond was a force in goal as the No. 7 Cardinals cruised to a 20-12 win over Ithaca College, which is receiving votes in the latest USILA national poll. Hammond played 50 minutes in goal and allowed just seven tallies on Saturday. He made a career-high 19 stops and earned his first collegiate win in the process.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emma Robinson, Nazareth, Sr., M, Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore
Robinson scored three goals, picked up three ground balls and recorded a pair of caused turnovers in the season-opener against RIT last Wednesday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Katie Lawrence, Nazareth, Sr., G, Tully, NY/Homer
Lawrence made 12 saves, had three ground balls and recorded a pair of caused turnovers in the season-opener against RIT on Wednesday.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Andrew Ford, St. John Fisher, Sr., Clinton, NY/Clinton
Ford was named the 2022 Empire 8 Indoor Championship Track Athlete of the Meet. He won a pair of individual events on Friday, including the mile run in a time of 4:26.25 and 3,000-meters, crossing the finish line in 8:51.40. It is his second straight E8 weekly honor.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Kyle Rollins, St. John Fisher, Gr., Jumps, Groveland, NY/Geneseo
Rollins led the way for the Cardinals, winning all three jumping events to earn 2022 Empire 8 Indoor Field Athlete of the Meet honors for the fourth consecutive season. On Friday, Rollins took the long jump with a personal best leap of 7.10 meters and on Saturday, won his fifth straight high jump crown, clearing an Empire 8 Championship meet record 2.09 meters, while annexing the triple jump, leaping 14.23 meters. He was also the 2018 Rookie of the Year. It is the fourth E8 weekly honor of the season for Rollins.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Amanda Burrichter, Houghton, Jr., Distance, Houghton, NY/Fillmore
Burrichter was named 2022 Empire 8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Championship Meet. She swept the mile and 3,000-meter run championships for the second straight season. Burrichter won the mile in 5:19.97 and took the 3,000-meters in 10:28.15.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Sarah Merriwether, Nazareth, Jr., Jumps, Malvern, PA/Great Valley
Merriwether earned Empire 8 Championship Field Athlete of the Meet honors after placing second overall in the triple jump (11.04 meters), third in the high jump (1.56 meters) and fifth in the long jump (5.16 meters).
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Wickens, Nazareth, So., OH/S, Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Wickens slammed 21 kills, while recording a remarkable .625 hitting percentage versus Division II Daemen College on Wednesday evening. He also had two assists, three service aces, three blocks and five digs for a 26-point evening (6.5 points per set).
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Camden Knight, Russell Sage, Fr., L, Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills
Knight recorded 21 digs in two matches during the week, while averaging 3.0 digs per set. He leads the team with 100 digs this season and is averaging 2.08 digs per set having played in all 48 sets for the Gators.
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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