General | 3/14/2022 12:56:19 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 14, 2022, for games played from March 7-March 13. It is the 26th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2021-22 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Chris VanCheri, Houghton, So., C, Silver Creek, NY/Silver Creek
VanCheri hit .833 with six hits in seven at-bats as Houghton split a doubleheader against Allegheny on Friday. He went 2-for-3 in game one before a 4-for-4 performance with three runs batted in, leading Houghton to a 6-5 win in game two. His sixth inning single drove in the tying and eventual game-winning runs as Houghton rallied from 4-0 down to win.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Cardone, Utica, So., P, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Cardone tossed a complete game shutout against previously unbeaten Muhlenberg College on Sunday evening, allowing just four hits, while striking out 13 batters in a 3-0 win. He also retired the final five batters of the game via strikeout.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Leandro Guzman, Russell Sage, Fr., OF, New Britain, CT/New Britain
Guzman batted .438 for the week with a team-best seven hits including two doubles and four runs batted in. He also scored three runs and finished with a .563 slugging percentage as well as a .550 on-base percentage. He Helped the Gators record the program's first win as well, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI in a 21-6 win over Gordon on March 11.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Makayla Lindsey, Russell Sage, Jr., P/IF, New Fairfield, CT/New Fairfield
Lindsey batted .417 (5-for-12) with three runs scored and four RBI in four games last week in Florida. She hit two home runs and totaled 11 bases, registered a .917 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage. Lindsey recorded a pair of multi-hit efforts across the four games and also threw a complete-game two-hitter in the pitcher’s circle against Dominican on Tuesday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Maddie Funk, Nazareth, Sr., P, Locke, NY/Moravia
Funk twirled a one-hit gem, allowing just an unearned run with two walks, while striking out nine batters, as Nazareth cruised to a 4-1 win over SUNY Canton to open up its Spring trip in Florida on Sunday.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ian Evans, St. John Fisher, Sr., A, Lafayette, NY/Lafayette
Evans finished with a game-high seven points including five goals and two helpers as the No. 5 Cardinals overwhelmed Clark University, 21-5 on Friday, in the team's lone contest of the week. He was credited with a game-high nine shots and finished with three ground balls and a caused turnover to earn his third straight E8 weekly accolade.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Ben Hammond, St. John Fisher, So., G, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Hammond earned his fourth win in goal as the No. 5 Cardinals defeated Clark University, 21-5, in the team's lone contest of the week on Friday. Hammond made eight stops and allowed four goals over 44 minutes to lower his goals against average to 6.16 and earn his third straight E8 weekly honor.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brenna Turner, Alfred, Jr., A, Bentonville, AR/Bentonville
Turner broke the Alfred school record and tied the Empire 8 single game record with 11 goals in a wild 21-19 win over SUNY Potsdam on March 7. Her 14 points also set Alfred and Empire 8 single-game marks. Turner joined fellow teammate Amelia Booth in tying the school record for most shots in a game with 16. This is Turner’s second game-winning goal as the Saxons are on a 2-0 start for the first time since 2013. Turner also added three ground balls and three draw controls in the contest.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Samantha Miller, Hartwick, Fr., G, Trumbull, CT/St. Joseph
Miller earned her first collegiate win in net, stopping three shots while only allowing a pair of goals in Hartwick’s 18-2 win over SUNY Poly on Thursday.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Matt Cicero, Houghton, Sr., Perry, NY/Warsaw
Cicero helped win his third doubles contest by an 8-4 score against Daemen last week and also rolled to a 6-1, 6-3 victory at fifth singles.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Antonio Sargent, Nazareth, Gr., OH, Chesapeake, VA/Western Branch
Sargent slammed a match-high 17 kills and hit a remarkable .615 to go along with a pair of service aces, one solo block and one assisted block in leading Nazareth to a four-set win over UVC foe Elmira on Wednesday evening.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Edwin Sosa, Elmira, Fr., MB, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Centro de Excelencia Profesional
Sosa hit .632 and slammed 12 kills as Elmira split a pair of matches last week. He opened the week with four kills and five digs against UVC foe Elmira. On Friday, Sosa hit a perfect 1.000 with eight kills in eight attempts in a three-set win over Hilbert.
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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