General | 3/21/2022 1:07:49 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 21, 2022, for games played from March 14-March 20. It is the 27th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2021-22 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Seales, Keuka, Sr., 1B, Saratoga Spring, NY/Saratoga Springs
Seales batted .545 to start the season with six hits in 11 at-bats during the first four games of the year. He added two doubles and two triples on the week to go along with five runs batted in and three runs scored. Seales went 3-for-4 with two triples, one double and three RBI against Union on Sunday. He also went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in a win over Fredonia State Saturday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Hunter Kendall, Houghton, Jr., P, Gillett, PA/Troy
Kendall threw an eight-inning gem against Penn State DuBois on Friday, surrendering just one earned run while striking out a career-high 11 batters to earn the win.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Justin Hyde, Elmira, Fr., P, Sykesville, MD/Liberty
Hyde recorded his first collegiate victory on Sunday in a 4-1 win against Penn State DuBois. Hyde tossed three scoreless innings while scattering three hits and fanning three batters for the Soaring Eagles.
SOFTBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Paul, Utica, Sr., U, Guilderland, NY/Guilderland
Paul hit .426 (11-for-26) with four extra-base hits and 12 RBIs over eight games last week for the Pioneers. Against Hood College on Tuesday, Paul went 2-for-4 at the dish with two home runs, six runs driven in and two runs scored. In the team’s final game in Florida against Stockton on Friday, Paul went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs and a run scored in the team’s 8-5 win.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sarah Simmons, Nazareth, Sr., OF, Victor, NY/Victor
Simmons had hits in seven of eight games last week in Florida, including four multi-hit games performances. She finished the week with a .545 average (12-for-22), eight runs scored and 10 runs batted in. Simmons had three doubles and five walks with to record a .630 on-base average and a .682 slugging average. On Friday, Simmons was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, three RBI and a walk versus Maine Presque Isle.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jen Burrows, Houghton, Jr., P, Cuba, NY/Cuba-Rushford
Burrows threw a five-hit shutout against SUNY Delhi and help the Highlanders pick up a 4-0 win on Friday. Burrows struck out one batter in the win.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brett Randall, Nazareth, Gr., A, Rochester, NY/Brighton
Randall led Nazareth to a 2-0 week in Florida with wins over Western New England and Keene State. He had a team-leading 12 goals and six assists for 18 points. Four of his goals were man-up and he also collected a pair of ground balls. He tallied 10 points on six goals and four assists in the win over Keene State.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Scott Kimiecik, Alfred, Sr., G, Randolph, NJ/Randolph
Kimiecik extended his winning streak to five games, recording a 3.30 goals against average and a .739 save percentage in a pair of victories last week. He faced 22 shots and made eight saves while allowing three goals against Lycoming College on Tuesday and made nine saves and allowed just three goals in a win at King’s Saturday. Kimiecik picked up a season-high six ground balls against Lycoming.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kristen Vaccarelli, Hartwick, Fr., M, Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West
Vaccarelli tallied 10 points on eight goals and two assists, while recording 13 draw controls and six ground balls in a 2-0 week for the Hawks. She scored three goals and added an assist, while collecting seven draw controls in a win over Bard on Wednesday. Vaccarelli recorded season-best totals of five goals and six points with six draw controls and four ground balls in a 13-6 win over King’s Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Alyssa Piechota, Alfred, So., G, Webster, NY/Webster Schroder
Piechota made 36 saves and compiled a .571 save percentage in a pair of games last week. She set a season-high in saves with 20 against Grove City on Tuesday. Piechota added 16 saves against Chatham on Saturday. She also set a season-high in ground balls with 10 against Grove City and added another five on the road at Chatham.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jake Anthony, St. John Fisher, So., North Chili, NY/Churchville-Chili
Anthony earned two of St. John Fisher’s three points on Friday against Oneonta State. Anthony earned a point at fifth singles with a 6-4, 5-7, 10-5 decision. He also teamed with Sean Danahy to record an 8-4 victory in second doubles.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Neil Peters, Alfred, Jr., Sprints, Bronx, NY/DeWitt Clinton
Peters was a perfect, 3-for-3 in his events in Thursday’s outdoor track & field meet at Roberts Wesleyan College. He teamed with John Wendt, Noam Sokolovsky and Papa Dioum in the 4x100-meter relay to win with a time of 44.51. The group edged out RWC’s team’s time of 45.21 and they were just over two seconds shy of the Alfred University school record of 42.39, set in 1995. Peters went on to win the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.24 and then closed out his day with a time of 22.89 in the 200-meter dash for his third win of the evening.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brennan Lewandowski, Houghton, Jr., Jumps, South Wales, NY/Holland
Lewandowski won the high jump at the Redhawk Invitational hosted by Roberts Wesleyan on Thursday, clearing 1.76 meters, which is the top outdoor mark in the Empire 8 to date this season.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ali Wisniewski, Houghton, Jr., Sprints, Burnt Hills, NY/Ballston Spa
Wisniewski finished fifth in the 100-meter dash, third in the 200-meters, and helped Houghton win the 4 x 100-meter relay at the Redhawk Invitational hosted by Roberts Wesleyan on Thursday. Her 100-meter mark is currently second in the league to date during the outdoor season, while the 200-meter and 4 x 100-meter relay times are both first.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Madison Palmer, Alfred, Sr., Throws, East Aurora, NY/East Aurora
Palmer had the top finish for Alfred in Thursday’s Roberts Wesleyan College’s Redhawk Invitational as she threw 11.33 meters in the shot put, taking first amongst collegiate competitors. She also earned fifth place in the javelin throw, tossing it 17.84 meters.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Oscar Munoz Trinidad, Elmira, Jr., S/RS, Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic/CEFAM
Munoz Trinidad enjoyed one of the best weeks in recent program history as he helped lead the Soaring Eagles to a 4-0 record, including a UVC win against No. 14 St. John Fisher on Wednesday. Against Fisher, Munoz Trinidad went for 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while recording 30 assists. He also dished out 41 assists in a win over D’Youville and hit .409 with 12 kills and seven digs in a victory over SUNY Potsdam. For the week, he averaged 7.2 assists, 1.8 kills, 1.5 digs and 2.6 points per set. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Alberto Mauricio, Elmira, Fr., OH, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic/Liceo Gaston Fernando Deligne
Mauricio helped lift the Soaring Eagles to a 4-0 record, including a five-set triumph of No. 14 St. John Fisher. Against the Cardinals, Mauricio was able to convert on a team-high 15 kills to go along with three service aces and six digs. Last weekend at the Potsdam Invitational, Mauricio went for 30 kills in three matches, including a season-best 19 against D'Youville on Saturday. Overall, Mauricio finished the week averaging 3.0 kills, 1.8 digs, 0.5 service aces and 3.6 points per set. It is Alberto’s sixth E8 weekly honor this season.
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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