General | 3/28/2022 1:03:36 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 28, 2022, for games played from March 21-March 27. It is the 28th 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 – Noah Campanelli, St. John Fisher, Jr., INF, Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Campanelli batted .500 last week and slugged a team-leading 1.167 as the Cardinals posted two wins in four games. Overall, Campanelli was 9-for-18 with a double, one triple, three home runs, five RBI and seven runs scored. Against Rochester on Monday, the middle infielder was 3-for-5 with a triple before going 2-for-4 with two RBI including a home run against Alfred State on Friday. Campanelli rounded out the week with two homers and three more RBI in a split at York College on Saturday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Spencer Brown, Keuka, Jr., P, Feura Bush, NY/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
Brown went 1-0 in two starts on the week and set the Keuka College record with 14 strikeouts in a nine-inning complete-game victory over Knox College on Monday. He scattered seven hits, walked only one, and allowed just two runs in the win over the Prairie Fire on Monday. He pitched into the seventh and got a no-decision in Keuka's extra-innings loss to Colby College on Friday, while striking out nine and did not walk a batter.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Matteo Salvati, Elmira, Fr., OF, Batsto, NJ/St. Augustine Prep
Salvati started all four games while helping Elmira go 2-2 over the weekend against Cazenovia. Salvati hit .400 (6-for-15) with a home run, triple, three runs batted in, and five runs scored. He recorded an inside-the-park home run for Elmira in a 13-12 victory on Sunday. Salvati recorded 11 total bases over the weekend for EC.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Dicranian, Russell Sage, Sr., P/INF, Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony Union
Dicranian ripped three doubles and drove in three runs last week, recording a 1.017 OPS. In addition, she excelled on the mound, allowing an earned run across 15.0 innings in the circle, while picking up her third win of the season, a complete-game seven-hitter versus Rensselaer.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Emily Daciw, Nazareth, Jr., P, Angelica, NY/Genesee Valley
Daciw tossed a four-hit shutout victory as Nazareth posted a 9-0 win in five innings over Alfred State on Thursday. Daciw struck out seven batters in the win, while picking up her second victory of the season.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Kayla Loomis, Houghton, Jr., P, Selkirk, NY/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
Loomis was dominant for the Highlanders in her three outings last week, not allowing an earned run over 21 innings. Loomis allowed just 16 base runners (13 hits and three walks), while striking out 10 batters and picking up two wins on the week.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Nicholas Miller, St. John Fisher, Gr., A, Ithaca, NY/Ithaca
Miller had a big week for the No. 5 Cardinals after combining to produce 12 points against No. 1 RIT and No. 11 Amherst. Against the top-ranked Tigers, Miller scored three goals and broke the Empire 8's record for career goals in the process before notching his 200th career goal including the game-winner in a 14-13 overtime win over the Mammoths on Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Scott Kimiecik, Alfred, Sr., G, Randolph, NJ/Randolph
Kimiecik tied a career-high with 17 stops against SUNY Geneseo, having faced 45 total shots with 31 on goal in the loss. Kimiecik rebounded back with a win over Thiel College, making four saves and allowing two goals. He totaled 10 ground balls on the week with a season-high seven against Geneseo and also had two caused turnovers in the same game. It is his second straight E8 weekly honor.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grace Hines, Russell Sage, So., A, Guilderland, NY/Guilderland
Hines led the team with 10 points on nine goals and an assist, as the Gators went 2-1 on the week. She scored five goals in Russell Sage’s Road win over SUNY-Poly after scoring three goals the day before in a 16-1 win over MCLA.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Claire Frier, Utica, Sr., G, Lafayette, NY/Lafayette
Frier totaled 20 saves in a pair of games for Utica. On Wednesday, she allowed just two goals in over three quarters of work as Utica downed Morrisville 14-4. She followed that up with a career-high 18 saves as the Pioneers fell to RPI on Saturday.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Nathan Allen, Nazareth, Jr., Macedon, NY/Penfield
Allen went 4-0 on the week as Nazareth defeated Medaille and Oswego. Allen was 2-0 at No. 1 singles with a pair of straight-set victories and also teamed with Will Britton for two wins at No. 1 doubles.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – David Adadjo, Russell Sage, Fr., Sprints/Jumps, Nassau, NY/Columbia
Adadjo enjoyed a banner afternoon at the Swanson Invitational at Wesleyan University as he competed in four different events and finished in the top-five in all of them. He was third in the triple jump with a n school-record leap of 12.93 meters, bettering the effort of Eric Denny (12.78 meters) set in 2015. Adadjo was also third in the 100-meter dash in 11.26 seconds, fourth in the 200-meter dash (23.04 seconds), and fifth in the 400-meter run in 52.24 seconds.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – John Codington, Russell Sage, Jr., Throws, Amsterdam, NY/Broadalbin-Perth
Coddington won the shot put with a blistering throw of 14.79 meters at the Swanson Invitational, which shattered the previous school mark set in 2016 by Ben Hulett of 10.53 meters set at the same meet. Coddington also set the program record as he finished fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 40.39 meters.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brenna Johnson, Nazareth, Sr., Sprints/Jumps, Cortland, NY/Homer
Johnson recorded three top-10 finishes and had a career-best time in the 200-meters at the Jack Toms Invitational in Lynchburg, VA. She was sixth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.90 seconds and seventh in the 200-meters with a personal best 26.05 seconds. The 2022 Indoor All-American added a second place finish in the long jump (5.65 meters), a 13th place finish in the high jump (1.40 meters) and a 17th place finish in the javelin throw (20.50 meters).
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Lea Richard, Nazareth, So., Throws, Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls
Richard finished fifth in the hammer throw with a toss of 42.44 meters and was also 12th in both the shot put and discus (9.91 meters and 28.64 meters, respectively) and took 16th in the javelin with a personal best 20.66 meter throw at the Jack Toms Invitational in Lynchburg, VA.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher, Sr., OH, Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Bigford played a big role in the Cardinals' lone match of the week as Fisher clinched a berth in the upcoming UVC Championship Tournament behind a four-set win over MIT on Friday. Bigford finished with a match-high 15 kills to go along with nine digs, three blocks and a service ace. The senior hit .324 in the win and accounted for 17.5 points in all.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Josh Weaver, Nazareth, Fr., S/RS, Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa
Weaver finished with eight kills and a pair of blocks in a three-set win over MIT on Saturday that clinched a postseason berth for the Golden Flyers. It is Weaver’s second E8 weekly honor of the 2022 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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