General | 9/19/2022 12:32:02 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on September 19, 2022, for games played from September 12-September 18. It is the third Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ethan Kenyon, Nazareth, So., Brookfield, MA/Tantasqua Regional
Kenyon was the top runner for Nazareth as he shaved nearly a minute off his 8,000-meter personal record with a time of 26:53.6 at the Yellowjacket Invitational from Genesee Valley Park in Rochester Saturday. He was 32nd overall in the loaded field of nearly 300 runners. It is his second straight E8 weekly accolade.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
CO-RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Mari Jablonski, Alfred, Jr., Monticello, GA/Jasper County
Jablonski had the top finish at the Behrend Invitational for the Saxons. She finished in 10th place scoring-wise and 12th overall on Friday. Jablonski ran a personal best time at Penn State Behrend’s course, running a time of 24:21.9 over 6,000-meters, as she earned a medal as one of the top finishers on the day.
CO-RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Emily Weaver, Nazareth, Sr., Martville, NY/Hannibal
Weaver led Nazareth at the Yellowjacket Invitational from Genesee Valley Park in Rochester Saturday. with her time of 24:18.1 over the 6,000-meter course. She was 38th overall and led Nazareth to an 11th place team finish against regional and national competition.
FIELD HOCKEY
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Gagnon, Hartwick, Sr., F, Chestertown, NY/North Warren Central
Gagnon tallied a hat-trick in Hartwick’s 7-2 win over St. John Fisher Saturday that snapped the Cardinals’ 24-game Empire 8 regular season winning streak dating back to 2018. Gagnon scored late in the first quarter off a rebound to make it 2-0 Hawks. She added her second goal of the game on a breakaway late in the second quarter for the eventual game-winning tally. Gagnon completed the hat-trick 2:21 into the third quarter to give Hartwick a 4-1 lead.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Makaela Mills, Keuka, Sr., M, Afton, NY/Afton
Mills enjoyed a career day on Saturday as Keuka College opened Empire 8 play with a resounding 8-1 win over Russell Sage. The senior scored a goal and added four assists for a career-best six total points. She set the single-game record for assists at Keuka and also took the top spot on the college’s career assists list with 17.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Madison Tadusz, Houghton, So., GK, Lancaster, PA/Lancaster
Tadusz went 2-0 last week with a 0.50 goals and against average and an .857 save percentage. On Tuesday, she recorded a shutout win against Wells College and made six saves in a 2-1 victory over Utica on Saturday.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zac Boyes, Cortland, So., QB, Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West
Boyes completed 14-of-16 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 16 yards in the first half of No. 14 Cortland’s 66-7 win at Buffalo State Saturday. He led Cortland to six touchdowns in six offensive drives over the first 30 minutes of play, as the offense racked up 356 total yards on just 41 plays (8.7 yards per play) during the half.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ernesto Mitchell, Morrisville, Sr., LB, Wheatley Heights, NY/Half Hollow Hills East
Mitchell posted a season high 15 stops in the 17-15 win over St. Lawrence University Friday night, collecting eight solo tackles. The senior also registered one sack and a second tackle for a loss and was involved in coverage on a missed two-point conversion attempt by the Saints late in the fourth quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Corey Lichtman, Utica, Sr., K, Bellemore, NY/Mepham
Lichtman made a major difference in Utica's 23-21 win over Western New England on Saturday. He was three-for-three on his field goal attempts of 42, 26, and 50 yards. The 50-yard field goal tied the school record held by Denis Avdic set in 2009 and is the longest field goal in the conference this season. He also converted both of his point-after touchdown attempts on the afternoon.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jack Finnerty, Elmira, Sr., Canton, NY/Hugh C. Williams
In its largest tournament field of the fall season, Finnerty helped the Soaring Eagles to a fifth place finish at the Elmira Fall Invitational last Tuesday after posting an 84 (plus-12). Finnerty played a two-over par round from holes 4-12 to finish tied for 16th in a 59-player field. On Saturday, the Soaring Eagles came up just a few strokes shy in the Sage Invitational, with Finnerty shooting a Soaring Eagle season low of 79 (plus-7). The score was good for Medalist runner-up honors as Elmira finished second overall as a team.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Cuneyt Vardar, Nazareth, Gr., F, Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Vardar continued to shine for Nazareth with four goals and nine points in two victories last week. Against Pitt-Bradford on Tuesday, he recorded a pair of goals and added an assist in a 5-0 win and scored both Nazareth goals in a 2-1 win over Hartwick to open the E8 play on Saturday. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of the 2022 season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Brennan, Russell Sage, Jr., GK, Albany, NY/Shaker
Brennan enjoyed a strong week in goal for the Gators as he recorded a 0.50 goals against average and .917 save percentage while stopping 11 shots. He made four saves against Plattsburgh on Wednesday. Three days later, Brennan recorded a shutout win with seven saves as Russell Sage began league play with a 2-0 win over Houghton.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Foti Xidias, Utica, Jr., GK, Carteret, NJ/Carteret
Xidias allowed just one goal for the Pioneers as he helped the team to a 2-0 week. Xidias allowed one goal against SUNY Delhi Wednesday while recording three saved before earning his first shutout of the season with four saves in Utica's 3-0 win over Alfred on Saturday. Xidias made four saves against the Saxons as well.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Rileigh Studley, Houghton, So., M, Yardley, PA/Calvary Christian Academy
Studley scored three goals in two games last week, helping Houghton to a 1-0-1 record. Studley's first goal of the week ensured a tie with Buffalo State on Thursday. Two days later, Studley scored two goals less than six minutes apart to start the second half to give her team the lead for good in a victory at Pitt-Bradford.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sam Pelcher, Keuka, Jr., GK, Rochester, NY/Hilton
Pelcher posted back-to-back shutouts as the Wolves played SUNY Brockport and Hartwick College to scoreless ties last week. She turned away three shots against the Golden Eagles Wednesday and a season-high 10 against the Hawks to begin league play on Saturday. Pelcher has three shutouts on the year, tying for tops in the conference.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Macy Youngberg, Alfred, So., Falconer, NY/Falconer Central
Youngberg went 6-0 on the week as she helped Alfred continue its win streak, upping their record to a 6-0 start for the first time since the 2004 season. She teamed with Alina Zabihailo at No. 1 doubles for the week, defeating Brockport, 8-1, Penn State Behrend, 8-4 and Utica University, 8-5. Youngberg played at No. 4 singles, winning at Brockport, 6-0, 6-2. She then won in three sets against Penn State Behrend, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Youngberg completed her undefeated week with a clean sweep, 6-0, 6-0 versus Utica on Saturday.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Eleanor Cepiel, Utica, Sr., OH/RS, Manorville, NY/Eastport South Manor
Cepiel continued to be the offensive driving force for the Pioneers as the team went 3-2 over five matches this past week. Cepiel averaged 12.8 kills per match after totaling 64 while also averaging 16.6 digs per match after recording 83 over the team's five matches. She had 17 kills against St. Lawrence and added a weekend-best 23 digs in a win over Medaille. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the 2022 season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Shelby Swartz, Hartwick, Fr., OH/RS, Candor, NY/Candor
Swartz recorded 28 kills and 37.5 points in three matches for Hartwick. On Friday, Swartz hit .371 while posting a season high 16 kills and five blocks against William Smith. She also recorded eight kills against Morrisville. Swartz was also a force at the net, picking up 12 total blocks.
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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