General | 1/16/2023 12:57:43 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on January 16, 2023, for games played from January 9-January 15. It is the 19th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s volleyball.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Thomas Morreale, Utica, Sr., F, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Morreale helped lead Utica to a 3-0 week and stay unbeaten in league play, averaging 17.3 points per game on 56 percent shooting from the field (18-for-32) and 11-for-14 shooting from the free throw line. He also registered 4.6 rebounds per contest and totaled four assists and blocks, as well as three steals on the week. Morreale scored a team-high 18 points in Utica's comeback win at No. 19 Nazareth on Tuesday, five of which came in overtime. He also came away with eight rebounds in that game. He also scored 21 points against Elmira on Friday to pair with five rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal before scoring 13 against Alfred on Saturday.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Esafe Taufahema, Houghton, Fr., F, West Jordan, UT/West Jordan
Taufahema averaged 19.7 points on 57 percent field goal shooting (24-for-42) over three games this past week. On Saturday, Taufahema's 23-point effort on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor helped the Highlanders earn their first-ever victory over Russell Sage. He began the week with 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting against Cazenovia. Taufahema is now eighth in the E8 in scoring and fifth in field goal percentage. It is his third E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Syrita Faraj, Russell Sage, So., G, Troy, NY/Tamarac
Faraj registered 25.0 points per game on 58.5 percent shooting (31-for-53) from the field to go along with 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3.0 assists per game to lead the Gators to three key Empire 8 victories. She started the week by pouring in 25 points to go along with seven rebounds and a career-high seven steals in a win over Hartwick. On Friday, Faraj added 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting in a win over Medaille and finished the week with 28 points, six boards, four assists and three steals as Russell Sage defeated Houghton on Saturday.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Crysta Lacrosse, Houghton, Fr., G, Liberty Township, OH/Mt. Notre Dame
Lacrosse averaged 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals in a pair of Empire 8 conference games on the road this past weekend. Lacrosse hit crucial free throws as part of a 9-for-12 night at the line in the Highlanders' victory versus Hartwick in Oneonta Friday. She added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists on Saturday at Russell Sage. Lacrosse is now sixth in the conference in assists. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Myles Andersen, St. John Fisher, Sr., Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville
Andersen recorded the fastest Empire 8 time to date this season in the 800-meters, completing the race in a time of 2:02.13 at the multi-divisional Spartan Invitational on Friday, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College in Staten Island, NY.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Antwan Kelly, Utica, Sr., Throws, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Kelly won the men's weight throw with a school record throw of 17.55 meters at the Utica Winter Opener on Saturday. Kelly continued his strong start to the season, and this is his second record set in the new campaign. He currently has the 10th best weight throw in Division III this season. It is Kelly’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Samantha Shea, St. John Fisher, Gr., Sprints, North Tonawanda, NY/Starpoint
Shea crossed the finish line first in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.93 seconds at the multi-divisional Spartan Invitational on Friday, hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas College in Staten Island, NY. She currently has the 10th best time in Division III to date this season in the event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Laura Meade, Utica, Gr., Jumps/Hurdles, Glenville, NY/Scotia-Glenville
Meade won the triple jump at the Utica Winter Opener on Saturday with a leap of 10.87 meters. She also won the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.08, just one second ahead of second place. Meade was also a part of Utica’s winning women's 4x200-meter relay team that crossed the finish line first. It is Meade’s second weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Paul Tuttle, Alfred, So., Sprint Freestyle, Irondequoit, NY/Irondequoit
Tuttle was instrumental in helping the Saxons go 2-1 on the week and 2-0 in Empire 8 action, ending the conference dual-meet slate with a perfect, 3-0 record. Tuttle competed in three events on a road trip to Utica University and posted top times in all three. He won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:09.72 and the 200-free relay with a time of 1:38.11. Tuttle tacked on another two wins, a second place and a fifth place finish, scoring in all four events to help AU beat Hartwick for the first time since 2015 and the first time sweeping E8 opponents since the 2008-09 season. He won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.95, helping the Saxons take all three top spots. Tuttle was part of the same trio that went 1-2-3 in the 200-yard backstroke as he finished second with a time of 2:07.46. Tuttle closed his week when he teamed up in the 200-yard freestyle relay, needing a win to secure the Empire 8 sweep.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth, So., Diving, Hamburg, NY/Hamburg
Tripp had two wins in two meets over the weekend and broke the LeMoyne College pool record in an 11-dive scoring effort Friday night with a total score of 455.85, breaking the previous record set in 2012. On Saturday at Alfred State, Tripp was first in the 3-meter (239.45) and second on the 1-meter (259.80) board. It is Tripp’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josh Bigford, St. John Fisher, Gr., OH, Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Bigford began the season by slamming 54 kills on a .381 hitting percentage to go along with 14 digs, 10 service aces and 10 blocks in a 3-1 week for the No. 9 Cardinals. Bigford, who averaged 4.67 points per set on the week, started the season with 11 kills in a three-set win over Misericordia on Saturday. He hit .478 with 13 kills and seven services in a three-set win over Cairn. On Sunday, Bigford hit .380 with 23 kills and four blocks in a five-set win over St. Joseph’s.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Wickens, Nazareth, Jr., OH/L, Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Wickens led Nazareth to a pair of wins to start the 2023 season as the Golden Flyers downed Medaille and Thiel with consecutive 3-0 scores. He finished with 18 kills (.278 attack percentage), 14 assists, 13 aces and 12 digs. Most impressively, he averaged 5.3 points per set in the two wins.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Gabe La Robardiere, St. John Fisher, Fr., OPP, North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
La Robardiere began his collegiate career by slamming 32 kills to go along with nine blocks for a 41.5-point week in a 3-1 week for the No. 9 Cardinals. He had 10 kills in his collegiate debut versus Misericordia Saturday and added 13 more while hitting .417 in a five-set win over St. Joseph’s Sunday. La Robardiere led the Cardinals with eight kills in a four-set loss to No. 4 Stevens later in the day.
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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