General | 10/16/2023 12:52:14 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 16, 2023, for games played from October 9 – October 15. It is the seventh Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2023-24 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Cade Eells, Nazareth, Jr., Ithaca, NY/Ithaca
Eells had one of the top runs in school history at the Mike Woods Invitational Saturday at Geneseo. He ran a personal record by more than a minute and is just the third runner in school history to break the 25-minute mark over the 8,000-meter course. His time of 24:53.6 was just four seconds off the school record and the best run since 2008. Overall, Eells placed 39th overall out of 371 runners.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Emily Weaver, Nazareth, Gr., Martville, NY/Hannibal
Weaver had a personal record by nearly seven seconds with a time of 22:24.6 at the Mike Woods Invitational at Geneseo. The time was the best Nazareth performance since 2016 over the 6,000-meter course and she ranks as the third best all-time with a time that was just seven seconds off the Nazareth school record. Overall, Weaver finished 42nd out of 300 runners. It is Weaver’s second straight E8 weekly accolade and third overall of the 2023 season.
FIELD HOCKEY
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Holly Calore, Hartwick, Sr., F, Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point
Calore scored the first two goals in Hartwick’s 3-1 win over Houghton on Saturday to remain unbeaten in Empire 8 competition. She tallied 48 seconds apart late in the first quarter, with the second goal serving as the eventual game-winning tally.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alyssa Pisano, Utica, Sr., M, Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington
Pisano shined this week, scoring a trio of goals and was a crucial part in the team going 2-0 in Empire 8 matches. She tallied two-straight game winning goals this week including the overtime winner against Nazareth. It was her second E8 weekly accolade of the 2023 season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hannah Young, Utica, Jr., GK, Jordanville, NY/Little Falls
Young turned in an impressive week going 2-0 against Empire 8 foes Russell Sage and Nazareth. She faced 11 shots while making four saves and allowing just one goal in each contest.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Peyton Nolan, St. John Fisher, Jr., RB, Newtown, NJ/Newtown
Nolan ran the ball 29 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns, all in the second half, in a 38-21 win over Hartwick on Saturday. He ran for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. Nolan ran for touchdowns of 4-, 2- and 16-yards in the win. It is Nolan’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – John Stroughn, Utica, Gr., DL, Baldwin, NY/Holy Trinity
Stroughn had a breakout performance in Utica's 24-6 win over SUNY Morrisville on Saturday. Stroughn compiled three sacks for -19 Mustang yards while totaling five tackles for a loss for -21 yards. In all, Stroughn had nine tackles on the afternoon and also added a quarterback hurry to his line. His three sacks were the second most in a game in his career. Both his three sacks and his nine tackles were single game highs for him this season as well.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ravi Dass Jr., Cortland, Fr., KR, Somers, NY/Somers
Dass returned two punts for 89 yards, including a touchdown, during Cortland's 59-21 win over Alfred Saturday. His 26-yard return set up Cortland for a scoring drive from the Alfred 33-yard line after Alfred's first possession. After the Saxons' second possession, Dass returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown, which was Cortland's first punt return for a TD (excluding blocked punt returns) since 2009.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jack Lannon, Nazareth, Fr., M, Portland, ME/Brighton Academy
Lannon scored the lone goal and game-winner in a 1-0 road win at Keuka as Nazareth remained in a tie for second place in the E8 standings.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Patrick Larkin, Nazareth, Sr., GK, Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Larkin delivered his second straight Empire 8 shutout and fourth in the last five conference games as he made four saves in the 1-0 road win at Keuka. He is currently 8-1-2 overall with six shutouts and has allowed just one goal in conference play. It is his third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Karryne Mims, Houghton, Fr., F, Jamestown, NY/Jamestown
Karryne Mims scored four goals in her two games last week, including two game winners. On Wednesday, Mims netted a hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Pitt.-Bradford, while adding a goal in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Hartwick, which helped the Highlanders go 2-0 over that stretch.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Avery Byrnes, St. John Fisher, So., GK, Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Byrnes was perfect in goal in two extremely important conference games, not allowing a single goal in 180 minutes of play against two of the Empire 8's top teams in the standings. On Wednesday, she made 10 saves to hold arch-rival Nazareth to a scoreless draw, and on Saturday she again had a shutout, making two saves in the 1-0 win over Russell Sage. Byrnes has four complete-game shutouts this season and is a two-time E8 Player of the Week.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Annika Monfort, Nazareth, Fr., GK, Ontario, NY/Webster Thomas
Monfort made 10 saves in a pair of shutouts last week as Nazareth tied St. John Fisher 0-0 and beat Utica 1-0 to clinch an E8 Tournament spot. The shutouts were her second and third consecutive clean sheets and fourth and fifth of the year. She has allowed just one goal in the last six games. Monfort currently has a 0.87 goals against average and a 0.879 save percentage. It is her third E8 weekly accolade.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Cameron Fairley, Nazareth, Sr., Distance Freestyle, Kingston, NY/Kingston
Fairley got off to a great start for the 2023-24 season with a pair of individual wins and a relay victory Saturday against Alfred State in the season-opening meet. He won the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 9:22.89 and took first in the 400-freestyle with a time of 4:29.62. He capped the meet by swimming the lead leg of the winning 200-meter freestyle relay with a split of 25.49 to help the Golden Flyers to the first place finish in the race.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Alexa Rizzo, Nazareth, Sr., Diver, Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy
Rizzo had a great opening meet and earned an NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the first meet of the season. Rizzo won the 1-meter event with her score of 276.40 to eclipse the mark (255) needed to qualify for regional competition. She also took second in the 3-meter event with a score of 241.15.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Madsen, Alfred, Fr., Portland, OR/Grant
Madsen was named the 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Championship Most Valuable Player after leading the Saxons to their second E8 Championship and first since 2004 over the weekend. She won all four of her matches at the E8 Tournament, held at Houghton University, including the decisive three-set win at fourth singles over Nazareth on Friday afternoon in the 5-4 semifinal win. Madsen teamed with Abigail Call to earn an 8-2 win at second doubles and then defeated Abby Garvey of St. John Fisher, 6-3, 6-1 at fourth singles, as Alfred defeated the Cardinals, 5-3 to claim the Empire 8 Championship and earn a berth in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Casey Hunziker, Keuka, Sr., S, Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy
Hunziker has been the key facilitator for the Keuka College attack this season. Over the past week, she racked up 129 assists while guiding Keuka College to a 3-0 week. She posted 29 in a sweep over Utica and then totaled 100 in a sweep of a tri-match at Lycoming College. For the season, she has 660 assists this year, 9.17 per set, to lead the Empire 8. Over the weekend, she moved into fifth on the Keuka College career list for assists.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Malone, Alfred, So., OH, Horseheads, NY/Horseheads
Malone helped the Saxons pick up their third and fourth three-set sweeps in a row last week. Malone was the point-leader in both wins this past week, scoring 16.0 against Pitt.-Bradford and 19.5 in the road win in a sweep at Houghton University. Out of the 16 matches this year, Malone has 14 matches with double-digit scoring and is now on an eight-match streak with the double-figures. Her week began with a double-double, after recording 10 digs to go with her 12 kills and four aces against Pitt.-Bradford. Malone added seven digs to her 18 kills, once ace and one block assist in Empire 8 action against the Highlanders.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Cara Bratthauar, Alfred, Fr., MH, Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area
Bratthauar hit a .478 for the week as she had established a new career-high hitting percentage in a three-set sweep at Houghton University, recording eight kills on 13 attacks with one error, hitting .538. Her points were the third highest in the conference match and her hitting percentage was a match-high. Bratthauar added two block assists to finish with 9.0 points and added one set assist in the Friday match. Earlier in the week, Bratthauar hit .400 with five kills and one error on 10 attempts for 5.5 points, adding a block assist at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
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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