Field Hockey | 11/6/2023 8:15:32 AM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on November 6, 2023, for games played from October 30 – November 5. It is the tenth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2023-24 season. Sports featured include field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and women’s volleyball.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Julie Ruzzi, Hartwick, Gr., F, Queensbury, NY/Queensbury
Ruzzi was named the 2023 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading Hartwick to its second straight league title. On Thursday, Ruzzi scored the eventual game-winning goal on a penalty corner late in the first half and then assisted on a key insurance goal in in a 3-1 win over Houghton on Thursday in the Empire 8 Semifinal contest. On Saturday, Ruzzi opened the scoring late in the second quarter by adding her 17th goal of the season and also excelled on the defensive side of the ball in the midfield, as the Cardinals could muster just four second half shots in helping lead the Hawks to a 2-1 win over St. John Fisher in the Empire 8 Championship.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sami Shortino, Hartwick, Jr., D, Webster, NY/Webster Thomas
Shortino tallied a goal and two assists and played a key role in a stifling Hartwick defensive effort that led the Hawks to their second straight Empire 8 Championship. On Thursday, Shortino scored a goal and added an assist in Hartwick’s 3-1 win over Houghton in the E8 Semifinal matchup. On Saturday, Shortino assisted on Julie Ruzzi’s game-opening goal in the second and helped the Hartwick defense allow just four second half shots in helping lead the Hawks to a 2-1 win over St. John Fisher in the Empire 8 Championship.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Cole Burgess, Cortland, Sr., WR, Greenwich, NY/Greenwich
Burgess caught nine passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns as nationally 16th-ranked Cortland defeated visiting Brockport, 41-17, to clinch the Red Dragons' third straight outright Empire 8 title. His three touchdown catches tied a school single-game record that he already held a share of, and his 245 receiving yards are the fourth-highest in school history. Burgess caught a 64-yard TD pass in the first quarter to give Cortland a 14-3 lead. His 24-yard TD reception with less than a minute remaining in the first half made it 24-3, and his 71-yard scoring catch in the third quarter pushed Cortland's advantage to 38-3. It is Burgess’ second straight E8 weekly honor of the 2023 season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sam Cotton, Cortland, Fr., DB, Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley
Cotton made 10 tackles, seven solo, intercepted a pass and broke up another in Cortland's 41-17 win over visiting Brockport as the nationally-ranked Red Dragons clinched their third straight outright Empire 8 title. He helped the Cortland defense hold Brockport to just one offensive touchdown, including 10-of-28 passing for 106 yards with five interceptions.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Evan Salvaggio, SUNY Morrisville, Jr., LB, Geneseo, NY/Geneseo
Salvaggio led Morrisville's defensive efforts in a 30-15 win over St. John Fisher University Saturday, posting 11 total stops while recovering a fumble. The junior had eight solo tackles in the win while breaking up a pass that prevented a Fisher score.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Steven Bidwell, Alfred, Fr., RB, Owego, NY/Owego Free Academy
Bidwell was credited with the first touchdown of the day in Saturday’s win over Hartwick College as he blocked a punt at the Hartwick 32-yard line, picked it up at the 30 and carried it into the endzone for the early, 6-0 lead. Immediately following the PAT, Bidwell would record a tackle on the ensuing kickoff. He then got in on offense, recording 76 yards on 11 carries including a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, scoring AU’s final score of the day in the 42-6 win. His longest run was for 24 yards.
MEN’S SOCCER
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jhoan Chavez, Elmira, So., M, Miami, FL/Coral Reef
Chavez patrolled the midfield for the Soaring Eagles and assisted on Kostantinos Triantafillou’s double overtime goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Hartwick in the E8 Semifinal match. In Saturday’s championship match against St. John Fisher, with ended in a 2-2 draw after 110 minutes of play, Chavez fired a team-high four shots and calmly drilled the championship clinching shot in penalty kicks that propelled Elmira to its first Empire 8 Men’s Soccer title in program history and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kerfalla Toure, Elmira, So., D, Montreal, Quebec/College Sainte-Anne
Toure was the leader on the Elmira defensive unit that won its first Empire 8 Men’s Soccer title in program history last week. On Wednesday, Toure and the EC defense limited Hartwick to just two shots on goal over 110 minutes of play in a 1-0 double overtime win in the semifinals. On Saturday, Toure assisted on Martin Harguindey’s goal in the first half as Elmira won its first Empire 8 title in program history, advancing over St. John Fisher in penalty kicks after the two teams played to a 2-2 draw after regulation and overtime.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tatum Overton, Nazareth, So., F, Watertown, NY/Watertown
Overton was named the 2023 Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring four of Nazareth’s six goals in the two Empire 8 Tournament wins during the week. She began the tourney by scoring Nazareth’s first two goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-0 win over Russell Sage in semifinal action Wednesday. In Saturday’s E8 Championship game, Overton duplicated that feat, with goals in the 13th and 60th minute, as Nazareth would go on to defeat St. John Fisher, 3-0. It is Overton’s third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Annika Monfort, Nazareth, Jr., GK, Ontario, NY/Webster Thomas
Monfort was perfect in net, stopping all 15 shots she faced in a pair of shutout victories as Nazareth won its third consecutive Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Championship. She stopped five shots in a 3-0 win over Russell Sage in semifinal action Wednesday and made 10 saves in a 3-0 win over St. John Fisher in the title game Saturday. Monfort has never allowed a goal in six Empire 8 postseason games since arriving at Nazareth in 2021. It is her fourth E8 weekly accolade and third of the season.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ryan Hough, Nazareth, Sr., Freestyle, Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua
Hough won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.54 seconds and 100-yard freestyle in 47.69 seconds as Nazareth took on SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo in a tri-meet Saturday. He was also part of the 200-yard freestyle relay team that was second in a time of 1:29.91.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth, Sr., Diving, Hamburg, NY/Hamburg
Tripp won the 3-meter diving event with a score of 272.60 and was second in the 1-meter with a score of 240.80 as Nazareth competed against SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo in a tri-meet Saturday.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Macey Salvione, Russell Sage, Jr., OH, Johnstown, NY/Gloversville
Salvione totaled 47 kills, 4.27 per-set, 43 digs, 3.91 per-set, and 11 aces across three matches last week. The junior, who registered two double-doubles, had 18 kills in two of the non-conference contests. She recorded 18 kills on .350 hitting, eight aces and 14 digs in Wednesday's four set win at Castleton. Salvione closed her fall with 21 kills, a season-high, and 18 digs on Saturday versus Marywood.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Cara Bratthauar, Alfred, Fr., OPP, Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area
Bratthauar had 12 kills, four digs and three blocks for the Saxons as they wrapped up the regular season. She had seven kills and three blocks and two digs against Penn State-Altoona and added five kills in a win at Wells on Saturday. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the 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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