General | 2/27/2023 12:44:59 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on February 27, 2023, for games played from February 20-February 26. It is the 25th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – James Lubanski, Russell Sage, Sr., OF, Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber
Lubanski went 4-for-7 with a run scored and two RBI across Sunday's DH at United States Merchant Marine Academy. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored in game one and went 1-for-3 with a first inning double that drove in both Russell Sage runs in game two.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Liam Doyle, Russell Sage, So., P, West Sayville, NY/Connectquot
Doyle fired a complete-game four-hit complete-game in Russell Sage’s 3-2 loss to United States Merchant Marine Academy on Sunday. He scattered the four hits and two walks, while striking out seven batters. Doyle fired 85 pitches, including 58 for strikes.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kade Cochran, Elmira, Fr., P/OF, Campbell, NY/Campbell Savona
Cochran hit .333 (3-for-9) with a double and two runs scored and fired two scoreless innings of relief on the mound for the Soaring Eagles. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored and scattered a walk and hit in a scoreless inning of relief against Moravian on Thursday. Cochran doubled and scored a run at the plate and then struck out two batters, while not allowing a run in an inning on the mound Friday against Alfred State.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Daniel Cook, St. John Fisher, Sr., F, Honeoye Falls, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Cook was named Empire 8 Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the No. 4 seed Cardinals to the league title. Cook averaged 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor in the three postseason contests. He scored 18 points, pulled down six boards and dished out four assists in the E8 first round win Tuesday evening over No. 5 seed Hartwick. On Friday, Cook recorded a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a 70-65 victory over top-seed Utica University. On Saturday versus No. 2 seed Nazareth College, Cook, who was also named the Empire 8 Player of the Year for the third consecutive season last week, scored 17 points, while grabbing nine rebounds to help the Cardinals earn a 78-62 win in the title game. It is his third E8 weekly honor of 2022-23.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Brendan McRoy, St. John Fisher, Fr., G, Fall River, NY/ISA Academy
McRoy played a key role in St. John Fisher’s 78-62 victory over Nazareth in the 2023 Empire 8 Championship game, as he poured in 13 points and snagged five rebounds. McRoy went 7-for-8 from the foul line in helping put the game away.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaitlyn Walker, St. John Fisher, Sr., F, Rochester, NY/Hilton
Walker was named the Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the top-seeded Cardinals to the league title. Walker tallied a pair of double-doubles, averaging 17.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game in the two tournament games. She scored 17 points and added 13 rebounds in top-seeded St. John Fisher’s 67-41 win over No. 5 Elmira College in the semifinal and followed that up with 18 points and 11 boards in the Empire 8 Championship game, a 78-55 victory over No. 2 seed Nazareth College. It is Walker’s third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Presleigh Brunner, St. John Fisher, Fr., G, Hamburg, NY/Nardin Academy
Brunner averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game as the Cardinals rolled to their second straight Empire 8 Championship over the weekend. She scored 13 points and drained a trio of 3-pointers in St. John Fisher’s 67-41 win over St. John Fisher in the semifinals on Friday night. Brunner added 12 points and seven rebounds in the Empire 8 Championship win over Nazareth on Saturday. It is her third E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Drew Cartwright, Alfred, Sr., A, Elmira, NY/Elmira
Cartwright led the Saxons to a season-opening 11-7 win over SUNY Brockport on Saturday as he totaled five points from a game-high four goals and one assist. He was the only player with over three points in the game as he also put five of his 10 shots on goal. Cartwright scored the game-winning goal just one minute after Brockport tied the game, 7-7 with 6:23 left in the game. Cartwright also picked up four ground balls and caused one turnover in the season-opening win.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Scott Kimiecik, Alfred, Gr., G, Randolph, NJ/Randolph
Kimiecik started his final collegiate season with a double-digit save performance, helping the Saxons to a win to start the season. Kimiecik made 10 saves and picked up four ground balls in the season-opening, 11-7 win over SUNY Brockport Saturday. He recorded a .588 save percentage in the win.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Katelynn Deveans, Medaille, So., M, Clinton, NY/Clinton
Deveans started the season strong, scoring six goals in the Mavericks season-opening 21-11 win over Thiel College on Wednesday. She had a total of 11 shots with nine of them on goal. Deveans also added four ground balls, one caused turnover, and eight draw controls. She also went 3-for-4 on free position shots.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Tatiana Wright, Medaille, Sr., G, Stratford, CT/Bunnell
Wright made five saves in the Mavericks’ season-opening win over Thiel College on Feb. 22.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Cade Eells, Nazareth, So., Middle Distance, Ithaca, NY/Ithaca
Eells scored 26 points to earn 2023 Empire 8 Men's Indoor Championship Track Athlete of the Meet honors, helping lead Nazareth to its first Empire 8 Championship in program history. Eells won the mile run, crossing the finish line first in a time of 4:26.62 and was runner-up in both the 800-meters (1:58.95) and 3,000-meter run (8:55.95). It is Eells’ second E8 weekly honor of the season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Zuriel Wright, Utica, Sr., Sprints/Jumps, Madrid, Spain/Montserrat
Wright was named the 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Indoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet. He won the high jump, clearing 2.00 meters, placed second in the long jump with a leap of 6.86 meters and was third in the triple jump with a leap of 13.09 meters. It is Wright’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Amanda Burrichter, Houghton, Sr., Distance, Houghton, NY/Fillmore
Burrichter was named Empire 8 Indoor Track Championship Athlete of the Meet for the second straight year. She swept the mile and 3,000-meter run championships for the third straight season. Burrichter won the mile in 5:14.19 and took the 3,000-meters in a meet record time of 10:15.82. In addition, she anchored Houghton's winning distanced medley relay team that won by just under three seconds in a time of 13:06.84. It is Burrichter’s third E8 weekly honor of the season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brenna Johnson, Nazareth, Gr., Sprints/Jumps, Cortland, NY/Homer
Johnson earned 2023 Empire 8 Indoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet honors after winning the high jump, clearing 1.57 meters, and also annexing the long jump with a tremendous leap of 5.66 meters. Johnson also excelled on the track side, winning the 60-meter dash in an Empire 8 meet record time of 7.814 seconds, was second in the 200-meters (25.99 seconds), third in the 400-meters (59.47 seconds) and was part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team that placed second overall. She led Nazareth to its first Empire 8 Championship in program history. It is Johnson’s third E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Wickens, Nazareth, Jr., OH/S, Rochester, NY/McQuaid
Wickens slammed 42 kills and added 18 digs in three matches against nationally-ranked opponents during the week. He started the week with 18 kills, eight digs and four blocks, as Nazareth rallied from two sets down to defeat Elmira in five sets. He added 14 kills against No. 2 Vassar and 10 more against No. 8 SUNY New Paltz. It is Wickens’ fourth E8 weekly honor of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Alex Vega, Elmira, Fr., L, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic/Liceo Antonio Garabito
Vega recorded 12 digs in a five-set thriller versus No. 9 Nazareth on Tuesday evening to earn his second consecutive E8 weekly accolade.
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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