Baseball | 3/13/2023 12:37:54 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 13, 2023, for games played from March 6-March 12. It is the 27th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Frank Colletta, Russell Sage, So., IF, Holtsville, NY/St. John the Baptist
Colletta batted .565 with 13 hits in 23 at bats, six runs scored, five doubles and four RBI in a 4-2 week for the Gators. He had at least one hit in all six games and recorded five multiple-hit efforts. He went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double in a win over Wentworth Friday and added three more hits, run scored and an RBI in a win over SUNY Poly Saturday. Colletta also slugged .783 during the week.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Russell Dunlap, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, North Attleborough, MA/North Attleborough
Dunlap went 1-1 on the week, while allowing 11 hits in 10 1/3 innings, while striking out eight batters. He began the week by tossing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless ball in relief to earn the win, as the Cardinals earned a 5-4 victory over St. Joseph’s of Maine on Monday. He scattered eight hits and allowed two earned runs with six strikeouts against Penn State-Abington on Friday.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Dylan Sullivan, Utica, Fr., P, West Orange, NJ/Columbia
Sullivan earned his second win of the season in Utica's 22-8 win over Fredonia in Florida on Sunday. He went 2 2/3 innings allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout. Sullivan entered the game with one out and a runner on second in the top of the 3rd inning and escaped with minimal damage to keep Utica ahead. From there, he tossed clean fourth and fifth innings before leaving the game in the sixth in line for the win. It is Sullivan’s second straight E8 weekly accolade.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Dicranian, Russell Sage, Gr., P/IF, Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union
Dicranian slashed .583/.917/.643 in four games last week, going 7-for-12 at the plate with two doubles, a triple, four RBI and two walks, while scoring three runs. She recorded a pair of three-hit performances, including a 3-for-4 effort with three RBI, two runs scored in Tuesday's win versus Penn State-Behrend.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jordyn Conte, Utica, Sr., P, Newport, NY/West Canada Valley
Conte was lights out in her first start of the season as she helped guide Utica to an 8-0 win over Maine Presque Isle in South Carolina on Sunday. Conte tossed five shutout innings and allowed just five base runners (four hits, one walk), while striking out seven batters en route to her first win of the season.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Devon Gerhardt, Keuka, So., A, Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy
Gerhardt enjoyed a tremendous first week in a Keuka College uniform, highlighted a nine-point performance against Thiel College Saturday. He scored four goals and had five assists in the win over the Tomcats, setting a career-high in all three categories. It was the most points by an Empire 8 player and tied with teammate Kyle Murphy for the most assists in a game this season.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samuel Miller, St. John Fisher, Sr., M, Geneva, NY/Geneva
Miller tallied five goals and three assists in a pair of games during the week. On Wednesday, he recorded six points on four goals and two assists in a 16-12 loss to No. 2 Christopher Newport University. Miller followed that up with a goal and an assist in a double-overtime thriller against Muhlenberg Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Patrick Oswald, Utica, So., G, Deer Park, NY/Deer Park
Oswald made his second start of the season on Saturday and earned his first win of the 2023 campaign in Utica's 10-5 win over Castleton. In 54 minutes and 30 seconds between the pipes, Oswald allowed just four goals and made 18 saves to help lift the Pioneers over the Spartans.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grace Hines, Russell Sage, Jr., A, Schenectady, NY/Guilderland
Hines led the Gators to a 2-0 week after recording 15 goals and 17 points to go along with nine ground balls and six caused turnovers. Against SUNY Poly on Wednesday, she led the Gators with a personal-best eight goals and an assist, after scoring five in the first half. She also led the team with nine ground balls and added five caused turnovers. Hines added eight points on seven goals and an assist in a win over Castleton Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Lily Goodsell, St. John Fisher, Sr., G, Camillus, NY/West Genesee
Goodsell stopped 20 of 38 shots in two games against Messiah University and Colorado College last week for a 526 save percentage. She recorded 13 saves on 22 shots on goal for a .591 save percentage against Messiah on Wednesday. She stopped seven shots on Saturday to help bring lift the Cardinals to a win over Colorado College.
MEN’S TENNIS
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Matthew Hibbert, Alfred, Sr., Oswego, NY/Oswego
Hibbert played a crucial role in helping Alfred secure its first win of the spring season against Mary Baldwin University on Tuesday in 5-4 fashion. Hibbert picked up his first point for AU from No. 2 doubles, where he paired alongside Walker Waldon in an 8-3 victory. Hibbert later competed in No. 5 singles, where he won his first set 6-3 before pulling off a 10-4 win in a contested tiebreaker third set. The victory for Hibbert in singles action was the match-clinching point for Alfred University.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alberto Mauricio, Elmira, So., OH, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic/Liceo Gastón Fernando Deligne
Mauricio slammed 52 kills to go along with 27 digs in a 2-1 week for Elmira. He began the week with 17 kills and six digs in a four-set win over No. 12 Nazareth Wednesday. On Saturday, Mauricio hit .321 with 15 kills in a loss to No. 10 SUNY New Paltz before exploding for 20 kills, 18 digs and a .361 hitting percentage in a three-set win over Kean. Mauricio has recorded double-digit kills in all 14 matches this season and is a three-time E8 Player of the Week.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Gabe La Robardiere, St. John Fisher, Fr., OPP, North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
La Robardiere tallied eight kills and five blocks in a 3-0 week for the Cardinals, as they posted wins over Medaille, Endicott and MIT. It is his fourth E8 weekly honor of the 2023 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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