General | 4/10/2023 1:18:47 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 10, 2023, for games played from April 3-April 9. It is the 31st Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – James Murphy, St. John Fisher, Jr., 1B, Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna
Murphy led the Cardinals to six wins, including five in league play, hitting .417 (10-for-24) with three home runs and 13 RBI. He slugged .875 in the six wins. On Monday, Murphy was 3-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI in the win over Keuka. He also added a home run and drove in seven runs in the three-game sweep over Russell Sage.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Matteo Salvati, Elmira, So., OF, Batsto, NJ/St. Augustine Prep
Salvati went 7-for-10 at the plate with three runs batted in, four runs scored, and four walks in a three-game sweep over Medaille. He notched three hits on Friday and three more in game two on Saturday while working three walks in game one on Saturday against Medaille. On the basepaths, Salvati successfully stole 3-of-4 bases for the Soaring Eagles. He also went 3-for-3 with three doubles and two RBI against Hobart on Wednesday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Patrick McGuire, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
McGuire won a pair of games on the mound for the Cardinals in a 6-0 week. Over 13.0 innings, he recorded an ERA of 2.08. McGuire faced 47 batters, striking out 12, giving up only eight hits and three runs. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kooper Knabe, Utica, Fr., P, Cortland, NY/Cortland
Knabe added two more wins to his record this week, improving to 5-0 to begin his collegiate career. In two conference games, Knabe tossed 13 innings, allowing just two earned runs over seven hits with eight strikeouts. In his win over Houghton on Monday, Knabe tossed a complete game, one hit shutout which included six strikeouts. In his win over Keuka on Saturday, he went six innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits with a pair of strikeouts and zero walks issued. He also faced just three batters over the minimum in the game. It is Knabe’s third E8 weekly honor of 2023.
SOFTBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Joss, Utica, Gr., INF/OF, South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls
Joss extended her hitting streak to 11 games this weekend with a 10-for-14 performance at the plate, while leading the Pioneers to a 3-1 mark. Out of her 10 hits, Joss went for extra-bases six times with five doubles and a home run. She also drove in four runs and scored nine times over the team's four Empire 8 games. In the team's sweep of Keuka, Joss went 5-for-8 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and seven runs scored. Against Elmira on Saturday, she went 5-for-6 with three doubles, an RBI and two runs scored.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Amelia Martin, Elmira, Sr., OF, Athens, PA/Athens Area
In six games this week, Martin was able to help the Soaring Eagles to a 3-3 record, including a 2-2 mark in Empire 8 play. Hitting .421 for the week, Martin was able to kick off Empire 8 play by hitting three home runs while posting seven RBI in addition to posting two walks and a stolen base over the duration of the week. She homered in back-to-back games against Russell Sage Friday and went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBI in Saturday’s game two win over Utica.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Emily Daciw, Nazareth, Sr., P, Angelica, NY/Genesee Valley
Daciw continued her hot start to the season with three wins in the 3-1 weekend for Nazareth. She finished the week with a sizzling 1.24 ERA with 13 hits allowed in 17 innings. She allowed four runs (three earned) and recorded 22 strikeouts. She posted a season-high 12 strikeouts in a 4-0 shutout win at Houghton and then came on in relief to throw the final three innings of the come-from-behind 8-7 win in the second game of the doubleheader Saturday. It is her second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jacob Poulos, Medaille, Fr., Lancaster, NY/Lancaster
Poulos shot a career low in the Mavs' match against Pitt-Bradford last week. He shot an 82 at the par-72 home course to finish second overall.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Pete Conley, Hartwick, Sr., A, Foxborough, MA/Foxborough
Conley's eight points on three goals and five assists was a team-high in Hartwick's 20-4 conference win over Keuka on Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Scott Kimiecik, Alfred, Gr., G, Randolph, NJ/Randolph
Kimiecik made nine saves in goal for the Saxons as he picked up Alfred’s first win over Nazareth since 2018. He helped Alfred beat the Golden Flyers, 13-11 with nine saves as he was also second on the team in ground balls with four. It is his second straight E8 weekly honor.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Carpenter, St. John Fisher, So., M, Rochester, NY/Hilton
Carpenter contributed all over the field with 19 draw controls and 10 points to help the nationally-ranked Cardinals go 2-0 this past week and secure their first Empire 8 win of the season. She recorded one goal, two assists and nine draw controls in the win over SUNY Geneseo Thursday. Carpenter added five goals, two assists, four ground balls, one caused turnover and had 10 draw controls in the win over Utica.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kristen Vaccarelli, Hartwick, So., M, Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills East
Vaccarelli helped the Hawks to a 2-0 week in Empire 8 play, picking up dominant victories over Sage and Keuka. On Wednesday, she tied for the team lead in points, scoring six goals and registering two assists. She also notched her 100th point in her career during that contest. Vaccarelli added to her goal total on Saturday, scoring five times which puts her one away from 50 goals on the season. She was also dominant in the draw control, picking up nine in each of the two contests.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Maddi Morrison, Hartwick, Fr., G, Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Morrison made seven saves in a 2-0 week for the Hawks as they earned league victories over Russell Sage and Keuka. She stopped five of six shots on goal in Hartwick’s win over Keuka Saturday.
MEN’S TENNIS
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Damian Bruce, Utica, Sr., Gloversville, NY/Gloversville
Bruce had a fantastic 4-0 week battling the opposing team's aces going an incredible 40-3 in games over the course of the week and leading the team to two straight victories. Bruce went a perfect 4-0 overall in singles and doubles this week.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jaylen Savage, Nazareth, Fr., Sprints, Elmsford, NY/Alexander Hamilton
Savage recorded an Empire 8 best time of 50.41 seconds in the 400-meters at the RIT Invitational on Saturday.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Justin Swavely, Utica, Jr., Throws, Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy
Swavely took first in the javelin throw at the Utica Pioneer Spring Invite on Saturday, throwing a facility record and personal best 58.92 meters. That throw currently ranks 11th overall in the NCAA Division III rankings.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Samantha Shea, St. John Fisher, Gr., Sprints, North Tonawanda, NY/Starpoint
On Saturday, Fisher competed in the Utica Pioneer Spring Invite. Shea ran in the 4 x 100-meter relay that took first overall with a time of 48.67 seconds, tops in the conference. Shea concluded the day by clocking a time of 57.85 seconds to win the 400-meter dash. She currently has the 14th best time in the nation in the event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Anne Spila, Alfred, So., Multi-Events, Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity
Spila competed in three events and broke three personal records at the Geneseo Early Season Invitational on Monday. Her top finish was in the long jump as she nearly broke an Alfred University school record. With a leap of 5.44 meters, which is among the E8 leaders. Spila also set new personal bests in the 100-meter dash (13.15 seconds) and 200-meter dash (28.22 seconds).
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Oscar Munoz-Trinidad, Elmira, Sr., OH/S, Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic/ Colegio Experimental Fernando Arturo de Meriño
Munoz-Trinidad led the Soaring Eagles to a 1-1 record, while winning a set off over the No. 3 nationally-ranked Eagles from Juniata. In all, Munoz Trinidad would play seven sets, racking up 23.0 points (3.14 kills per set), and a hitting percentage of .375. He hit .571 with 13 kills in a win over Drew. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of 2023.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Owen Gardner, St. John Fisher, So., OH, Brockport, NY/Brockport
Gardner hit .500 with eight kills, four blocks and a service ace in helping lead St. John Fisher to a pair of wins on Saturday. He excelled in a three-set win over Russell Sage, hitting .636 with a season-best seven kills, two digs and a service ace.
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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