Baseball | 4/24/2023 12:50:29 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 24, 2023, for games played from April 17-April 23. It is the 33rd 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 and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Noah Campanelli, St. John Fisher, Sr., INF, Pittsford, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Campanelli batted .706 in four wins for St. John Fisher, with 12 hits in 17 at-bats to go along with eight runs scored, five stolen bases, four doubles, a home run and four RBI. He scored two runs in each of the four games and had a pair of four-hit games, while drawing a pair of walks and slugging 1.118. Campanelli also set St. John Fisher’s single-season record for stolen bases with 33 and is batting .460 on the season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Patrick McGuire, St. John Fisher, Sr., P, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
McGuire fired a complete-game three hit shutout in St. John Fisher’s 6-0 win over Houghton in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader. He walked two batters and struck out seven to move to 5-0 on the season, lowering his earned run average to 1.75. It is McGuire third E8 weekly honor of 2023.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kooper Knabe, Utica, Fr., P, Cortland, NY/Cortland
Knabe turned in his fourth complete game of the season, while moving to 7-0 and lowering his earned run average to 1.34 in his win over Medaille on Saturday. In all, Knabe went each of the seven innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks, and he also struck out five Mavericks. Knabe carried a perfect game into the sixth inning, as well as a no-hitter into the seventh. It is Knabe’s fifth E8 weekly honor of 2023.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jessica Remm, Alfred, Fr., OF, Carmel, IN/Carmel
Remm helped the Saxons go 6-2 on the week and 4-0 in Empire 8 action as she hit .484 (15-for-31) with five doubles, including her 3-for-3, three double performance in a win over AMCC-leading Penn State Behrend, tying the Alfred program record for doubles in a game. Remm drove in 13 runs while crossing home plate six times herself. On the bases, she was a perfect, 5-for-5 in stolen bases. Defensively, Remm made successful plays on all seven balls out past the dirt, recording six putouts and one assist.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Megan Bennett, Alfred, Jr., P, Athens, PA/Athens Area
Bennett went 4-1 on the week inside of the pitcher’s circle while recording one save. In 21.2 innings pitched, she only gave up 15 hits and two earned runs. During that time as well, she struck out opposing batters 24 times with a weekly and season-high 10 strikeouts in a conference win at Elmira College. Bennett also had three assists and a putout on the week with no errors.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kevin Matson, Alfred, Jr., A, Chenango Bridge, NY/Chenango Forks
Matson totaled 12 points in the two-game week, setting his Alfred University career-high in assists with three in a non-conference win over Oswego State. In that game, he totaled five points by adding two goals (one man-up) and tacked on three ground balls. Matson was credited with the game-winning goal on Saturday, as he scored a six times and added an assist in the league victory over Medaille. It is Matson’s fourth E8 weekly honor of the season.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Timmy Salit, St. John Fisher, Jr., A, Johns Creek, GA/Johns Creek
Salit recorded a season-high four assists against reigning NCAA National Runner-up Union College on Wednesday night. He added five ground balls and one caused turnover. Salit tallied a season high five goals and added one assist, to lead the way on the offensive end in Saturday’s win over Russell Sage. Salit recorded a combined 10 points in the two games last week.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Eric Almquist, Nazareth, Gr., G, Wakefield, MA/Malden Catholic
Almquist was a major reason Nazareth defeated Hartwick in a key Empire 8 matchup on Friday night as he stopped 18 shots and helped the Golden Flyers secure a 13-8 win and a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament Field. Almquist recorded a .692 save percentage to earn his second E8 weekly honor of the 2023 season.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sydney Carpenter, St. John Fisher, So., M, Rochester, NY/Hilton
Carpenter contributed all over the field in a 3-0 week for the nationally-ranked Cardinals. On Wednesday against Keuka, she recorded two goals on two shots, two assists, three ground balls, two caused turnovers and 11 draw controls. In a convincing win over nationally-ranked Ithaca College on Friday, she tallied two goals, one assist and had three ground balls to go along with seven draw controls. Finishing out the week, on Saturday against Russell Sage Carpenter tallied three goals, one assist and 11 draw controls. During the 3-0 week she had a combined 11 points, 29 draw controls, seven ground balls and three caused turnovers. It is Carpenter’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Allie Klestinec, Nazareth, Fr., G, Geneva, NY/Geneva
Klestinec was a force in goal for the Golden Flyers with a career-high 19 saves as Nazareth downed Hartwick 18-9 to secure a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament field. She recorded a tremendous .679 save percentage in the win.
MEN’S TENNIS
CO-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Pierre Ntonga, Nazareth, Fr., New York, NY/Democracy Prep Charter
Ntonga enjoyed an undefeated week as Nazareth posted three Empire 8 wins to secure the No. 2 position in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. He was 2-0 against St. John Fisher with an 8-3 doubles win and came from behind to post a 6-7, 7-5, 10-5 win at No. 4 singles. He was 2-0 in the Medaille match with an 8-5 doubles win and a 6-2, 7-6 win at No. 2 singles. The week ended with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 2 singles against Utica.
CO-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Nolan Zach, Houghton, So., Penfield, NY/Penfield
Zach won all three of his singles matches (6-0, 6-0 4th vs Medaille; 6-4, 6-2 1st vs Alfred; and 3-6, 6-4, 10-2 4th at St John Fisher) and two doubles matches (8-3 1st vs Medaille and 8-2 3rd at St John Fisher) in a regular season E8 title clinching week for his Highlanders. Zach lost only one set this past week and has now won eight straight singles matches and seven out of eight doubles contests.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Mike Welch, Nazareth, Sr., Sprints, Avon, NY/Avon
Welch clocked a personal record in the 400-meters at the University of Rochester Spring Invitational over the weekend with a regional qualifying time of 49.98 and also helped the 4 x 400-meter relay to a first place finish (3:24.08) and the 4 x 100-meter relay to a third place finish (43.34). He is the first E8 student-athlete to break 50 seconds in the 400-meters this season and has Nazareth atop the league leaderboard in the 4 x 400-meter relay event to date.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – John Coddington, Russell Sage, Sr., Throws, Amsterdam, NY/Broadalbin-Perth
Competing at the UAlbany's Bobbi Palma Invitational Friday, Coddington had a banner night, winning two events, while breaking two school records. First, he won the hammer toss with a school mark of 52.49 meters to break his own mark of 49.49 meters. He then took first in the shot put with a throw of 14.88 meters, breaking his previous best throw of 14.79 meters. He also added a fourth place showing in the discus to wrap his night with a toss of 39.11 meters, a season-best throw.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Samantha Shea, St. John Fisher, Gr., Sprints, North Tonawanda, NY/Starpoint
Shea excelled at the University of Rochester Alumni Invitational over the weekend. She won the 100-meter dash a time of 12.01 seconds, setting a school record. With her performance, Shea moves up to first in the conference, first in the region, and 11th in the nation. Later in the meet, Shea ran 25.45 seconds in the 200-meters, placing second overall, and setting yet another school record. It is her third straight E8 weekly accolade.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jane Fahy, Utica, Sr., Throws, Oriskany, NY/Oriskany
Fahy recorded a monster toss of 13.77 meters in the shot put at the Cortland Classic on Friday, breaking her own school record. That throw is the 12th-best in the current NCAA Division III rankings. It is Fahy’s third E8 weekly accolade of the 2023 outdoor 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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