General | 5/15/2023 11:46:07 AM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on May 15, 2023, for games played from May 8-May 14. It is the 36th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2022-23 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ethan Perry, St. John Fisher, Jr., C, Dartmouth, MA/GNBRVT
Perry was named the 2023 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Most Valuable Player after leading the Cardinals to their third straight league title. He enjoyed a tremendous tournament, batting .636 (7-for-11) with a home run, double, three runs scored and four RBI. He also caught all 27 innings during the tournament for the Cardinals and threw out 1-of-2 baserunners attempting to steal a base.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Hunter Walsh, St. John Fisher, Sr., P, Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit
Walsh came on in relief in Friday’s Empire 8 Championship winner’s game bracket against No. 2 Utica University and shut down the high-powered Pioneers offense, throwing four scoreless innings, scattering just one hit and one walk to earn the save in an 11-6 win. Walsh entered the game in the top of the sixth inning with the Cardinals up 8-6 and faced just 14 batters to close out the game.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Benjamin Huckans, St. John Fisher, Fr., P, Amsterdam, NY/Christian Brothers Academy
Huckans earned the win on the mound in the 2023 Empire 8 Championship game victory over Russell Sage College, allowing just four hits and a run, while striking out five batters over six innings of work. He fired 81 pitches in the 5-1 victory.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Allie Klonowski, St. John Fisher, Sr., OF, Buffalo, NY/Clarence
Klonowski was named the 2023 Empire 8 Softball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player. She enjoyed a tremendous tournament, batting .462 (6-for-13) with three runs scored and two RBI in the four games. Klonowski had two of Fisher’s three hits in the opener on Championship Saturday against Russell Sage and added a hit, RBI and two runs scored in the 6-1 win over Sage in the decisive game of the tournament.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jess Patterson, St. John Fisher, Sr., P, Rensselaer, NY/Columbia
Patterson allowed just eight hits and one earned run, while striking out 10 batters over 15 innings in three appearances during the Empire 8 Softball Championship. She began the week by throwing three hitless innings and earning the win in a 9-1 victory over Russell Sage Thursday. Patterson scattered three hits and struck out three batters over five innings in a no decision against top-seed Alfred Friday, as the Cardinals eventually won 3-1 in eight innings. She threw a gem on Saturday in game one against Sage, allowing just an unearned run and five hits, while striking out seven batters in the 1-0 loss. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the 2023 season.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Kaleb Luton, Nazareth, Sr., Jumps/Hurdles, Amherst, NY/Sweet Home
Luton set a school record and moved into the top-50 nationally in the 110-meter hurdles as he clocked a time of 14.73 seconds in the finals at the Utica Pioneer Fast Chance Meet on Sunday. He ran 14.87 seconds to qualify for the finals and placed third with his school-record time in the finals.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Justin Swavely, Utica, Jr., Throws, Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy
Swavely fired the javelin a career-best 61.73 meters to win the event at the Utica Pioneer Fast Chance Meet on Sunday. Not only did he set the facility record but moved into the top-15 nationally in the event. It is Swavely’s third E8 weekly accolade of the 2023 season.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ella Impaglia, Nazareth, Fr., Middle Distance, Gouverneur, NY/Gouverneur
Impaglia was the top Division III finisher in the 1,500-meter run at the Utica Pioneer Fast Chance Meet on Sunday, crossing the finish line in a time of 4:56.10. She ran a final 400-meter split of 1:18.82, fastest in the field to earn her career-best time.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Makenna King, St. John Fisher, Jr., Throws, Norwood, NY/Norwood-Norfolk
King won both the shot put and discus throw at the Utica Pioneer Fast Chance Meet on Sunday, moving into the top-20 among all Division III student-athletes in both events. She set a facility record with a throw of 13.73 meters in the shot put, which puts her 17th nationally. King fired the discus 44.87 meters, which is now the 12th best performance in Division III this 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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