General | 10/14/2024 12:22:26 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 14, 2024, for games played from October 7-October 13. It is the seventh Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2024-25 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Bennett Melita, Utica, So., Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville
Melita was the individual race winner, defeating 81 runners at the Hamilton College on Saturday. He recorded a time of 25:11.9 over the 8,000-meter course, averaging a 5:04.1-mile time for the event. Melita finished 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the field for his third individual win of the season. Melita led Utica to a second-place team finish to earn his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Caitlin Voloshen, St. John Fisher, Jr., Bethlehem, PA/Nazareth Area
Voloshen placed third overall out of 86 runners at the Highlander Invitational hosted by Houghton University from Field of Dreams Park on Saturday. Greene broke 21 minutes, completing the 6,000-meter course in a time of 22:55.8, as the top Empire 8 finisher. She recorded a mile rate of 6:09, helping lead the Cardinals to a third-place team finish.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Audra Mieczkowski, Nazareth, Jr., M, Vestal, NY/Vestal
Mieczkowski tallied 11 points on four goals and three assists, while leading Nazareth to a 2-0 week with conference wins over Utica University and Russell Sage College. Mieczkowski recorded a hat trick in a 4-1 win over Utica on Wednesday. She followed that up with a goal and three assists in a 7-1 win over Sage on Saturday. It is her second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ella Buchanan, SUNY Brockport, Sr., GK, Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent
In Brockport's 2-0 week, Buchanan extended her shutout streak to four straight games, while dropping her GAA to just 0.96 on the season and making 11 saves on the week. In Brockport's 1-0 win at home against Hartwick Saturday, Buchanan carried Brockport to a win with a 10-save performance. She picked up her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season and garnered her third E8 weekly accolade of the 2024 season.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Christopher Stancarone, SUNY Morrisville, Jr., QB, Levittown, NY/Division Avenue
Stancarone led the offensive charge for the Mustangs in the 24-14 win over Alfred University Saturday, recording a collective 195 yards total offense and two touchdown scores from his quarterback position. The junior quarterback, in his first start for the Mustangs, completed 6-of-14 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown score, a 27-yard scoring strike, before adding a net 125 yards on 13 carries for a touchdown as well in the running game. Stancarone averaged 9.6 yards per carry, with a long 47-yard scramble for a score that came in the early minutes of the third quarter to put the hosts ahead 14-7.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ellis Einbinder, SUNY Cortland, Jr., S, Brighton, NY/Brighton
Einbinder finished with nine tackles and two interceptions in Cortland's 45-7 win at Utica. Both of his interceptions set up Cortland touchdown drives - one in the second quarter and one in the third quarter.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Doug Simmons, Utica, Gr., LB, White Plains, NY/White Plains
Simmons was a thorn in the side of the No. 2 Cortland offensive line during Saturday's contest. Simmons tore through multiple gaps, on his way to a massive 3.5 sack performance for 16 total yards and allowed the Pioneers to stall the Red Dragons' offensive momentum on numerous occasions. Simmons also ended the game with six total tackles.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mike Baloga, SUNY Cortland, Sr., K/P, New Windsor, NY/Cornwall
Baloga made a career-best 43-yard field goal and all six of his point-after attempt kicks in Cortland's 45-7 win at Utica Saturday. He also averaged 61.2 yards per kickoff on eight kicks, including two touchbacks, and averaged 33 yards per punt on three kicks. It is his second straight E8 weekly accolade.
WOMEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kayla Ringler, Nazareth, Gr., Loretto, PA/Penn Cambria
Ringler shot back-to-back rounds of 81 at the Northeast Women's Golf Conference Fall Classic held at Van Patten Golf Club in Clifton Park, NY Friday (fourth overall) and Mohawk River Country Club Saturday (second overall).
She was one of just two players on the day to birdie the 310 -yard par-4 14th hole on Saturday. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Christian Moon, Alfred, Sr., F, Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa
Moon scored a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner in a 4-1 win over E8 foe Utica University Saturday. Moon scored an unassisted goal in the 48th minute to give Utica a 2-0 lead, making it 2-0. He added his second goal of the game in the 65th minute to make it 3-1 Saxons. He now has a game-winning goal in all four of his seasons played.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Christian Burkhart, St. John Fisher, Gr., GK, Rochester, NY/Brighton
Burkhart made 11 saves over a pair of clean sheets, helping lift the Cardinals to a pair of key Empire 8 victories, 2-0 over SUNY Poly Wednesday and 1-0 against SUNY Brockport Saturday. He stopped four shots in Wednesday’s victory and turned aside a season-high seven shots Saturday. Burkhart now has seven shutouts in net this season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Dante Gesamondo, Hartwick, Sr., GK, Lynnfield, MA/Lynnfield
Gesamondo earned a pair of clean sheets, 3-0 over Elmira Wednesday and 1-0 versus Houghton on Saturday. He recorded eight saves while facing 15 shots and eight corners in 180 minutes. Gesamondo stopped five shots on Wednesday and added three saves Saturday.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sam Bates, Keuka, Fr., F, Holley, NY/Holley
Bates netted her first two collegiate goals within three minutes in the second half on Saturday as the Wolves earned a 3-3 draw with SUNY Poly.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Avery Byrnes, St. John Fisher, Jr., GK, Clay, NY/Cicero North-Syracuse
Byrnes made a season-high five saves and posted her second straight shutout in the St. John Fisher women's soccer team's 2-0 win over unbeaten Brockport on Saturday. Brockport came into the contest having out-scored opponents, 37-0 on the season. The victory moved the Cardinals into a tie with Brockport for first place in the Empire 8 standings.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jake Nielsen, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Breaststroke/Freestyle, Smithtown, NY/Hauppauge
Nielsen won the 100-yard breaststroke (59.58), 100-yard freestyle (47.11) and was part of the winning 200-yard medley relay team that rolled to a win by nearly three seconds (1:34.03) as the Knights opened the season with a 211-71 win over Alfred State College Saturday. He also swam in an exhibition in the 200-yard freestyle relay that recorded a time of 1:23.41.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Courtney Pierce, Hartwick, Jr., Individual Medley/Breaststroke/Freestyle, Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley
Pierce, the two-time reigning Empire 8 Swimmer of the Year, helped lead the Hawks to a dominating win in the season-opening Hartwick relays defeating their next closest opponent by 110 points on Sunday. Pierce played a major role in the win that saw Hartwick take first place in the 300-yard breaststroke relay, the 850-yard crescendo relay, 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catherine Zak, Nazareth, Jr., Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury
On Wednesday in an 8-1 win against St. John Fisher, Zak swept in both singles and doubles. Combined, Zak only allowed opponents to score three points, winning the singles match 6-1, 6-1, and the doubles match 8-1. Saturday's results were similar for both Nazareth and Zak. Nazareth defeated Houghton 9-0, and again Zak only allowed three points against, winning singles 6-0, 6-1, and doubles 8-2.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Alexandra Krasinska, Hartwick, Fr., Pine Island, NY/Warwick Valley
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Phoebe Olson, Hartwick, Jr., Jamestown, ND/Jamestown
Krasinska and Olson helped set the tone early for the Hawks rounding out the team's doubles sweep against St. John Fisher 9-0. The tandem finished 6-0 in Empire 8 regular season play and 7-0 overall. It is Krasinska’s third weekly honor of the season and the second for Olson.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tessa Grover, Nazareth, Sr., S/RS, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Grover earned her second and third consecutive triple-doubles in two big conference wins over Russell Sage and Hartwick, as the Golden Flyers improve to 4-0 in conference play. Overall, Grover hit .362 while averaging 4.0 kills, 5.0 points, 4.63 assists, 3.0 digs and 1.1 blocks per set. On Friday in a four-set win against Russell Sage, she had 17 kills, 18 assists, and 12 digs. Less than 24 hours later, Grover tallied 15 kills, 19 assists, 12 digs and six blocks in a four-set victory over Hartwick. It is her third straight E8 weekly accolade.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Lilly Bentley, Houghton, Fr., MB/RS, Weston Mills, NY/Portville
Bentley led the Highlanders to a pair of three-set sweeps over Empire 8 competitors SUNY Poly and Utica University over the weekend, hitting .397 with 30 kills and five digs. In the first match of the weekend against SUNY Poly, Bentley had 15 kills with just five errors on 29 attempts (.345) and followed that up with 15 kills with only two errors on 29 attempts (.448) in the win over Utica. She averaged five kills per set in both matches and leads the league with a .349 hitting percentage. is Bentley’s third 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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