General | 11/18/2024 12:54:32 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on November 18, 2024, for games played from November 11-November 17. It is the 12th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2024-25 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s wrestling.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jajuan Preaster, Houghton, Sr., F, Orlando, FL/Central Florida Christian
Preaster scored 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the floor, while dishing out the game winning assist on a 3-pointer that completed Houghton's comeback win over previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Case Western Reserve; a Sweet 16 team in the 2024 NCAA Division III Tournament and the back-to-back champs of the UAA. Preaster moved into tenth place on the Highlander's All-Time scoring list (1,137 career points). On Wednesday, he stuffed the stat sheet against SUNY Morrisville, posting 10 points, a career high 17 rebounds, and six assists as the Houghton defeated the Mustangs, 81-65.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Joey Mclaurin, Hartwick, Fr., G, Mastic Beach, NY/William Floyd
Mclaurin averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in a pair of games last week. In Hartwick's battle with SUNY Oneonta, Mclaurin came off the bench to play 30 minutes and led the team in scoring with 23 points to go along with three assists and one steal. On Friday night against FDU-Florham, Mclaurin once again came off the bench and helped his team erase a 22-point deficit at halftime to get within three points of the Devils with thirty seconds remaining in the game. Despite the loss, he totaled 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grace Rittenhouse, Alfred, Gr., G, Dansville, NY/Dansville
Rittenhouse led Alfred to wins over Hiram College and Alfred State College, while averaging 22.0 points on 53 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals across the two matchups. Against Hiram, Rittenhouse totaled 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. She shot 9-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The following day against Alfred State, Rittenhouse led the Saxons with 23 points, six rebounds and two steals. She finished the game shooting 9-of-18 from the field.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Anna Dening, Houghton, Fr., G, Lowville, NY/Lowville
Dening was a key contributor off the bench in Houghton's 2-0 week, averaging 12.0 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game, while knocking down five 3-pointers on 11 attempts and shooting 56.3 percent from the floor (9-of-16) on the week. She tallied 10 points to go along with a pair of rebounds and two assists in a win over SUNY Delhi, then closed the week with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists, while draining 4-of-7 3-pointers in a comeback win on the road at Emerson.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Charlie Wilson, SUNY Geneseo, Gr., Romeo, MI/Romeo
Wilson broke away from a tight pack late to pull away from teammate Alex Hillyard to win the 2024 NCAA Niagara Regional Championship individual title by just under five seconds in a time of 24:51.8 over 8,000-meters at the Fredonia State Cross Country Course on Saturday. He recorded a mile time of 5:00.1 en route to leading No. 5 Geneseo to a second-place finish and at-large selection into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship. It is Wilson’s second E8 weekly honor of 2024.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Penelope Greene, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Sag Harbor, NY/Pierson
Greene won the individual title at the 2024 NCAA Niagara Regional Championship held at the Fredonia State Cross Country Course on Saturday, finishing five seconds ahead of the field over the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:13.3. She helped No. 7 Geneseo to a second-place finish and at-large selection into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship. It is Greene’s fifth E8 weekly honor of the season.
FOOTBALL
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ethan Gallo, SUNY Cortland, So., RB, Slate Hill, NY/Minisink Valley
Gallo ran 32 times for 183 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 10 yards in Cortland's 28-17 win over visiting Ithaca in the annual Cortaca Jug game as the Red Dragons completed a 10-0 regular season. His 3-yard TD run in the second quarter tied the game at 14-14. With Cortland trailing 17-14 in the third, Gallo ran for 14 and 35 yards on consecutive plays to advance the ball to the Ithaca 21-yard line, eventually setting up the Red Dragons' go-ahead touchdown. It is Gallo’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Isaiah Simmons, SUNY Brockport, So., RB, Buffalo, NY/South Park
Simmons totaled 28 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the regular season finale at Alfred Saturday. His longest run of the day was a 42-yard touchdown, and he averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Simmons also added two catches for 12 yards receiving to give him 192 all-purpose yards. It is his third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jordyn Davis, Utica, So., DL, Hempstead, NY/Uniondale
Davis was a massive disruptor during Saturday's 35-20 victory over St. John Fisher in the Pioneers' regular-season finale. Davis enforced his will at the line of scrimmage during the matchup, breaking through for 3.5 sacks, costing the Cardinals 31 yards of offense. He also forced a fumble during one of his sacks. Davis finished with six total tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Freddie Callo, Utica, Sr., K/P, Milton, NY/Marlboro
Callo went 5-for-5 on his extra point attempts in the Pioneers' 35-20 win over St. John Fisher Saturday. In addition to Callo's spotless kicking performance, he also excelled at pinning Fisher deep in their own territory, with two of his three punts landing inside the opposing 20-yard line. He averaged 45 yards per boot in the contest, two more yards than the highest average punt distance held by any player over the course of the Empire 8 season.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jakob Breault, Utica, So., F, Acton Vale, Quebec/La Ruche Magog
Breault tallied four points on two goals and two assists and was plus-5, as he led the No. 3 Pioneers to a two-game sweep over SUNY Brockport. Breault was a model of consistency over the weekend, with a goal and an assist in each victory. In addition to his offensive prowess, Breault also won 27 of his 34 faceoff opportunities over the two-game set, finishing with a nearly 80 percent edge at the dot.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Brody Haynes, Elmira, Sr., G, York, PA/Commonwealth Charter Academy
Haynes stopped 63 of the 66 shots that he faced over the weekend as the Soaring Eagles swept No. 7 Skidmore at the Murray Athletic Center. Haynes made 33 saves on Friday in a 3-2 victory for the Soaring Eagles and followed with a 30-save performance in a 5-1 win on Saturday. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Carlos Gonzalez, Alfred, Fr., Breaststroke/Individual Medley, Baja California, Mexico/Unifront
Gonzalez continued his strong start to the season, as Alfred defeated Pitt-Bradford 154-47 this past weekend in a dual meet. Gonzalez broke the respective pool records in both the 1,000-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley events. In the freestyle, Gonzalez clocked in with a time of 10:04.43. He later claimed victory in the individual medley with a time of 1:54.79. Gonzalez was additionally joined by teammates Emiliano Terrazas, Paul Tuttle, and Emmanuel Drappatz to win the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:30.87. It is Gonzalez’s third E8 weekly honor of the 2024-25 season.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth, Gr., Diving, Hamburg, NY/Frontier
Tripp, the 2023 Empire 8 Diver of the Year, won the 3-meter diving event with 299.65 points and took second on the 1-meter board with a score of 270.85 in a dual meet against University of Rochester on Saturday.
MEN’S WRESTLING
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK – Hollis Berry, Elmira, Sr., 165 lbs., East Greenbush, NY/Columbia
Berry finished the week with a 4-1 overall record through five dual matches for the Soaring Eagles, as they competed at the Electric City Duals hosted by the University of Scranton Sunday. Wrestling at 165 lbs., Berry earned a win by fall over Scranton, win by decision against New Jersey City and two wins via forfeit later in the day. It is his second straight 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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