General | 3/4/2024 12:41:23 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on March 4, 2024, for games played from February 26 – March 3, 2024. It is the 26th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2023-24 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jack Scanlon, Utica, Jr., INF, Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute
Scanlon went 5-for-8 at the plate with three extra-base hits and seven RBI in Utica's doubleheader sweep of Yeshiva on Sunday. In game one, the Onondaga Community College transfer went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, one triple five runs driven in, and a run scored in the 16-3 win. Scanlon played the first half of game two and went 1-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base as the Pioneers topped Yeshiva 24-1.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Joe Degroot, Russell Sage, Gr., P, Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Degroot pitched five shutout innings of relief to help the Gators obtain a walk-off victory versus Chatham in the second game of Sunday's non-conference doubleheader. The lefty allowed just two hits and struck out five to earn the win.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Cameron Brought, Alfred, Fr., OF, Wellsboro, PA/Wellsboro Area
Brought opened his collegiate baseball career fantastically, despite dropping a double-header loss to Penn State Brandywine and a solo game loss to Northland College. He hit .778 (7-for-9) with a double in each contest and recorded 10 total bases and a 1.111 slugging percentage. His last double of the weekend was a two-run shot for the first and second RBI of his career, tying the game at 4-4. Brought is the Saxons’ batting leader with more than double the hits, double the RBI, more than double the total bases (10), batting average (.778) and slugging percentage (1.111).
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily McManus, St. John Fisher, Fr., LF, Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili
McManus began her collegiate career in a big way, hitting .571 (4-for-7) with a double, two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored as the Cardinals earned a 5-0 win over Willamette University and 8-0 victory over Puget Sound on Sunday. McManus slammed her first collegiate hit, a solo home run in the win over Willamette. McManus moved to the clean-up spot of the against Puget Sound and went 3-for-4 with a double, homer two RBI and two runs scored.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Megan Bennett, Alfred, Sr., P, Athens, PA/Athens Area
Bennett was instrumental in the Saxons picking up their first win of the season with a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs of Adrian College. She pitched all seven innings to give up no earned runs and only two hits on 89 pitches. Bennett retired Adrian batters seven times with no walks or hit-by-pitch. With Adrian batters only finding spots on base three times, none advanced on wild pitches.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Ainsley Evanetski, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, Rochester, NY/Brighton
Evanetski fired a complete game shutout in a 5-0 win over Willamette University on Sunday. Evanetski allowed just one hit, a fourth-inning single, struck out nine and walked two batters to earn her first victory of the 2024 season.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Owen Zimmerman, Alfred, Gr., A, Reamstown, PA/Cocalico
Zimmerman scored seven times in an 18-14 win over visiting Misericordia University on Saturday. He totaled nine points by adding two assists while placing 11 of his 12 shots on goal. He collected five ground balls and caused one turnover. Zimmerman has 13 goals and 19 assists in just two games this season and earned his second straight E8 Player of the Week accolade.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Patrick Oswald, Utica, Jr., G, Deer Park, NY/Deer Park
Oswald made a career-high 21 saves en route to a 9-8 double overtime win over Wilkes University on Saturday. All 21 saves were made in regulation with 16 coming in the first half and five in the second half.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grace Hines, Russell Sage, Sr., A, Schenectady, NY/Guilderland
Hines became just the second Russell Sage women's lacrosse player to score 100 career goals after finding the back of the net seven times while adding an assist for an eight-point effort in Saturday's home opener against Marywood.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grace Stuhlman, Utica, Jr., M, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Stuhlman recorded 11 points on nine goals and two assists, while recording 13 draw controls in a 1-1 week. She started the week by scoring three times in a loss to SUNY Cortland on Wednesday. Stuhlman exploded for eight points on six goals and two assists, while adding seven draw controls in a victory over SUNY Oswego on Saturday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Makayla Purdy, Utica, Fr., G, Shirley, NY/William Floyd
Purdy made a season-high 11 saves against SUNY Oswego, six in the first half and five in the second half, guiding the team to a 19-12 victory to earn her second straight E8 weekly accolade.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Michael Puglisi, Nazareth, So., Sprints, Charleton, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Puglisi ran a personal best time of 49.91 seconds to place fourth overall in the 400-meter run at the All-Atlantic Regional Championship meet at Nazareth on Saturday. It is the fastest 400-meter time of the year in Empire 8, 77th best in Division III this season and third fastest in Nazareth school history. It is Puglisi’s second E8 weekly honor of 2023-24.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Antwan Kelly, Utica, Gr., Throws, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Kelly placed third out of 30 student-athletes in the weight throw at the 2024 All-Atlantic Regional Championship meet at Nazareth on Saturday. Kelly recorded a top throw of 17.70 meters (58’ 1”) in the event. He ends the indoor season ranked 30th nationally in the event. It is Kelly’s second E8 weekly honor of 2023-24.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Hunter Logan, Utica, Sr., Throws, Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College
Logan finished third out of 27 student-athletes in the shot put at the 2024 All-Atlantic Regional Championship meet at Nazareth on Saturday. He fired the shot a season-best distance of 16.34 meters (53’ 7.5”), which moved him into 25th nationally in the event. It is Logan’s second E8 weekly honor of 2023-24.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Victoria Brewster, Houghton, Fr., Distance, Montour Falls, NY/Odessa-Montour
Brewster excelled at the 2024 All-Atlantic Regional Championship meet at Nazareth over the weekend, placing fourth in the 60-meter dash and fifth in the 200-meters. She recorded a time of 7.81 in the 60-meter final after tying her personal best at 7.78 in the prelims and set a personal record in the 200-meters with a time of 25.89 meters. She finished the indoor season in the top-75 nationally in both events. It is Brewster’s second E8 weekly honor of 2023-24.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jane Fahy, Utica, Gr., Throws, Oriskany, NY/Oriskany
Fahy has been on a mission this season, breaking personal records in the shot put at nearly every meet this season. She continued that success at the All-Atlantic Regional Championship meet at Nazareth over the weekend, taking first place out of over 25 throwers with a throw of 14.63 meters (48 feet). The throw moved Fahy to No. 4 in the national rankings and secured a spot at the NCAA Championships. It is Fahy’s fourth E8 weekly honor of 2023-24.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Lea Richard, Nazareth, Sr., Throws, Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls
Richard smashed her own school record to win the weight throw at the All-Atlantic Regional Championship meet at Nazareth over the weekend. Her winning throw of 17.97 meters (58' 11 ½") on her fifth toss of the competition was more than a foot past her previous school-record mark. The throw also moved her to 11th on the national list to secure a spot at the NCAA Championships. It is Richard’s third E8 weekly honor of 2023-24.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ian Rauh, St. John Fisher, Jr., MB, Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park
Rauh hit .480 with 30 kills and eight blocks, as the Cardinals won a pair of crucial UVC contests against No. 16 Hobart and No. 10 Vassar before falling to No. 3 Southern Virginia. On Wednesday, Rauh hit .400 with eight kills and four blocks as St. John Fisher rallied to defeat Hobart in five sets. Rauh slammed 15 kills in just 18 attempts for an incredible .778 hitting percentage with three blocks, as the Cardinals defeated defending UVC Champion Vassar College in five sets. He finished the week with seven kills against Southern Virginia.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Tristan Henderson, Nazareth, Fr., RS, East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa
Henderson played all six sets last week for Nazareth and recorded six kills (.214 attack percentage) and had four blocks as the Golden Flyers battled nationally ranked Southern Virginia and Vassar. It is Henderson’s second E8 weekly honor of 2024.
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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