General | 4/29/2024 12:24:52 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 29, 2024, for games played from April 22 – April 28, 2024. It is the 34th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2023-24 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
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lance Berger, Utica, So., INF, Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony
Berger impressed at the plate in Utica's sweep of Elmira this past weekend. Over his three outings, Berger went 7-for-9 (.778) with two home runs, four walks and four RBIs, while recording a 2.230 OPS. He also did not strikeout once over, walked four times and scored four runs over his 14 plate appearances. He started off with a 4-for-4 outing in Saturday's win where he connected for his first career home run and drew one walk. During Sunday's doubleheader he went a combined 3-for-5 with three RBIs and another home run in game two.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jeff Stearns, Russell Sage, Jr., INF, Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union
Stearnes drove in 11 runs and hit .625 with 11 RBI, six runs scored, and three doubles to help the Gators go 4-0 against E8 competition. Over the weekend, Stearns exploded with a 4-for-4, 6 RBI performance in a game one win over Keuka Saturday and went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the nightcap.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Matthew Denatale, Russell Sage, Gr., P, Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks
Denatale went 1-0 with a save to help the Gators go 4-1 last week, including 4-0 against E8 competition to clinch a postseason berth. The lefty allowed just three earned runs and whiffed four Keuka batters across eight innings in Sunday's E8 road victory. He locked down Russell Sage’s 9-7 win at St. John Fisher on Friday, tossing two shutout innings and permitting just three Cardinals to reach base, only one via a hit. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kip Bertram, Houghton, Fr., P, Irondequoit, NY/Irondequoit
Bertram earned the win in his only appearance this past week by throwing six shutout innings while allowing only two hits plus a walk and recording 12 strikeouts in a shutout win over Alfred on Saturday. The Houghton newcomer has won four of his last five decisions.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Joss, Utica, Gr., INF/OF, South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls
Joss had at least one hit in each of Utica's seven games this past week to help lead the team to a 5-2 record. In all she batted .619 (13-for-21) with three doubles, one home run, six walks, six RBIs and just one strikeout. Over her seven games, Joss put together five multi-hit performances including a 3-for-4 outing in game two against Houghton last Tuesday. Prior to her three hits in game two, Joss had two hits in game one before following that up with two hits in both games against Keuka on Thursday. She recorded a 1.609 OPS on the week.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Megan Bennett, Alfred, Sr., P, Athens, PA/Athens Area
Bennett totaled 47 strikeouts in 30 innings, finishing the week 5-1 as she is now second in school history for career wins with 40, season wins with 18, strikeouts with 372 and single season shutouts with six. On Sunday, Bennett totaled 17 strikeouts against Elmira College to surpass All-American and Saxon great, Jessica Wilcox ’20, ’21 MBA who had 15 in 2021 against Utica. On Senior Day, she stepped to the plate to go 2-for-2 with two RBI and a hit and walked once. It is her second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Cassidy Ormond, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse
Ormond went 4-0 during the week, allowing just seven hits, two walks and one run, while striking out 23 batters over 18 innings for the Cardinals, as they secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. Ormond threw her second no-hitter of the season on Friday, no-hitting Houghton while striking out four batters. It is her third straight E8 weekly accolade and fourth overall of the season.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Nathan Macdonald, Utica, So., Canton, MA/Canton
Macdonald placed third at the Oswego Spring Invitational out of 39 golfers, shooting a combined 155 in the two-day tournament. On the par 71 course, he went 11 over on day one and two over on day two. He guided Utica to a second place finish out of eight teams.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Colin August, Hartwick, So., A, Garrison, NY/James I’ O’Neill
August was a focal point of the Hawks' attack that lifted them over Russell Sage and Keuka, picking up 14 points on 11 goals and three assists. In a must win game against the Gators on Wednesday, Colin notched a game high six goals and added on two assists. August stayed hot over the weekend in the 22-7 win over Keuka, picking up a game high five goals and one assist in the regular season finale.
CO-GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Kaiden Johnson, Hartwick, Fr., G, Wakefield, MA/Wakefield Memorial
Johnson was effective in between the pipes, picking up 22 saves in two conference wins on the Hawks' way to earning a playoff berth. Kaiden notched 12 saves in a must-win game over Russell Sage, he then registered ten saves in 34 minutes in the victory against Keuka on Saturday. Johnson had a .667 save percentage in the two wins.
CO-GOALIE OF THE WEEK – McLean Ralston, So., G, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Ralston made 15 saves against Alfred to help Nazareth secure the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament. He also had three saves in limited time against Keuka on Wednesday. Overall, he recorded a .600 save percentage in the two wins. It is Ralston’s fourth E8 weekly accolade of the season.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samantha DeCondo, Utica, Gr., A, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
DeCondo had a huge impact on Utica's 16-4 win over Russell Sage and 19-6 win over Alfred, recording 10 points on six goals and four assists. Against Sage, she scored five goals and dished out one assist along with seven shots on goal. Against Alfred, she notched one goal on three assists in a 19-6 win. It is DeCondo’s second E8 weekly accolade of the 2024 season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Allie Klestinec, Nazareth, So., G, Geneva, NY/Geneva
Klestinec led Nazareth to a season-ending Empire 8 win at Hartwick as she made 19 saves in the 11-10 overtime win over the Hawks to secure the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament. Earlier in the week, she added 11 saves at Rochester and finished the week with eight ground balls. The two double-digit save totals were her ninth and tenth of the season. It is Klestinec’s fourth E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Dominic Vito, Nazareth, Gr., Gansevoort, NY/Schuylerville
Vito led Nazareth to a regular season-ending win over St. John Fisher to secure second place in the Empire 8 standings. Vito paired with Max Funiciello for a No. 2 doubles win by an 8-2 score and then recorded a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 3 singles.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Andy Hadasz, Utica, Jr., Sprints, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Hadasz turned in another strong weekend at the RPI Capital District Classic. In the 100-meter dash finals, Hadasz ran a 10.84 to place second overall. Hadasz along with Kain, Nyles Rogers and Connor Dean made up the 4x100-meter relay squad that ran a season-best 42.47 and placed third.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Hayden Penna, St. John Fisher, Fr., Pole Vault, Hilton, NY/Hilton
Penna excelled in the pole vault at the Cardinal Classic on Saturday, as he cleared the bar at 4.63 meters, setting a new program outdoor record which is just outside the top-50 nationally this season.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Mackenzie Mix, Utica, Jr., Sprints, Camden, NY/Camden
Mix had two individual wins, both in the sprint events at the RPI Capital District Classic. The junior won the 1000-meters with a time of 12.22 seconds and ran a 12.21 in the prelims to advance to the finals, which is a season-best. In the 200-meters, Mix ran another season-best time of 25.50 to get the win. It is her second straight E8 weekly accolade.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jane Fahy, Utica, Gr., Throws, Oriskany, NY/Oriskany
Fahy broke her own school and Empire 8 conference record in shot put at the RPI Capital District Classic. Fahy's throw of 14.77 meters placed her first at the meet and clears her previous outdoor shot put personal best of 14.42 meters. She is currently ranked third nationally in the event. It is Fahy’s third E8 weekly accolade of the spring.
CO-FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Lea Richard, Nazareth, Sr., Throws, Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls
Richard broke the school-record for the hammer throw with a winning toss of 52.14 meter (171' 1") at the Rochester Twilight Meet over the weekend. It is currently the 21st best throw nationally. Richard is a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week in 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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