General | 9/2/2024 11:17:50 AM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on September 2, 2024, for games played from August 30-September 1. It is the first Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2024-25 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Bennett Melita, Utica, So., Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville
Melita, the reigning Empire 8 Co-Runner of the Year, began the 2024 season by rolling to a win by 25 seconds, finishing first out of 65 runners at the season-opening SUNY Poly Short Course Invitational on Saturday in a time of 19:21.2 over the 6,000-meter course. He averaged a 5:11.4-mile time for the event and led the Pioneers to the team title.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ari Reback, SUNY Geneseo, Fr., Fairport, NY/Fairport
Reback made her collegiate debut one to remember, finishing as the individual championship at the Terry Rodenbeck Invitational at St. John Fisher on Friday evening. She placed first out of 115 runners with a time of 15:07.5 over the 4,000-meter course, defeating the runner-up by just under six seconds. Reback helped lead SUNY Geneseo, who is ranked fourth in the season-opening USTFCCCA Division III national poll to the team title as well.
FIELD HOCKEY
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Madison Chodkowski, Nazareth, Sr., M, West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West
Chodkowski recorded her first collegiate hat-trick to lift Nazareth to a season-opening 6-1 win over Oberlin on Saturday. She scored her first goal of the game in the 19th minute, which proved to be the game-winning marker, giving Nazareth a 2-1 lead before striking again exactly eight minutes later. Chodkowski completed the hat-trick in the 47th minute to close out the scoring.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sam Lewis, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., F, East Rochester, NY/East Rochester
Lewis tallied three goals and two assists for eight points over the opening weekend, helping the Knights to two road wins over Liberty League opponents to start the 2024 campaign. On Friday, Lewis assisted on a pair of goals, including the game-winner, as Geneseo rallied from 2-0 down to defeat Rensselaer, 3-2. Less than 24 hours later, Lewis recorded a hat-trick, scoring Geneseo’s first, second and fourth goals of the game in a 5-0 victory over Vassar.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ella Buchanan, SUNY Brockport, Sr., GK, Barneveld, NY/Holland Patent
Buchanan stopped 13-of-14 shots for a .929 save percentage and 0.46 goals against average over the opening weekend of play. She began the week by stopping 13 of 14 shots in a thrilling 2-1 double overtime win over Juniata College on Friday. Eight of her 13 saves came in the opening half. Buchanan followed that up by earning her first shutout of the season in a 4-0 win over against Allegheny College on Sunday.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Joe DePasquale, St. John Fisher, Sr., Marcy, NY/Whitesboro
DePasquale placed tied for third out of 58 golfers at the season-opening St. Lawrence Invitational over the weekend, carding a 148 (4-over par) during the two-day event. He began the tourney by shooting a 77 on day one, while shooting a one-under par 71 on Sunday to climb the leaderboard, tying for the second lowest score of the day. DePasquale led the Cardinals to a team score of 605, as they placed second in the team standings.
WOMEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sarah Burgess, St. John Fisher, So., Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt
Burgess placed tied for ninth out of 39 golfers at the season-opening St. Lawrence Invitational over the weekend, carding a 167 during the two-day event. She began the tourney by shooting an 87 on day one, while shooting an eight-over par 80 on Sunday to climb the leaderboard, tying for the third lowest score of the day. Burgess led the Cardinals to a fifth-place finish in the team standings.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jhonny Theze, SUNY Poly, Sr., M, Bronx, NY/Claremont International
Theze scored three goals, including two game-winning tallies in leading SUNY Poly to a pair of wins and the SUNY New Paltz Season Opening Championship Tournament over the weekend. On Friday, Theze scored a pair of goals in Poly’s 3-0 win over Sarah Lawrence College. Theze added his third goal of the weekend in the 74th minute on Saturday which proved to be the difference in the Wildcats 1-0 win over host New Paltz.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Joe Vogt, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., D, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Vogt led the stout Geneseo defense that kept St. Lawrence off the scoreboard in a season-opening 2-0 victory on Friday evening. Vogt made several key plays from his center back position to help preserve the clean sheet for the Knights.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sierra Edwards, SUNY Brockport, Sr., F, Greece, NY/Hilton
Edwards exploded for five points on two goals and an assist in Friday’s season-opening 5-0 win over Allegheny. She assisted on Jaylah Cossin’s goal in the 28th minute that gave the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead and struck twice herself in a span of 1:26 early in the second half for Brockport’s second and third goals of the game.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Annika Monfort, Nazareth, Sr., GK, Ontario, NY/Webster Thomas
Monfort, the 2023 Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year, started her 2024 season by earning a pair of shutouts, the 27th and 28th of her illustrious career, leading the Golden Flyers to season-opening wins over Mt. St. Mary and Stevens. She stopped three shots in a 2-0 win over Mt. St. Mary Friday afternoon and followed that up with a six-save shutout in a 1-0 win over Stevens Saturday. She made four saves in the second half Saturday to preserve the win for Nazareth.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catherine Zak, Nazareth, Jr., Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury
Zak began the season by earning a win at first singles and first doubles, as the Golden Flyers rolled to a season-opening 6-1 win over SUNY Farmingdale on Sunday. Zak opened by partnering with Kenna Ellis to earn a win at first doubles, while rolling to a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Lena Paolicelli, SUNY Brockport, Sr., Holbrook, NY/Sachem East
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Kathleen Rogers, SUNY Brockport, Fr., Syracuse, NY/Westhill
The duo of Paolicelli and Rogers teamed up to earn a 6-1 win at second doubles over Sophie Olsen and Claire Lefevre of SUNY Fredonia in the season-opener on Saturday.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Malone, Alfred, Jr., OH, Horseheads, NY/Horseheads
Malone helped the Saxons to their first 3-0 season start since 2016. Alfred defeated SUNY Cobleskill in three sets, SUNY Morrisville in five sets, outlasting the Mustangs with an incredible 24-22 fifth set score and St. Lawrence University in four sets. Malone totaled 35 kills with back-to-back 13-kill matches on Saturday. She added 11 digs, two block assists and two solo blocks along with one set assist. She was named to the SUNY Morrisville Invitational All-Tournament Team.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Shelby Swartz, Hartwick, Jr., OH, Candor, NY/Candor
Swartz averaged 4.18 kills per set, 5.09 points and 2.82 digs, while hitting .302 in a 3-0 opening weekend for Hartwick. Swartz started her weekend registering 12 kills on a .588 hitting percentage in just three sets in Hartwick's four-set win over Penn College. She followed that up with a 20-kill, 14-dig performance as the Hawks defeated Lycoming in five sets. Swartz wrapped up her weekend with 14 kills, four aces, and seven digs in a three-set win against Penn State Mont Alto. Overall, Swartz had 46 kills and 31 digs.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Lauren Emke, SUNY Brockport, Fr., MB, Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Emke was effective both offensively and defensively for the Golden Eagles in her first weekend of collegiate play, hitting .362 with 23 kills, 10 blocks (0.91 blocks per set) and 31.5 points (2.9 points per set). In her debut against DeSales, Emke finished with 10 kills on a .471 attack percentage and had four block assists from the middle. Emke added five kills, three service aces, one solo block, and two more block assists against Stevenson. To close out the weekend, she posted eight kills with a .400 attacking percentage to go with three more block assists.
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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