General | 1/13/2025 12:55:59 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on January 13, 2025, for games played from January 6-January 12. It is the 19th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2024-25 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s volleyball, and men’s wrestling.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jaylen Savage, Nazareth, Jr., G, Elmford, NY/Alexander Hamilton
Savage averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting just under 50 percent from the floor in leading the Golden Flyers to three league wins. In the 76-70 win over Houghton on the road Tuesday, Savage had 18 points, three rebounds, one steal, and one assist. With 4:24 left in the game, Nazareth had finally taken the lead from Houghton, and in those final minutes, Savage had nine of Nazareth's 11 points, including going 4-4 from the line in the tight end of game situation. In the 83-60 win over Utica on Friday, Savage had 16 points, six rebounds, two steals, and one assist. In the 85-68 win over SUNY Poly on Saturday, Savage scored a team-high 25 points, while also adding seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Merritt Holly, Nazareth, Fr., F, LeRoy, NY/LeRoy
Holly averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds for the Golden Flyers in three conference wins this past week. In a tight 76-70 win over Houghton Tuesday, he had five points and four rebounds. On Friday in an 83-60 win over Utica, Holly had a double-double with a team-high totals of 19 points and 13 rebounds (nine offensive boards). On Saturday, Holly had nine points and seven rebounds in helping lead Nazareth to an 85-68 win over SUNY Poly. It is Holly's third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sarina McDowell, Nazareth, So., F, Avon, NY/Avon
McDowell had standout games in three Nazareth wins this past week. In a 61-55 road win over 2024 Empire 8 finalist and previously unbeaten Houghton University, McDowell had a double-double with a team high totals 22 points and 12 rebounds, while also adding three steals, one block, and one assist and shooting 9-for-13 from the floor. On Friday in a 65-40 win over Utica McDowell had 21 points, six rebounds, one steal, one block, and one assist. McDowell added eight points, six rebounds, and five assists in just 17 minutes in a 90-38 win over SUNY Poly Saturday. It is her second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Natalie Cornell, Utica, Fr., C, Greenwood, NY/Jasper-Troupsberg
Cornell averaged 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in her first three starts. Against Brockport on Tuesday, Cornell netted eight points and was 2-for-2 from the free throw line to go along with 10 rebounds. Cornell netted six points against Nazareth Friday and tallied a career-high 14 points and eight boards against three-time defending E8 Champion St. John Fisher on Saturday.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Reifler, Elmira, Sr., F, Binghamton, NY
Reifler tallied five points on three goals and two assists and was plus-4, as the Soaring Eagles opened 2025 with three wins. Reifler recorded the game-winning goal on Friday to go along with one assist in a 6-2 win over No. 2 SUNY Geneseo, handing the Knights their first loss of the season. He followed on Saturday with two goals and one assist in a 4-3 overtime win against SUNY Brockport.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Brody Haynes, Elmira, Jr., G, York, PA
Haynes made 28 saves on 30 shots as he helped the Soaring Eagles hand No. 2 SUNY Geneseo its first loss of the season following a 6-2 victory on Friday night at the Murray Athletic Center. Haynes improved to 6-2-1 on the season between the pipes for the Soaring Eagles. It is his fourth E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – William LaMastus, Alfred, Sr., Backstroke, Maumee, OH/Anthony Wayne
LaMastus was undefeated on Friday afternoon as he led the Saxons to a 200-79 win over visiting Nazareth University. He started the day off with the fastest backstroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay, clocking a 24.77 as his won with a time of 1:40.22, over 14 seconds faster than Nazareth. The events that followed for LaMastus were all individual victories, first with the 100-yard backstroke, winning with a time of 54.67, 15 seconds faster than the Golden Flyers, leading his teammates to a 1-2-3 finish. He clocked a time of 2:21.84 as he won the 200-yard breaststroke, defeating the rest of the pool by almost eight seconds. LaMastus ended the day with a 2:04.60 victory in the 200-yard individual medley.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Share, Alfred, Fr., Backstroke/Butterfly, Macedon, NY/Palmyra-Macedon
Share was undefeated against Nazareth University on Friday. She started the day off with the fastest backstroke leg in the 200-yard medley relay, swimming a 28.83 as her team combined for a winning time of 1:58.27. Share won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:01.37, defeating the rest of the pool by almost five whole seconds. She went on to sweep the backstroke events with a time of 2:13.25 in the 200-yard backstroke. Share reached the wall before the rest of the pool by almost 20 seconds. She ended the day with a victory in the 100-yard butterfly, reaching the touch pad with a time of 1:02.51, claiming the win by 0.06 seconds.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jonathan Zavala, SUNY Brockport, Gr., Distance, Montgomery, NY/Valley Central
Zavala broke a nearly 14-year-old Empire 8 record in the 3,000-meters at the Division I Spartan Invitational, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Friday, crossing the finish line third out of 54 runners with a time of 8:25.12. Zavala, who broke the previous Empire 8 record, set by William Way of Ithaca in 2011 by nearly three seconds. He currently holds the ninth best mark in Division III to date this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Nick Wright, SUNY Brockport, Fr., Throws, Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls
Wright recorded a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 13.52 meters and placed 15th in the men's weight throw with a toss of 13.34 meters at the Division I Spartan Invitational, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Friday.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Marissa Wise, SUNY Brockport, Sr., Sprints, Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna
Wise took 15th place out of 86 runners with a time of 26:23 seconds, which is the top time in the Empire 8 to date this season at the Division I Spartan Invitational, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Friday. She was part of the distance medley relay team that earned a second-place finish with a time of 12:44.30, which is the best in Division III to date this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Sasha Schramm, SUNY Brockport, So., Jumps, Bergen, NY/Byron-Bergen
Schramm recorded a third-place finish in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.27 meters and was 15th in the triple jump (10.33 meters) at the Division I Spartan Invitational, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Friday. In the high jump, Schramm finished in 11th place, clearing 1.50 meters.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Griffin Stella, St. John Fisher, Gr., MB, Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili
Stella led No. 11 St. John Fisher to three wins to start the season and was very efficient in doing so, hitting .452 with 17 kills and six blocks in just six sets played. He hit .462 with seven kills and four blocks in a three-set win at Trine Friday and added 10 kills and a pair of blocks on a .444 hitting percentage in a win over Lancaster Bible.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Paten Buckwalter, Elmira, Fr., MB, Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty
Buckwalter recorded 11 kills to go along with three assists and five digs, while hitting an impressive .556 in Elmira’s four set victory over Wilkes on Saturday. In his first collegiate match for the Soaring Eagles, Buckwalter recorded two kills and one solo block in a five-set victory against Eastern.
MEN’S WRESTLING
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK – Nick Franco, SUNY Brockport, Gr., 285 lbs., Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale
Franco earned two wins on Saturday both via pinfall at 285 lbs. To close out the first match of the day against Utica, Franco dominated his matchup for a win by fall in just 28 seconds. In his second match against Niagara Community College, Franco wrapped up the day with another quick pin, taking the win at 285 with a fall in 1:24.
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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