General | 1/27/2025 12:24:36 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on January 27, 2025, for games played from January 20-January 26. It is the 21st 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 – Dayion Thompson, Utica, Jr., G, Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy
Thompson averaged 29.5 points on 52.9 percent shooting from the floor, 64.3 shooting from behind the arc and a perfect 14-for-14 from the foul line, leading Utica to two key wins in E8 play last weekend. Against Hartwick on Friday. Thompson put up a career high 34 points on 61 percent shooting from the floor (11-for-18) and 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, including the game-winner from long range with just under a second left in overtime to lift Utica to an 86-83 win. Thompson continued his strong play in an 81-71 road win Russell Sage, putting up a game-high 25 points, while draining three more from 3-point range and making all eight of his free throw attempts.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Maximus Michalski, St. John Fisher, Fr., F/C, Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland
Michalski averaged 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, while shooting 81.3 percent from the floor (13-of-16) in a pair of E8 contests for the Cardinals. He scored 12 points in just 14 minutes on Friday against Keuka on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor and tied his career-high on Saturday with 14 points, while grabbing seven boards in a 96-75 win over Elmira.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Stephanie Jean-Baptiste, SUNY Brockport, Jr., G, Jersey City, NJ/Jersey City
Jean-Baptiste averaged 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game, while shooting 61.5 percent (16-for-26) from the floor in a pair of wins over Houghton and Alfred that extended Brockport’s record to 8-0 in league play. In Brockport's 73-67 win over Houghton on Friday, Jean-Baptiste led the Golden Eagles with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while adding three steals. She added 14 points, four boards, three assists and two steals in just 24 minutes the following afternoon against Alfred. It is her fourth E8 weekly honor of the season.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kiley Snow, SUNY Geneseo, Gr., G, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Snow recorded her 1,000th career point over the weekend as she led Geneseo to a pair of key E8 wins over Alfred and Houghton, moving the Knights to 8-0 in league play. Snow averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting 55 percent from the floor and draining seven 3-pointers. Against Alfred Friday, she dropped 14 points in the 75-50 win. Needing 19 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone against Houghton, Snow put up a monstrous first quarter with 17 points on five made 3-pointers. She went on to record her 1,000th point on a layup early in the third quarter, recording 19 points in the 69-51 victory over the Highlanders. She also added three rebounds and two assists.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Sanaa Lee, SUNY Poly, Fr., C, Harlem, NY/Gorton
Lee averaged 11.5 rebounds, 7.0 points and 4.5 blocks per game in a 1-1 week for the Wildcats, while leading an interior defense that allowed just 48.5 points per game. On Friday, Lee had six points, 11 boards and seven blocks, as SUNY Poly earned its first Empire 8 win, 60-43 over Russell Sage. On Saturday, Lee had eight points, 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks against Hartwick.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
Jakob Breault, Utica, Gr., F, Acton Vale, Quebec
Breault tallied seven points on three goals and four assists, was plus-6 and won 37-of-53 face-offs (70 percent) in a weekend sweep over Nazareth. He recorded a point on every Utica goal over the weekend. On Thursday, Breault had a goal and four assists and was plus-5 in Thursday’s 5-4 win. On Saturday, Breault scored both Utica goals, including the game-winner that snapped a 1-1 tie with 7:54 left in regulation in a 2-1 win on Saturday afternoon. He also won 19-of-26 face-offs Saturday. It is Breault’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Ryan Piros, Utica, Fr., G, Hartland, MI
Piros moved to 5-0 for the Pioneers, stopping 62 of 67 shots for .925 save percentage in a home-and-home sweep over Nazareth University. He made 25 saves in Thursday’s 5-4 win on home ice and excelled in Saturday’s 2-1 win, stopping 37-of-38 shots in a 2-1 road win at Nazareth. Piros stopped all 29 shots he faced over the final two periods, as Nazareth held a 38-31 edge in shots on goal. It is his second straight E8 weekly accolade.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Trent Makowiec, SUNY Geneseo, Gr., Diving, Addison, NY/Addison
Makowiec enjoyed an incredible showing against RIT on Friday night, setting three different pool, three separate program records and two Empire 8 conference records in the 1- and 3-meter diving events. Makowiec scored a 605.50 in the 1-meter event, breaking school, pool, and conference records This broke both the 6 dive (scored 378.80) and 11 dive records. The previous E8 record was 605.40, set by former All-American Matt Morrison of Ithaca in 2013. In the 3-meter event, Makowiec scored a 625.90, breaking the school, pool, and conference record. The previous conference record was 584.55, also set by Morrison in 2013. It is his second straight E8 weekly accolade and third of the season.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Alise Hale, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Butterfly, Schenectady, NY/Niskayuna
Hale set three Alumni Pool records on Friday night as the Knights defeated RIT by a score of 213-140. She set the pool records in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events, winning both events handily with times of 56.60 and 2:04.61, while opening the event as a part of the record-setting 400-yard medley relay that won by five seconds in 3:50.66. She also finished won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:10.96, and as part of the winning 200 yard-medley relay (1:45.77).
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jacob Miller, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Sprints, Brockport, NY/Brockport
Miller placed second in the 400-meters at the Nazareth Conference Challenge Cup on Saturday with an impressive time of 48.89 seconds. He was part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team that placed fourth in a time of 3:20.48, which is currently seventh best in Division III this season. His time of 48.89 in the 400-meters is currently eighth best in Division III to date this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Manuel Sepulveda, St. John Fisher, So., Jumps, East Rochester, NY/East Rochester
Sepulveda made his St. John Fisher debut one to remember, as he won the triple jump at the RIT January Meet Friday night at the Gordon Field House with a leap of 14.14 meters (46’ 4.75”). That performance puts him currently 18th in all of Division III.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Victoria Brewster, Houghton, So., Sprints, Montour Falls, NY/Odessa Montour
Brewster shattered her own Empire 8 record in the 60-meter dash, winning the event at the Highlander Invitational on Saturday with a time of 7.64 seconds, which is currently ranked fifth in all of Division III this season. She also won the 200-meters by just under four one-tenths of a second in a time of 26.13 seconds, which is the top time in the Empire 8 this season. It is Brewster’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Zoe Connor, SUNY Geneseo, Gr., Throws, Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville
Connor put up an impressive performance for the Knights at the Nazareth Conference Cup Challenge on Saturday, setting a program record in the weight throw with a distance of 17.33 meters (56’10.25”), which is currently ranked 14th in Division III to date this season. In addition to her first-place finish in the weight throw, Connor also won the shot put with top toss of 12.80 meters (42’0”). It is Connor’s second E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Luke Jata, Elmira, So., OH, Smithtown, NY/Hauppauge
Jata hit .529 with 21 kills on just 34 attempts to go along with nine digs, five service aces and two blocks, as Elmira moved to 4-0 on the season with wins over Buffalo State and King’s College (PA) on Saturday. Jata slammed eight kills in addition to five digs, three aces and two blocks in a sweep of Buffalo State. He completed the day by hitting .524 with 13 kills, four digs and two aces in a sweep of King’s.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Paten Buckwalter, Elmira, Fr., MB, Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty
Buckwalter hit .579 with 11 kills, four blocks and three digs, as Elmira moved to 4-0 on the season with wins over Buffalo State and King’s College (PA) on Saturday. Buckwalter had four kills and four blocks in the sweep of Buffalo State and hit .636 with seven kills and three digs in a three-set win over King’s. It is Buckwalter’s second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
MEN’S WRESTLING
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK – Paul Lichter, St. John Fisher, So., 157 lbs., Wantagh, NY/General Douglas MacArthur
Lichter led the Cardinals to a pair of dual meet wins during the week, 43-3 over University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and 26-11 at Penn State Behrend. On Wednesday, he defeated Raymond Worsen Jr. of Pitt-Bradford 15-0 by technical fall and defeated Rudy Brown of Penn State Behrend via major decision, 15-7 at 157 lbs. on Saturday.
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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