General | 11/17/2025 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on November 17, 2025, for games played from November 10 – November 16. It is the 12th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2025-26 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s wrestling.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kyle Dhu, Russell Sage, So., G, Ozone Park, NY/Brooklyn Law and Tech
Dhu averaged 25.5 points on 60.7 percent shooting (17-of-28) in the 2-0 week for the Gators. Dhu, who made 61.5 percent of his 3-point attempts (8-of-13), totaled 11 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists across the pair of wins. He has 28 points in an 84-72 win over Elms on Wednesday and shot 9-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc, in an 85-56 win over SUNY Cobleskill Saturday.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Josh Garelle, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., F, Rockville, Centre, NY/South Side
Garelle dropped back-to-back 20-point games en route to being named to the All-Tournament Team at Vassar this past weekend. Garelle was incredibly efficient over the two games, scoring 20 against Colby Sawyer on 8-of-9 shooting, then 21 on 9-of-14 shooting against Vassar. Against the Brewers, he recorded a double-double with 13 rebounds as well. Overall, he shot 74 percent (17-for-23) from the floor, averaging 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in the two games.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Tyson Clark, Houghton, Fr., G, Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights
Clark had a strong all-around performance in Houghton's 83-80 win over Alfred State on Thursday. He tallied 12 points, six assists, two rebounds and two steals. He was 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from long range.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jaidyn Chest, Alfred, Jr., G, Mayfield, NY/Mayfield
Chest averaged 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game in Alfred’s three wins this week. She shot 10-of-20 from the 3-point line and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Chest led the Saxons with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds during the home opening win against Buffalo State on Tuesday. She played an integral part in AU’s path to win the Crossbar Alfred Classic. Chest was named the Most Valuable Player of the classic after averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Chest tallied her first 20-point performance of the season on 6-of-13 from the field and 4-of-9 at the 3-point line in victory against Bard College on Friday. She ended the weekend with 11 points during the championship against Thiel College on Saturday.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Stephanie Jean-Baptiste, SUNY Brockport, Sr., G, Jersey City, NY/John Jay
Jean-Baptiste averaged 20 points with 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 block, and 1.5 steals. In Brockport's win against Mt. St Mary on Friday, Jean-Baptiste posted 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the floor. The next day, she scored 14 points to go along with seven boards and two steals in a 76-63 loss at No. 11 Trinity.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Miranda Price, Russell Sage, Fr., G, Stillwater, NY/Stillwater
Price topped all players with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting in Saturday's home win vs. SUNY Morrisville. She was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in her collegiate debut.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Liverpool NY/Liverpool
Hagan crushed the field of 189 student-athletes at the NCAA Niagara Regional from Genesee Valley Park in Rochester, NY on Saturday, winning by nearly 40 seconds with a blistering time of 24:11.7 over the 8,000-meter course (4:53-mile rate). Hagan and teammates Emerson Comer and Pierce Young were the top three finishers in the race, leading Geneseo to the Niagara Region Championship and an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship on Nov. 22. It is Hagan’s fourth E8 weekly accolade of 2025.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ann Brennan, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima
Brennan defeated 162 runners to win the individual title at the NCAA Niagara Region Championship at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester, NY on Saturday. She recorded a time of 21:38.2 over the 6,000-meter course (5:49-mile rate) to win by nearly eight seconds, while leading the Knights to a second-place team finish and at-large berth into the into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country Championship on Nov. 22. It is Brennan’s fifth E8 weekly accolade of 2025.
FOOTBALL
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tommy Nyquist, Alfred, So., RB, Warren, PA/Warren Area
Nyquist enjoyed a historic performance with the Saxons on Saturday, totaling 285 rushing yards and four touchdowns across 40 rushing attempts as part of a 34-21 win against SUNY Morrisville. The rushing attempt total for Nyquist set a program record for AU, while the rushing total marked the second-most in a single game in program history. Nyquist was credited with five rushes for 10 or more yards, including a 37-yard rush for the Saxons. As part of the win, Nyquist averaged 7.1 yards per carry for the Saxons.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bryce Palmer, Utica, Sr., WR, Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill
Palmer was outstanding in Saturday’s huge come-from-behind victory over the Brockport Golden Eagles, battling waves of rain and a staunch Golden Eagle secondary as he proved to be the catalyst for Utica’s 28-20 comeback win. Palmer hauled in nine receptions for 137 yards and a trio of touchdowns, connecting with quarterback Tyler Szalkowski on all three of the Pioneers’ offensive scores. His two touchdowns in the second half helped the orange and blue to score 21 points in the second half to rally for the win.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Eli Douglas, Utica, Sr., DB, Ausable Forks, NY/Ausable Valley
Douglas had an amazing weekend during the Pioneers' 28-20 comeback win on the road against Brockport. The stellar safety was everywhere on Saturday, wrapping up eight tackles (four solo), three pass breakups, and a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown on the final play from scrimmage to help cement the massive victory. Douglas led a defensive effort that held the Golden Eagles to just nine completions and exactly 100 passing yards during the regular season finale.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Logan Laratta, St. John Fisher, Jr., K, Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown
Laratta made field goals of 33 and 34 yards and converted on all five of his extra-point attempts in Fisher's 41-14 win over Alfred State on Saturday. He's the first Fisher kicker to make two field goals in a game since Kyle Farewell did so against Utica last November.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Carter Diceman, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., F, King City, Ontario
Diceman tallied four points on two goals and two assists and was plus-3 as the Knights went on the road and swept Albertus Magnus. He had an assist in Friday’s 4-2 win and scored a pair of goals and added an assist in the 5-2 victory Saturday.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – John Gutt, Utica, Sr., F, Middletown, NJ/Utica Jr. Comets
Gutt had two goals and two assists during a weekend sweep of SUNY Brockport, while also taking 13 of his 22 total faceoff opportunities for a 59.1 percent faceoff win rate. On Saturday, Gutt broke through, scoring twice and assisting once in a 5-2 win to cap off the weekend sweep. He also added an assist in Friday’s 4-1 win at Brockport.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Sebastian Woods, St. John Fisher, Sr., G, Limehouse, Ontario/Christ The King
Woods stopped 60-of-64 shots for a .938 save percentage as the Cardinals earned a split in a home-and-home series against Elmira College. On Friday, Woods made 33 saves in a 3-2 road loss. He followed that up with 27 saves on 28 shots as the Cardinals earned their first UCHC win, 2-1 on home ice over the Soaring Eagles.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Amy Laskowski, Nazareth, So., F, Clarendon Hills, IL/Hinsdale Central
Laskowski led the No. 7 Golden Flyers with four goals and an assist and was plus-6 in two wins over Manhattanville. She registered two goals and an assist on three shots and was plus-3 in a 5-1 win at Manhattanville Friday. Less than 24 hours later, Laskowski added two more goals and was plus-3 in 7-1 victory over the Valiants. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the season.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Mia Gonsalves, Nazareth, Fr., G, Boston, MA/Holderness
Gonsalves totaled 27 saves in two wins for the No. 7 Golden Flyers at Manhattanville over the weekend. She made 13 saves in a 5-1 win over Manhattanville on Friday and added 14 saves in a 7-1 victory against Manhattanville on Saturday.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Cameron Drake, Hartwick, Jr., Distance Freestyle, El Cajon, CA/Helix Charter
Drake made waves in the freestyle events on Saturday at Empire 8 foe SUNY Brockport, securing several big wins on the board for the men's team with three first place finishes. He won the 1,000-yard freestyle by just under nine seconds in 10:27.87, took the 200-free by just five one-hundredths of a second in 1:49.76 and finished his day with a win in the 500-yard freestyle, hitting the wall in 4:57.62.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Brenden Jardin-Reed, SUNY Brockport, Fr., Diver, Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post
Jardin-Reed swept both the 1- and 3-meter diving events in dominant fashion in Brockport’s dual meet win over Hartwick on Saturday. He scored a 285.15 on the 1-meter and a 309.00 on the 3-meter for first place on both boards.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Emily LeFrois-Heath, Nazareth, Sr., Butterfly/Individual Medley, Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima
LeFrois-Heath earned three individual, and one relay wins as the Golden Flyers battled Roberts Wesleyan College in a dual meet Saturday. She started the day with a relay win in the 200-meter medley relay and added individual wins in the 50-yard butterfly (:30.59), 100-yard butterfly (1:06.11), and 100-yard individual medley (1:10.88).
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Brylee Weisenburg, SUNY Brockport, Fr., Diver, Hamburg, NY/Frontier
Weisenburg swept both the 1- and 3-meter diving events in dominant fashion in Brockport’s dual meet victory over Empire 8 rival Hartwick on Saturday. She took first on the 3-meter board with a score of 214.30 and earned a winning score of 220.25 on the 1-meter.
MEN’S WRESTLING
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Rossini, SUNY Brockport, Sr., 157 lbs., Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Rossini was one of two Golden Eagles to make a run to the finals of his weight class in the Wilkes Invitational hosted by Wilkes University. Rossini, who grappled at 157 lbs., picked up four wins, which included a major decision (11-0), a win by fall (0:28), a tech. fall (5:31, 17-2), and a gutsy 2-1 decision to reach the championship bout, earning 10 team points for the Golden Eagles from his second-place finish.