General | 4/28/2025 12:44:14 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 28, 2025, for games played from April 21-April 27. It is the 34th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2024-25 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men's and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, and men's and women's outdoor track and field.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zach Eldred, SUNY Brockport, Gr., P/OF, East Greenbush, NY/Columbia
Eldred continued his historic season across a 4-0-1 week for SUNY Brockport, batting .421 with a 1.507 OPS, four doubles, two home runs, 10 runs batted in, and nine runs scored to go along with six walks. In a win 12-4 game one win over St. John Fisher Tuesday, Eldred smacked two home runs with six RBI to fuel the Brockport offense. He also tossed five innings of one-run baseball, striking out eight to earn a win over Alfred Friday. Eldred drove in at least a run in four of the five contests. It is his sixth E8 weekly honor of the season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Aidan Green, Russell Sage, Jr., P, Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro
Green allowed just one hit and struck out 10 batters over seven innings of relief, while earning a key win for the Gators. He pitched the final 6 1/3 innings in a previously suspended game against SUNY Poly on Wednesday, not allowing a run and striking out eight batters as Sage rallied from an 8-3 deficit to win 13-8. He also struck both batters he faced in two-thirds of an inning of relief against St. John Fisher
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Luke Landis, SUNY Poly, Fr., 1B, Moravia, NY/Moravia Central
Landis hit .500 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in, scoring seven runs, while posting a 2.143 OPS over the week. He homered and drove in all three runs in a 4-3 loss to Russell Sage Thursday before exploding for two homers, a double and six RBI in an 11-7 win over Keuka Friday. It is Landis’ third E8 weekly accolade of the season.
SOFTBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaijah Alexander, Nazareth, Fr., 1B, Long Beach, CA/Long Beach
Alexander batted a 560 in an eight-game slate, slamming five homers and two doubles, while driving in 16 runs and scoring 11. In two wins over Keuka, she went 4-for-8 at the plate with four RBI. In two games against Utica, she went 3-for-4 with five RBI. In the split with SUNY Poly, she went 5-for-7 with three home runs and seven RBI, including a two-homer, five RBI performance in a win in game two. It is her second E8 weekly accolade of 2025.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jessica Remm, Alfred, Jr., OF, Carmel, IN/Carmel
Remm was responsible for 20 of the Saxons’ 67 total runs in a perfect 6-0 Empire 8 week for the Saxons. She drove in 11 runs while crossing home plate nine times herself, going 10-for-22 on the week. Remm had two home runs, two doubles and a triple. Her triple occurred during game one against Keuka College on Saturday as she almost hit the cycle, recording a home run and a double. Remm’s last at-bat resulted in the walk-off home run that ended the doubleheader against Keuka. On the bases, Remm was a perfect, 4-for-4 in stolen bases and scored least one run in every single outing.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Ainsley Evanetski, St. John Fisher, Sr., P, Rochester, NY/Brighton
Evanetski struck out 30 batters and recorded a 1.47 earned run average over 19 innings, while earning victories over Nazareth, SUNY Poly and Utica last week. Against Utica, Evanetski gave up one run on just one hit and a walk while striking out 11 batters in a 5-1 win to start Saturday's doubleheader. It was her 8th game this season with 10 or more strikeouts. Evanetski is now a
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Kendall Steward, Alfred, So., P, Kennedy, NY/Randolph
Steward picked up four wins inside of the pitching circle as the Saxons went a perfect, 6-0 in Empire 8 action last week. In her 25 innings pitched, she recorded 34 strikeouts, allowing just two extra base hits and 17 singles. Out of the eight runs that opponents scored while she was pitching, six were earned. Steward and the Saxons outscored opponents, 67-18. Steward batted in three of the six games where she went 5-for-10 with two RBI and two runs and stole one base.
MEN’S GOLF
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mike Douglas, SUNY Oswego, Sr., Oswego, NY/Oswego
Douglas was one of three medalists at the Oswego State Spring Invitational over the weekend, shooting a two-round score of 156 (+14). He shot the low round of the day on Saturday of a 77 and followed that up with a round of 79 on Sunday in wet, windy conditions. It is Douglas’ second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Vincent Falgiatano, Nazareth, Jr., Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes
Falgiatano was one of three medalists at the Oswego State Spring Invitational over the weekend, shooting a two-round score of 156 (+14). He shot a 78 on Saturday and followed that up with the same score on Sunday. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bethany Wineburg, Nazareth, Fr., Homer, NY/Homer
Wineburg recorded a score of 129 over 27 holes of the Northeast Women’s Golf Championship over the weekend, finishing fifth overall. She began the weekend by shooting 40 over nine holes on Saturday and finished the weekend with a round of 89 on Sunday. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Quinn McKercher, Nazareth, Gr., A, Lake Mary, FL/Lake Mary
McKercher tallied 14 total points on six goals and eight assists across two wins for the Golden Flyers this past week. In the 13-7 win over Brockport, he had six points on four goals and two assists. In the 28-4 win over Russell Sage, he added eight more points on two goals and six assists. It is McKercher’s second E8 weekly honor of 2025.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Andrew Tittmann, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., G, Northport, NY/Northport
Tittmann stopped 21-of-24 shots on the week, recording a 2.00 goals against average and .875 save percentage in a pair of SUNY Geneseo wins. He made nine saves on 10 shots over three quarters of play in a win over Alfred Wednesday and stopped 12 shots in a win over Utica Saturday. It is his second E8 Goalkeeper of the Week honor of 2025.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Chelsea Lopata, St. John Fisher, So., A, Clinton, NY/Clinton
Lopata tallied 15 points on four goals and 11 assists in nationally-ranked St. John Fisher's wins over Keuka and Hartwick last week. Lopata tied the program record for assists (7) in a game and matched the fourth-best mark for single-game points (9) in a 22-3 win over Hartwick on Saturday. She began the week with six points on two goals and four assists in a win over Keuka on Wednesday.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Brooke Lynett, Hartwick, So., G, Acton, MA/Acton-Boxborough
Lynett collected 12 saves and did not allow a goal over the final 20 minutes of play in Hartwick’s comeback win over Utica on Wednesday. Lynett also made 11 saves against nationally-ranked St. John Fisher in the regular season finale.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Terrance Bayly-Henshaw, Norwich, So., Scottsville, NY/Wheatland-Chili
Bayly-Henshaw delivered a dominant week for Norwich, playing a crucial role in helping the Cadets secure a 5-4 regular season finale win over Vermont State University Castleton and an 8-1 triumph over SUNY Delhi in the Empire 8 First Round. Across the two matches, Bayly-Henshaw went a perfect 4-0, winning both of his singles matches at the No. 2 position and partnering with Jaxson Redmond to win both No. 1 doubles contests. In singles action, Bayly-Henshaw rallied to defeat Tanner Ciufo of VTSU Castleton in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, and followed up by taking down Devin Guerrieri of SUNY Delhi in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. In doubles, Bayly-Henshaw and Redmond posted two convincing victories, first knocking off Castleton’s top duo 8-4, then overwhelming SUNY Delhi’s top pairing, 8-2. It is his second E8 weekly accolade of the season.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Pierre Ntonga, Nazareth, Jr., New York, NY/Democracy Prep
David Tuller, Nazareth, So., Honeoye, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima
The duo of Ntonga and Tuller won all three of their doubles matches this past week. Against Fisher, they earned an 8-1 win and defeated the duo from Houghton by an 8-3 score. Ntonga and Tuller helped secure the top seed for Nazareth in the West Division by defeating Alfred, 8-0.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Charlie Wilson, SUNY Geneseo, Gr., Distance, Romeo, MI/Romeo
Wilson recorded a time of 14:12.61 in the 5000-meters at the Penn Relays over the weekend, which shattered the Empire 8 record and is the 17th fastest time in Division III to date this season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ellis Urgent, Utica, Fr., Jumps, Cornwall, NY/Cornwall
Urgent placed first in long jump at the RPI Capital District Classic over the weekend. He jumped 7.19 meters 23’2.75”), which currently has him tied for 20th nationally. Urgent has placed first in the long jump in three of the last four meets.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Penelope Greene, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Distance, Sag Harbor, NY, NY/Pierson
Greene smashed a long-standing Empire 8 record and set a new program record in the 5,000-meters at the prestigious Penn Relays over the weekend, finishing with a time of 16:12.88, which is also the second-fastest time in Division III to date this season. It is Greene’s second E8 weekly honor of the outdoor season.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Jillian Ambler, SUNY Geneseo, So., Jumps, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Ambler recorded a distance of 5.86 meters (19’2.75”) to win the long jump at the Cardinal Classic over the weekend, a which puts her 14th all of Division III currently this season.
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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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