General | 4/7/2025 1:09:18 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 7, 2025, for games played from March 31-April 6. It is the 31st Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2024-25 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, and men’s volleyball.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zach Eldred, SUNY Brockport, Gr., P/OF, East Greenbush, NY/Columbia
Eldred extended his program-record hitting streak to 24 games, in a 4-0 week for the No. 25 ranked Golden Eagles. He hit .500 on the week 7-of-14 with eight RBIs, six runs, five extra-base hits, and two homers. Picking up the win on the mound against Houghton, Eldred went seven innings with no earned runs allowed and eight punchouts. He also slammed two home runs in the 10-2 win over the Highlanders and went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs in a 15-3 win over Elmira Sunday. It is his third E8 weekly honor of the season.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Xavier Garcia, Russell Sage, Jr., P, Greenfield Center, NY/Saratoga Springs
Garcia did not allow an earned run and struck out 11 Keuka batters across six innings of work in Friday's 14-1 home win over Keuka. Garcia allowed just two hits in the victory.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Peters, SUNY Brockport, Gr., P, Watertown, NY/Watertown
Securing an Empire 8 sweep over Elmira, Peters led Brockport to a 15-3 win in game three Sunday. Picking up the start, Peters allowed just two baserunners across six scoreless innings (1H, 1BB), and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Jordan Perry, St. John Fisher, Fr., OF, Malone, NY/Franklin Academy
Perry hit .600 with six hits in 10 at-bats, while driving in seven runs in a Sunday doubleheader sweep of SUNY Poly. He hit a home run in the first game, his fourth of the season, and had four RBI singles in the second game. Perry also crossed the plate five times in the two wins. It is his second E8 honor of 2025.
SOFTBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily McManus, St. John Fisher, So., OF, Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili
McManus hit .438 (7-for-15) and enjoyed a 1.250 slugging percentage with four home runs, 10 RBIs and six runs scored in a 4-1 week for the Cardinals. She had four hits, including three home runs, in five at-bats and drove in eight runs in a doubleheader sweep of Hartwick on Sunday. She had her first collegiate multi-home run game and knocked in a career-high five runs in the second game. McManus also hit a two-run home run on Friday in an 11-2 victory over Russell Sage.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Ainsley Evanetski, St. John Fisher, Sr., P, Rochester, NY/Brighton
Evanetski struck our 34 batters in just 17.2 innings last week, allowing just three runs on 11 hits for a 0.79 earned run average and 0.85 WHIP, while going 2-1. In a win over Cortland on Wednesday, Evanetski allowed two runs (only one earned) on six hits and two walks while pitching all seven innings. She struck out six batters. Evanetski struck out a career-high 16 batters in a 1-0 walk-off loss to Russell Sage on Friday. She struck out 12 more batters and allowed just one hit in a shutout of Hartwick on Sunday. It is her second E8 weekly honor of 2025.
CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Leah Madore, Russell Sage, Jr., P, Williamsville, VT/Brattleboro Union
Madore tossed 15 shutout innings to go 3-0 this week. The junior, who became the program's career leader for strikeouts in Friday's victory vs. St. John Fisher, whiffed 15 batters, hurled two complete games, and allowed just seven hits. She pitched a one-hitter in a 10-0 win over Cobleskill and out-dueled Cardinals ace Ainsley Evanetski in a 1-0 win Friday.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Nick Years, St. John Fisher, Fr., Farmington, NY/Victor
Years led the Cardinals in the two-day Trinity/Hartford Spring Invite over the weekend, as he finished 32nd overall after shooting a 156 over the two rounds. Years, who shot an 81 in the first round and a 75 in the second, recorded six birdies, tied for the fourth most in the tournament.
WOMEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kayla Ringler, Nazareth, Gr., Loretto, PA/Penn Cambria
Ringler helped the Golden Flyers to a seventh-place finish at the Susquehanna Invitational on Saturday. Ringler yielded the Golden Flyers' best score with a total of 88 (plus-18) to tie for ninth. It is her fourth E8 honor of 2024-25.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Riley Henselder, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., A, Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge
Henselder recorded his 100th career point this week as he led the Knights to a pair of wins with seven goals and four assists. He scored four goals and had one assist in a 10-2 win over Brockport and followed it up with three more goals and three assists in a 24-5 win over Russell Sage. Geneseo has now won five straight games and remains unbeaten in conference play.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Quinn McKercher, Nazareth, Gr., A, Lake Mary, FL/Lake Mary
McKercher had 11 total points on six goals and five assists over a two-win week for the Golden Flyers. On Wednesday in the 17-6 win over SUNY Poly, he had four goals and one assist. In the 23-9 victory over Hartwick Saturday, McKercher had two goals and four assists. McKercher's second goal pushed him past the program record of 190 career goals, giving McKercher the new record at 191 and counting.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Andrew Tittmann, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., G, Northport, NY/Northport
Tittmann went 2-0 with a miniscule 1.60 goals against average and an .889 save percentage in two wins last week. He began the week with an incredible 16-save performance against Brockport in a 10-2 win, limiting the Golden Eagles to just a pair of goals. Tittmann played 15 scoreless minutes of play in a win over Russell Sage Saturday.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sophia Scialdone, Nazareth, Sr., A/M, Syracuse, NY/West Genesee
Scialdone had a standout week in three wins for the Golden Flyers, accumulating 22 total points on nine goals and 13 assists to go along with seven ground balls in three wins. She began the week with seven points on three goals and four assists in an 11-10 overtime win over University of Rochester. In the 15-2 win over SUNY Poly on Wednesday, Scialdone had nine points on three goals and six assists. In the 21-8 win over Hartwick on Senior Day, Scialdone tallied six more points on three goals and three assists.
GOALIE OF THE WEEK – Allie Klestinec, Nazareth, Jr., G, Geneva, NY/Geneva
Klestinec went 3-0 with a 6.81 goals against average and .628 save percentage in three wins for the Golden Flyers. She began the week with 14 saves in an 11-10 overtime win over University of Rochester on Monday. In the 15-2 wins over SUNY Poly Wednesday, she had three saves and one goal against in 30 minutes of play. In the 21-8 win over Hartwick on Saturday, Klestinec made 10 saves and allowed five goals in 48:38 minutes of play. It is Klestinec’s third E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Preston Tobolski, Houghton, So., Oakfield, NY/Oakfield Alabama
Tobolski went 4-0 on the week over doubles and singles play. He and Samuel Garay teamed for an 8-2 second doubles win over Alfred on Wednesday, and he followed with a 6-0, 6-3 win at third singles. In Saturday's match vs. Nazareth, Tobolski and Garay won 8-3 in doubles play, before Tobolski won his singles match 6-3, 6-2.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Griffin Bond, Nazareth, Sr., Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua
Max Funiciello, Nazareth, Jr., Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville
Bond and Funiciello earned two key doubles victories in E8 play, first by a score of 8-5 in the 7-2 win over Oswego on Wednesday, as well as winning 8-2 in doubles in the 6-3 victory over Houghton on Saturday.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Bennett Melita, Utica, So., Distance, Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville
Melita smashed a new school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Hamilton College Continental College Track & Field Invitational with a time of 9:08.30. He broke his previous mark of 9:15.03 that he set last season by nearly seven seconds. That time now ranks Melita eighth nationally in the event.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Joshua Talbot, Utica, Jr., Throws, Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy
Talbot set a new school record in the hammer throw last weekend at the Hamilton College Continental College Track & Field Invitational with a toss of 54.64 meters (179’ 3”). The previous record was set last season at a mark of 54.52 meters. Talbot's mark in the event is good enough to rank him inside the top-30 nationally in the event.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brynn Mooney, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Sprints, Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima
Mooney set two program and Empire 8 individual records at the Geneseo Early Season Invite this weekend, posting times of 11.76 in the 100-meters and 24.20 in the 200-meters. She is currently ranked second nationally in the 100-meters and third in the 200-meters. Mooney broke a 10-year-old league record in the 100-meters and 16-year-old mark in the 200-meters.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Alexa Belanger, Houghton, Fr., Jumps, Ballston Spa, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa
Belanger cleared a height of 1.68 meters (5’6”) at the SUNY Geneseo Early Season Invitational over the weekend. That performance leads the Empire 8 and is third nationally in Division III to date this season. It is her second straight E8 weekly honor.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Griffin Stella, St. John Fisher, Gr., MB, Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili
Stella hit .423 with 29 kills to go along with nine digs and six blocks in a pair of wins to conclude the regular season on Saturday. He slammed a career-high 20 kills and logged a .531 hitting percentage in a five-set win over Stevenson. Stella also had three blocks, including two solo. Stella reached 1,000 points for his career in the three-set win over Misericordia.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Ryan Murphy, Nazareth, Fr., MB, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Murphy recorded a season-high attack percentage of .875 with seven kills, three service aces, two assisted blocks and a pair of digs in Nazareth’s three-set win over Elmira on Wednesday. It is his fourth E8 weekly honor of 2025.
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram