General | 9/29/2025 1:11:02 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on September 29, 2025, for games played from September 22 - September 28. It is the fifth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2025-26 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Liverpool NY/Liverpool
Hagan inched out teammate Emerson Comer by one-tenth of a second to win the individual title at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational on Saturday at Roberts Wesleyan College. Hagan recorded a time of 24:36.5 over the 8,000-meter course, maintaining a 4:57 mile rate. Hagan led Geneseo to the team title with 28 points, as three Knights (Hagan, Comer, and Collin Brown) finished in the top-four.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ari Reback, SUNY Geneseo, So., Fairport, NY/Fairport
Reback placed fourth overall out of 183 runners at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational on Saturday at Roberts Wesleyan College. She recorded a time of 18:30.0 over the 5,000-meter course, with a 5:58 mile rate. Reback led nationally-ranked SUNY Geneseo to the team title with 41 points, as the Knights had five of the top 13 finishers and six of the top 15 runners.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catherine Newkirk, Russell Sage, Fr., M, Marathon, NY/Marathon
Newkirk tallied nine points on four goals and an assist, as the Gators won a pair of home games last week, 3-1 against Manhattanville on Thursday and 9-0 over Alfred on Saturday. She began the week by netting a pair of goals, including the game-winner versus Manhattanville. On Saturday, Newkirk scored two more goals and dished out an assist in the win over E8 foe Alfred.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Campbell Bowers, Houghton, Jr., D, Worthington, OH/Thomas Worthington
Bowers made an impact both offensively and defensively in Houghton's 2-0 week in Empire 8 play. She helped stymie the potent Utica attack on Saturday from her defensive position and scored on both her shots, including a penalty stroke in the first half and the eventual game-winner early in the second half.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Shannon Cunningham, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., D, Poughquag, NY/Arlington
Cunningham celebrated her senior day on Saturday with a bang as she scored the game-winning goal against Hartwick off a penalty stroke in the second quarter, as Geneseo earned a 2-0 win. Cunningham and the Knights defense limited the Hawks to just three total shots with none reaching goal, as well as holding Elmira to just one shot in a 9-1 win on Wednesday.
FOOTBALL
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mike Rescigno, SUNY Cortland, So., QB, Arlington, NY/Arlington
Rescigno ran 13 times for 141 yards and threw four touchdown passes in SUNY Cortland's 48-3 win at Morrisville. He completed 8-of-17 passes, with four of the completions going for scores of 14, 23, 4 and 8 yards. Rescigno has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his last three games.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Szalkowski, Utica, Sr., QB, Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute
Szalkowski continued his tremendous season, leading Utica to a 35-7 halftime lead and an eventual 45-13 win over visiting Alfred State. He completed 24 passes in the contest, racking up 285 yards and four passing touchdowns. In the second quarter alone, the Rochester native completed 12 passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns, putting the game out of reach by halftime. Szalkowski continued to have complete control of the deep ball, completing nine passes of 15 or more yards in the win. It is his third E8 weekly honor of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tim Vanderbrink, St. John Fisher, Jr., S, Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West
Vanderbrink, who has made 10-plus tackles in three straight games, made a career-high 14 stops in St. John Fisher's 21-7 win over Alfred on Saturday, including 10 solo and one for a loss. He forced his second fumble of the year in the first quarter, a turnover that led to Fisher's offense taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. It is Vanderbrink’s second E8 weekly honor of 2025.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Daniel Manneh, SUNY Brockport, Sr., KR/PR/WR, Parkhill, NY/Curtis
Manneh lit the scoreboard up with three touchdowns in the first quarter for Brockport in a 56-0, win over Hartwick to open E8 play on Saturday. Manneh started the contest with an 80-yard return on the opening kickoff for his first touchdown of the day. Later in the first, Manneh took a screen pass 23 yards for a second touchdown. Just minutes after, he took a punt all the way back for a 67-yard score for touchdown number three. In front of the homecoming crowd, Manneh had three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown to go with 148 return yards and two touchdowns on special teams.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Joshua Anstett, Nazareth, Fr., Rochester, NY/Hilton
Anstett was the top Empire 8 finisher at the SUNY Oswego Invitational over the weekend, Finished in fourth place overall on the individual leaderboard and first among Golden Flyers with a total tournament score of 150 (plus-8). On Saturday, he shot a 1-over par 72. Anstett carried his momentum from day one into his Sunday round, starting it off with seven consecutive pars. He helped lead Nazareth to a fourth-place team finish.
WOMEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bethany Wineburg, Nazareth, So., Homer, NY/Homer
Wineburg won the individual title by five strokes at the Keuka College Fall Invitational from Lakeside Country Club on Wednesday, Sept. 24. She shot an 80 (plus-8) for the five-shot win. Wineburg recorded 12 pars on the afternoon, as Nazareth won the team title by 20 strokes.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – James Fay, Houghton, So., F, Stony Brook, NY/The Stony Brook School
Fay led the Highlanders to back-to-back wins on the week with three goals. He scored both Houghton goals, including the game-winner, in a 2-1 win over Fredonia on Tuesday, then tallied Houghton's first goal in a key 2-1 E8 win at Alfred on Saturday. Fay leads the Highlanders with five goals on the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jelani Usim, Hartwick, Fr., GK, Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmers Boys’ School
Usim recorded a 0.50 goals against average and .923 save percentage, making 12 saves, as Hartwick finished 1-0-1 on the week. He began the week by one save for his first collegiate win in net, a 1-0 victory at SUNY Poly Wednesday. Usim was brilliant on Saturday, making 11 saves, including seven in the first half in a 1-1 draw at E8 foe SUNY Brockport.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tatum Overton, Nazareth, Sr., F/M, Watertown, NY/Watertown
Overton netted two goals in leading Nazareth to a pair of Empire 8 wins over Alfred and Keuka. On Wednesday, she notched the sole goal in Nazareth's 1-0 shutout victory against Alfred. Saturday, Overton scored Nazareth’s second goal in a 2-0 win over the Wolves.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryann Dauksza, St. John Fisher, Sr., D, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Dauksza helped lead a stout Cardinals' defense that did not give up a goal in two games last week. St. John Fisher played Utica to a scoreless draw on Wednesday and defeated SUNY Poly 9-0 to celebrate Homecoming on Saturday. Dauksza tallied two assists in Fisher's win over Poly, a career-high. It was her first multi-point game since September of last season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hannah Pcola, Utica, Sr., GK, Cassville, NY/Mount Markham
Pcola posted another pair of clean sheets on the week, with a 0-0 draw against St. John Fisher Wednesday and a 2-0 win over Elmira Saturday. Against Fisher, Pcola recorded seven saves in the scoreless tie after facing 15 shots. Against Elmira, Pcola recorded another three saves in the shutout win. It is her second straight E8 weekly honor.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samantha Lantzy, Hartwick, So., Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane
Lantzy enjoyed a stellar weekend for Hartwick, posting a 4-0 record in in two conference victories over Utica and Nazareth. Lantzy posted a flawless result against Utica, not dropping a single game in doubles or at No.1 singles. Samantha picked a 6-3 win at No.2 doubles over Nazareth on Saturday before taking a 6-2, 6-3 victory in No. 1 singles over the Golden Flyers’ Catherine Zak.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Eliana Kelly, St. John Fisher, Sr., Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Lilly Renzi, St. John Fisher, Sr., Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles
Kelly and Lilly Renzi went 2-0 in doubles last week, taking down Alina Zabihailo and Elizabeth Madsen of Alfred, 7-5 and Cami Lamora and Annabella Putnam of Russell Sage by a score 6-0. The Cardinals beat Alfred by a score of 4-3 and Sage 7-0 to improve to 4-0 in Empire 8 play this season.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lydia Frazier, St. John Fisher, So., OH, Plymouth, MI/Gabriel Richard
Fraser hit .422, while slamming 31 kills to go with 23 digs, 11 service aces and two total blocks in just seven sets played, leading St. John Fisher to sweeps against Mount St. Vincent, SUNY New Paltz and Kean. She accounted for 43 total points. (6.14 per set) Against UMSV on Friday, Fraser played in just one set but accounted for a team-high 10 points. In addition to her six aces, she slammed four kills while hitting .571. Fraser slammed 11 kills while hitting .346 against New Paltz on Saturday. Later in the day, she had a season-high 16 kills and logged a .452 hitting percentage against Kean. She added 15 digs as part of her second double-double of the season.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Delaney Sims, Alfred, Sr., S, Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy
Sims had 27.5 points on 17 kills, six service aces and seven blocks along with 127 assists and 35 digs in a 3-1 week for the Saxons. She registered her first career triple-double during the Saxons’ home opening four-set victory over Penn State Behrend on Thursday, making it a program first since entering the rally-scoring era. Sims tallied a career-high 15.5 points on a career-high 10 kills, four service aces and three block assists. Sims added a career-high 41 assists and 12 digs for the triple-double. She registered a double-double of 38 assists and 10 digs while scoring 5.5 points on three kills, two blocks and one service ace at Centenary on Saturday.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kalyna Dannenberg, St. John Fisher, Fr., OH, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Dannenberg slammed 29 kills and accounted for 30.5 points in just seven sets played, leading St. John Fisher to sweeps against Mount St. Vincent, SUNY New Paltz and Kean. Dannenberg slammed 11 kills and hit .308 against New Paltz and recorded 15 more kills in a three-set win against Kean. Dannenberg also amassed 10 kills against Kean for her fourth double-double of the season. She averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 digs per set as the Cardinals won all nine sets over the weekend. It is Dannenberg’s third E8 Rookie of the Week honor in 2025.