Field Hockey | 9/8/2025 1:00:03 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on September 8, 2025, for games played from September 2 -September 7. It is the second 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 soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Christopher Whalen, Russell Sage, Fr., Arlington, VT/Arlington Memorial
Whalen won the Albany College of Pharmacy Orchard Opener with a time of 21:25 over 6,000-meters, held on Saturday at Indian Ladder Farms.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ethne Degan, SUNY Brockport, So., Bainbridge, NY/Bainbridge Guilford
Degan finished first for Brockport and third overall out of 104 runners in a time of 19:02.1 over 5,000-meters at the Tom Balon Alumni Meet on Saturday.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sam Lewis, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., F, East Rochester, NY/East Rochester
Lewis tallied five points on two goals and an assist for SUNY Geneseo as the No. 21 ranked Knights remained unbeaten with a 5-2 win over William Smith on Wednesday and 2-0 win over Skidmore Saturday. Lewis registered all five points in the 5-2 victory over the Herons as Geneseo is now 4-0 this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lauren Bachner, Nazareth, Sr., GK, Gorham, ME/Gorham
Bachner made 22 saves and recorded an .880 save percentage in a pair of games this week. She made 18 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to University of Rochester on Wednesday, Bachner earned her first shutout of the season with a 1-0 double overtime win over Oswego on Saturday, making four saves.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Szalkowski, Utica, Sr., QB, Rochester, NY/Aquinas
Tyler Szalkowski dominated in his Pioneer debut to the tune of a program-record 528 passing yards along with 28 completions and four touchdowns in a 49-31 victory on the road against a highly touted Washington and Jefferson team. He tore through the Presidents' secondary, launching a barrage of deep balls with extreme precision as he notched touchdown passes of 33, 77, and 82 yards. Szalkowski shattered the previous program record passing yards mark of 467, generating an all-time great showing in his first-ever start at the Division III level. He threatened the Empire 8 single-game passing record of 579 yards, set in 2012 and became the first E8 quarterback to surpass 500 yards passing in a game since Zac Boyes of SUNY Cortland in 2022.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tim Vanderbrink, St. John Fisher, Jr., DB, Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West
Vanderbrink led the Cardinals' defense in a 21-0 shutout win over FDU-Florham to open the 2025 season on Saturday. He made 10 tackles, forced two fumbles, and recovered two fumbles, returning one of them 35 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. It was his second collegiate touchdown (he returned an interception for a score last season).
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Thomas Welch, Alfred, Sr., DB, Avon, NY/Avon
Welch led the Alfred University defense as part of a 28-23 win against Hobart College on Friday. The win for the Saxons marked their first against the Statesmen dating back to the 1995 season. Welch stuffed the box score with a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception returned for a touchdown. Welch finished the game with seven tackles, six of which were solo. In the first quarter during a fourth down situation, a forced fumble was picked up by Welch. With the Saxons leading 14-10 in the third quarter, Welch intercepted a pass and brought it back for a 48-yard touchdown to extend the advantage. The heroics continued for Welch in the third quarter, who had an 11-yard strip sack, picking up his own forced fumble for the Saxons. Welch also caught 12-yard reception on a fake punt to extend the opening possession for the Saxons that led to a touchdown.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Matteo Broun, Hartwick, Fr., K, Fishkill, NY/John Jay
Broun was exceptional in his collegiate debut, going 8-8 on point-after attempts in the season-opening 56-7 win over Maine Maritime on Saturday.
MEN’S SOCCER
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Mathis, SUNY Brockport, Fr., F, Fairport, NY/Fairport
In Brockport's 2-2 draw against Rochester, Mathis powered the Brockport offense with a pair of goals. Mathis's first goal to open the game's scoring was a lunging header that landed him a SportsCenter top-10 Play of the Day. He also added a goal on a penalty kick with just under 22 minutes left in regulation that gave Brockport a 2-1 lead.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Byamungu Mugushu, Utica, Gr., F, Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes
Mugushu, a two-time All-Empire 8 first team member, donned Utica's orange and blue for the first time since the end of the 2023 season in their home opener against Marywood University. In his return, Mugushu netted two goals on six total shots en route to a 5-2 Utica victory. He opened the scoring at the 9:04 mark, completing his brace at 62:33, the Pioneers' fourth goal.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bryan Tirado, Nazareth, Fr., GK, Oceanside, NY/Oceanside
Tirado posted two shoutouts in 0-0 draw with Baruch and 6-0 win over SUNY ESF. Tirado notched four saves on nine shots faced across two contests. He made three saves in the scoreless draw against Baruch.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lina Young, Alfred, Sr., F, North Collins, NY/North Collins
Key efforts by Young led to a pair of non-conference wins for Alfred University this past week. Young was credited with the game-winning goal for the Saxons in the 73rd minute as part of a 1-0 effort against Geneva College on Tuesday. Young recorded a pair of goals and an assist across a game-high five shots on goal in a 4-1 win over Hilbert on Saturday. Young scored each of the first two goals for Alfred University against the Hawks, scoring in the 15th and 32nd minute of action. Overall, Young finished the week with three goals, an assist and six shots on goal. She also finished the week with a pair of game-winning goals.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mikayla Piersa, Hartwick, So., GK, Huntington, NY/Elwood John H. Glenn
Piersa was tremendous in between the posts for the Hawks, earning two clean sheets, only allowing one goal while picking up 16 saves in three games. Piersa posted 10 saves in the Mayor's Cup win over RPI on Sunday, en route to Hartwick becoming the 2025 Mayor's Cup Champions. She also made five saves in a draw versus Skidmore on Saturday and posted a shutout earlier in the week against SUNY Morrisville.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Becca Epping, Alfred, So., Mitchell, IN/Bedford North Lawrence
Epping began her season winning all four of her matches between singles and doubles as she helped the Saxons go 2-0 at home for the week. She won over Fredonia’s Gabriella Farr at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to clinch the match before she claimed a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3 over Mount Aloysius’s Julia Davis on Friday. Epping teamed with Elizabeth Madsen at No. 1 doubles for a 6-1 win over Fredonia’s Lucy Prevet and Allison Bartoszek on Wednesday. She then teamed with Camryn Moore at No. 3 doubles on Friday, earning the first win towards the doubles point over Aloysius’s Amelia Miller and Emily Hinch on Friday, winning the match-up, 6-0.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Maddi Morrison, Hartwick, Sr., Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Maggie Van Valkenburgh, Hartwick, Sr., Highland, NY/Highland
The duo of Maddi Morrison and Maggie Van Valkenburgh and Morrison were flawless in two wins this week, including a 6-1 upending of Geneseo’s duo of Talia Wutz and Ashleigh Fredriksen at No. 3 doubles on Saturday to help secure the key doubles point and win in the conference opener. The duo would collect a 6-2 win over Cortland at the No. 3 spot on Friday.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaylene Noble, St. John Fisher, Jr., OH, Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Noble led the Cardinals to four victories over the weekend in the North Country, hitting .385, while slamming 57 kills to go with 33 digs, three blocks and two service aces. She hit well over. 300 in each match. Noble pounded 21 kills while hitting a scorching .340 in a four-set victory over Middlebury, which received votes in the first American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll of the season. She had 14 kills and 19 digs as part of a double-double in a sweep of Clarkson on Friday. Noble averaged 4.75 kills and 5.08 points per set over the weekend. It is her second straight E8 weekly honor to begin 2025.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Kalyna Dannenberg, St. John Fisher, Fr., OH, Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Dannenberg had totaled 51 kills over the Cardinals’ four victories over the weekend. She also had 45 digs, six service aces and two blocks. Dannenberg had 13 kills and hit .314 in a four-set win over Middlebury and 14 kills while hitting .429 against St. Lawrence. She had 23 digs against Middlebury as part of her first collegiate double-double. Overall, Dannenberg averaged 5.75 digs and 4.63 points per set over the weekend.