General | 10/26/2026 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 26, 2026, for games played from October 19 - October 25. It is the eighth Empire 8 Players of the week release of the 2026-27 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Brodie Wood, Keuka, Fr., Oswego, NY/Oswego
Wood finished 29th overall at the Hamilton Tune-Up Cross Country Invite over the weekend. In the 5,000-meter race, he was the first of the Wolves to cross the finish line with a time of 18:32.2.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Victoria Hirner, Keuka, So., Buffalo, NY/John F. Kennedy
Hirner finished 31st overall at the Hamilton Tune-Up Cross Country Invite on Saturday. She finished with a time of 18:31.1 over the 4,000-meter race. She was the first to cross the finish line for the Wolves.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ava Harman, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., F, Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley
Harman led Geneseo to a 2-0 week, helping secure the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship and top seed in the postseason for the third straight season. Harman led the offensive effort with four goals and an assist, including the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Brockport with less than four minutes to play in the game. This is her second consecutive E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor and third of the season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Katelyn Klotz, Hartwick, Sr., D, South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls
Klotz enjoyed a strong offensive showing while also leading the defense to two wins in Hartwick's 2-0 week. The reigning E8 Defensive Player of the Year scored a goal in the team's 6-1 win on Wednesday over Russell Sage and then scored two of the team's three goals on Saturday in a 3-1 win over the Cardinals. This is her second E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor of 2026.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Julia Nieboer, SUNY Brockport, Fr., GK, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Nieboer continued her impressive debut campaign in the cage, stopping 15 of 17 shots faced across 120 minutes of action for a .882 save percentage. Nieboer delivered a strong 10-save effort against Geneseo under heavy pressure, then turned away all five shots on goal on Saturday to earn a shutout in the 5-0 win over E8 foe Houghton that clinched a postseason berth.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zymier Jackson, SUNY Brockport, So., QB, Rochester, NY/East High
Jackson had a career day throwing the football for Brockport on Saturday. Leading the offense in a 56-0 win over Morrisville, Jackson was 11-for-20 on his passes, racking up career-highs of 270 yards and four touchdowns through the air in less than three quarters of play. He is now 5-0 as the Brockport starting quarterback, while recording 13 passing touchdowns and 1,125 yards on the season so far. This is his second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jordyn Davis., Utica, Sr., DL, Hempstead, NY/Uniondale
Davis was stellar in the trenches for the Pioneers during their 35-0 win against Alfred University on Saturday, leading a defensive unit that allowed just 10 rushing yards to a strong Saxon running game. Davis got involved with four tackles, three of which were solo, along with two sacks and an additional quarterback hurry, providing a powerful presence at the line that stopped all Saxon momentum during the shutout. This is his second E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Joe Galea., SUNY Cortland, Sr., LB, Cross River, NY/John Jay
Galea recorded six tackles, an interception, a sack and a quarterback hurry in Cortland's 28-20 win over visiting St. John Fisher as the nationally ranked Red Dragons improved to 7-0. He intercepted a pass on the third offensive play of the game and returned the ball 32 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up Cortland's first score. In the second quarter, his third-down sack pushed the ball back to the Fisher 9-yard line and forced a punt. Cortland started its next drive at the Fisher 44-yard line with 1:50 left and eventually scored a touchdown on the last play of the half to go up 21-7. This is his second E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor of 2026.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Gavin Dandrea, SUNY Cortland, So., P, Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue
Dandrea averaged 51.3 yards per punt on three kicks during Cortland's 28-20 home win over St. John Fisher on Saturday. His 70-yard punt in the second quarter is only the sixth punt in school history to cover at least 70 yards. That punt pinned the Cardinals on their own 3-yard line, and after Cortland forced a punt, the Red Dragons drove for a touchdown as the half ran out to take a 21-7 lead. He also had a 43-yard punt in the third quarter and a 41-yard punt in the fourth quarter.
WOMEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Mayer, Nazareth, So., Salzburg, Austria/International GED
Mayer continued her impressive fall run at the Northeast Women’s Golf Conference Fall Classic. She finished second place overall, where she carded an 80 (plus-7) with birdies on the front and back nine. This is her sixth consecutive E8 Player of the Week honor.
MEN’S SOCCER
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samuel Burton, Nazareth, So., M, Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder
Burton had a great week in conference play as Nazareth clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. He registered two goals in the Golden Flyers 6-0 win over Keuka College. He added five shots with four of them on goal to round out the week. This is his second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jose Corporan, Elmira, Sr., M, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic/Punta Cana FC
Corporan capped off his Elmira career with a standout performance in the Soaring Eagles' 2-0 victory over Utica. Corporan assisted on the opening goal following an impressive 22-pass buildup before doubling Elmira's lead with a spectacular strike from midfield, catching the goalkeeper off his line and chipping him for a goal in his final collegiate match.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – AJ Giaquinto, Alfred, Gr., D, Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Giaquinto was a solid defender for the Saxons, helping his team keep Elmira off the board on Wednesday. In addition to his defensive play on Saturday at Russell Sage, he chipped in offensively. He scored the lone Saxon goal of the afternoon thanks to a long, looped ball over the goalkeeper for the Gators. It wrapped up a week where he finished with three shots and the goal, along with helping the shutout bid over the Soaring Eagles.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Giuliana Rodriguez, Nazareth, So., M, Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas
Rodriguez registered seven points on three goals and one assist in two Empire 8 wins over Keuka and SUNY Poly to help Nazareth secure the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament. She logged two goals and an assist in a 4-0 shutout win over of Keuka Wednesday. Against SUNY Poly Saturday, she netted another goal in an 8-0 victory. She added 10 shots with nine of them on goal.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Olivia Short, Houghton, Fr., GK, Avon, NY/Avon
Short kept the Highlanders undefeated on the week with a 1-0-1 record and two shutouts. She held down the net for all 180 minutes, with nine saves in Wednesday's 1-0 win vs. Geneseo and six saves in Saturday's 0-0 tie vs. Brockport. The win and tie helped the Highlanders clinch the No. 3 seed going into the Empire 8 Tournament. This is Short’s second E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor of 2026.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Carlos Gonzalez, Alfred, Jr., Baja California, Mexico/Unifront
Gonzalez helped record a big win for the Alfred University Saxons over the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles in, beating out the visitors 149-145 Saturday. Gonzalez started the meet with a win as part of the squad in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:37.26. He chipped in with three more individual wins to win four of the 10 total wins for AU. His wins came in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:25.33), 500-yard freestyle (5:02.72), and in the 100-yard individual medley (54.22).
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Brenden Jardin-Reed, SUNY Brockport, So., Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post
Jardin-Reed had another outstanding performance on the diving board this week. He swept both the 1-meter and the 3-meter dives with 316.43 and 246.90 points earning him wins by a large margin over Alfred. This is his second consecutive E8 Diver of the Week honor.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Anna Lowe, SUNY Brockport, So., Horseheads, NY/Horseheads
Lowe led the Golden Eagles with four first-place finishes in Brockport's dominant 214-83 victory over Alfred University Saturday. Lowe captured individual victories in the 50-yard backstroke (28.23) and 50-yard freestyle (25.11), while contributing to winning performances in the 200-yard medley relay (1:54.38) and 200-yard freestyle relay (1:44.38). Her strong individual and relay performances helped Brockport secure its first dual-meet victory of the season.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Ashley Oswald, SUNY Brockport, Jr., Alma, NY/Wellsville
Oswald delivered a strong performance on the diving boards against Alfred University, capturing first place in the One-meter event with a score of 225.08 points. Her victory contributed to Brockport's dominant 214-83 dual-meet win and helped the Golden Eagles sweep both women's diving events.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Leah Fusilli, Nazareth, Gr., OH, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Fusilli averaged 2.9 kills and 2.2 digs per set in the Golden Flyers three Empire 8 matches this week. She logged her second double-double of the year with 15 kills and 16 digs in a four-set win over Keuka on Friday and had at least 10 kills in all three contests during the week. She added five service aces, three blocks and a .314 hitting percentage across her three matches.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Abigail Omelan, Alfred, Jr., OH, Tomball, TX/Tomball Memorial
Omelan led the Saxons in a pair of Empire 8 matches that helped clinch a spot into the upcoming E8 Championship Tournament. She began her weekend with a double-double, scoring 16 points on 12 kills and four aces while also stopping 15 attacks against Russell Sage on Friday evening. Omelan finished the weekend with a match-leading 17 points from 14 kills and three aces in a four-set victory over Hartwick. She tacked on nine digs and one set assist.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Petra Thomas, Houghton, Fr., MB/RS, Bandung, Indonesia/Gyeonggi Suwon International
Thomas finished with 42.5 points in four matches during the week, as Houghton clinched an E8 Tournament berth. Against Thiel, she contributed eight kills on 16 attacks for a .375 hitting percentage while recording two solo blocks and three block assists. Against Russell Sage, Thomas led the Highlanders with 13 kills on 30 attacks, finishing with a .367 hitting percentage and two block assists. She added nine kills on 19 attacks for a team-best .368 hitting percentage while recording one solo block and five block assists in the final match of the week against Messiah.