General | 10/5/2026 12:59:12 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 5, 2026, for games played from September 28 – October 4. It is the fifth Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2026-27 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Bennett Melita, Utica, Sr., Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville
Melita and the Pioneers traveled to Fredonia to compete in the Kara Hall Memorial Invitational. Returning to action in a field of 147 runners, he placed second overall and first among all E8 student-athletes. Melita crossed the 8,000-meter finish line in 26:14.8, joining just seven individuals with a sub-26:30 time. His runner-up individual contribution chipped in to a fifth-place Utica finish in the 13-team field. This is his second E8 Runner of the Week honor of the season.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Marlo Townsend, Utica, Sr., Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy
Townsend finished sixth overall in a field of 124 runners at the Kara Hall Memorial Invitational at Fredonia. In the 6,000-meter race, she was the first Pioneer and first E8 student-athlete to cross the finish line in a time of 23:30.2. Her finish helped the team earn sixth place out of 12 teams.
FIELD HOCKEY
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ella Greico, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., F, New Hartford, NY/New Hartford
Greico scored three goals this week in two wins for the Knights. She solidified her spot in the Geneseo field hockey record books as she became the program's all-time leading scorer with 56 career goals. Grieco scored twice while adding an assist in a 7-0 win over Oswego and scored the opening goal of the game in a 3-1 win at E8 foe Hartwick to set the new program record.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Penelope Schalck, SUNY Brockport, Fr., M, Medina, NY/Medina
Schalck produced an outstanding offensive week for the Golden Eagles, accumulating three goals across Brockport’s two victories. On Tuesday against Morrisville, Schalck scored two goals, including the game-winner, to spark a 6-2 victory. She followed up on Friday against Russell Sage by delivering the game-winning goal 2:15 into overtime off a penalty corner to give the Golden Eagles a key 2-1 league win.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sara O’Donnell, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., M, Lancaster, NY/Lancaster
O'Donnell led the defensive effort for Geneseo this past week, as the Knights shut out Oswego and limited Hartwick to just one goal. O'Donnell and the defense only allowed the Lakers to take one shot and gave up zero penalty corners. Against Hartwick, O'Donnell and the Knights didn't allow any goals off 10 penalty corners taken by the Hawks.
FOOTBALL
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zymier Jackson, SUNY Brockport, So., QB, Rochester, NY/East High
Jackson led the charge offensively for the Brockport Golden Eagles in a 38-28 win over St. John Fisher in Courage Bowl XXI. Making his third career start, Jackson both threw and ran for over 100 yards in the contest. In the passing game he completed 14-of-21 attempts for 133 yards and two touchdowns. As a runner he totaled 111 yards on 15 carries and found the end zone twice. His biggest play of the game was a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave Brockport a double-digit lead. Jackson is now 3-0 as the starter for Brockport after rushing for 100 yards for the first time in his collegiate career.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tommy Nyquist, Alfred, Jr., RB, Warren, PA/Warren Area
Nyquist led the Alfred University backfield as part of a 27-7 win against Hartwick College on Saturday. Nyquist registered 138 rushing yards across 25 attempts for the Saxons, including three touchdowns. Nyquist scored his first touchdown early in the second quarter as part of a 16-play drive for Alfred University. Later in the quarter, Nyquist broke away for a 25-yard touchdown to extend the advantage for the Saxons. The junior rounded out his afternoon with his third touchdown from the goal line in the third quarter. Overall, Nyquist averaged 5.5 yards per carry and touched the ball in 43.7 percent of Alfred’s offensive plays.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Aidan Lochner., SUNY Cortland, Sr., LB, Ravena, NY/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
Lochner led Cortland with 11 tackles, including six solo, and registered a key forced fumble in the Red Dragons' 31-21 win at Utica in a matchup of nationally ranked unbeaten teams. With Cortland leading 14-0 in the first quarter, Lochner forced a fumble in Cortland territory that led to a turnover. Cortland also limited Utica to 60 yards rushing on 22 attempts.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jackson Cusack, St. John Fisher, Sr., WR, Fultonville, NY/Fonda Fultonville
Cusack returned two punts for a career-high 65 yards and a touchdown on Saturday in Courage Bowl XXI against SUNY Brockport. He returned his second punt 46 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to trim the Cardinals' deficit to three points, 24-21. It was St. John Fisher's first punt return touchdown since Sept. 21, 2019, against TCNJ. TySean Sizer returned a punt 76 yards for a score in that game. Cusack also added seven receptions for 103 yards.
MEN’S SOCCER
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Felix-Assa Loselose, Utica, Sr., F, Syracuse, NY/Nottingham
Loselose and the Pioneers completed a two-win week, defeating E8 rivals Keuka College and Houghton University. He was pivotal for the Pioneers, netting three of the team's four goals in the week, including both game-winning tallies. Loselose scored the lone goal in a 1-0 road win over the Wolves Wednesday before scoring the second and third goals within a 4:16 span in a 3-2 Senior Night win over the Highlanders Saturday.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Mathis, SUNY Brockport, So., F, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Mathis provided an explosive week offensively for Brockport, scoring three goals in two games, including the game-winner against Russell Sage Saturday. In a 1-1 draw with Alfred on Wednesday, Mathis scored the tying goal for Brockport in the final minute to salvage the draw for Brockport. In Brockport's Senior Day win against Russell Sage, Mathis scored twice, including the game-winning goal to lead Brockport to victory.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Parker Stusek, St. John Fisher, So., GK, Wickliffe, OH/Hawken
Stusek played a major role in backstopping St. John Fisher University to a pair of Empire 8 victories over the past week, making 11 saves. In a 3-1 win over Elmira College, Stusek helped preserve Fisher's early lead and turned aside several late chances as the Cardinals secured the conference victory. He then followed with a four-save shutout in a 2-0 win over Keuka College, allowing Fisher's defense to record its third clean sheet of the season. The shutout was the 10th of Stusek's collegiate career and helped extend the Cardinals' winning streak to four matches.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Carolina Lott-Diamond, Nazareth, Jr., F, Lake Luzerne, NY/Hadley-Luzerne
Lott-Diamond had registered two goals and two assists for six points in two Empire 8 wins over SUNY Geneseo and Elmira for the Golden Flyers. She tallied her first goal of the season in a 3-1 win over the Knights. Against Elmira, Lott-Diamond tacked on a goal and added two assists in a 4-1 victory. She totaled five shots with three of them on goal to round out her week.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Olivia Short, Houghton, Fr., GK, Avon, NY/Avon
Short went 2-0 on the week and remains undefeated in conference play between the pipes. In all 180 minutes in net, she managed two shutouts, including one save in Tuesday's win over Hilbert and turned aside all nine shots on goal in Saturday's 1-0 win over conference foe Utica.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alexis Gits, Alfred, So., Irondequoit, NY/Irondequoit
Gits finished undefeated on the week as she helped the Saxons go 3-0 and clinch a spot in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. She elevated her singles record to 6-1 for the season with wins from three different lineup positions. First, Gits won, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 from the No. 3 spot at Fredonia on Tuesday. Next, she had another three-set victory in a neutral site home match with SUNY Cortland, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 at the No. 4 lineup position. Finally, Gits picked up a 6-2, 6-3 No. 5 singles win as the Saxons defeated St. John Fisher University on Senior Day, 6-1. In doubles, Gits was crucial in securing all three doubles points on the week. She began her week with a 6-1 win at Fredonia, pairing with Camryn Moore at the No. 2 spot. Gits spent the rest of the week playing at No. 3 with Allison Windisch. The duo defeated Cortland, 6-4 and then got the first doubles win against Fisher, 6-2.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Madsen, Alfred, Sr., Portland, OR/Grant
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Camryn Moore, Alfred, Jr., Prattsburgh, NY/Prattsburgh
Madsen and Moore played together in second doubles against SUNY Cortland and St. John Fisher. They helped to grab doubles points with wins in both of their matches. Against the Red Dragons, they won 7(7)-6(2). Their win against the Cardinals was pivotal in gaining the doubles point. They won 6-1 from the second position as Alfred earned a key 6-1 win over St. John Fisher.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Trinity Bailey, Utica, Sr., OH, West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham
Bailey helped lead Utica to a 2-0 week in Empire 8 play, earning wins over Elmira and Keuka. Bailey was outstanding offensively, recording 37 kills over eight sets while hitting .329 and averaging 4.63 kills per set. She opened the week with 18 kills on 30 attempts (.467) in a three-set sweep of Elmira, adding two service aces, eight digs and 20.5 points. Bailey followed that performance with a season-best 19 kills in a five-set victory over Keuka, while adding three service aces and 25 digs. She finished the week with 42.5 points, 33 digs, and five aces, averaging 5.31 points and 4.13 digs per set.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaylene Noble, St. John Fisher, Sr., OH, Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Noble led the St. John Fisher offense to a 3-0 week, recording 51 kills, 54.5 points, 4.64 kills per set, and 4.95 points per set across three matches. On Friday against Alfred, Noble recorded 15 kills on 23 attempts, hitting .522 and totaling 17.5 points. In Saturday's first match against Houghton, she helped lead the Cardinals to a four-set victory with 18 kills while hitting .240 and totaling 19 points. Later that day against Buffalo State, Noble added 18 kills while hitting .255 in another four-set victory for the Cardinals. With her 51 kills this week, Noble reached 1,300 for her standout career.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Gillian Dickerson, Alfred, Fr., S, Frisco, TX/Wakeland
Dickerson had back-to-back double-digit set assists matches on Friday and Saturday. The first was a 12-assist outing at St. John Fisher University on Friday while also adding 13 digs, one ace and one kill. Dickerson then upped her collegiate career-high for a four-set match as she totaled 33 in a four-set home win against Nazareth University. She finished Saturday’s match with six points on three kills and three aces while recording seven digs.