General | 4/27/2026 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on April 27, 2026, for games played from April 20-April 26, 2026. It is the 35th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2025-26 season. Sports featured include baseball, softball, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field..
BASEBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Anthony Rizzo, Russell Sage, Sr., IF, Shaker, NY/Latham
Rizzo batted .474 (9-for-19) with seven runs scored and seven RBI in the 4-0 week for the Gators, as moved closer to clinching the top-seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. He totaled 11 bases, slugged .579 and reached base at a .524 percentage. Rizzo had at least two hits in each game, including four RBI in a win over SUNY Poly Wednesday.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Christian Tortorici, Houghton, Sr., C/OF, Schenectady, NY/Schalmont
Tortorici stretched his hit streak to 15 games, went 9-for-14 with three doubles, three RBI, six runs scored and 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts. He also threw out his 16th would-be base stealer of the season, a new single-season Houghton record. Tortorici went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored in Friday’s 9-8 win over Elmira.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Evan Grimes, Russell Sage, Sr., P/U, Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa
Grimes slowed down the streaking St. John Fisher offense on Friday to help Russell Sage earn a 13-3 win. The lefty allowed just two earned runs across eight innings and struck out six for his fifth win of the season. It is Grimes’ fifth E8 weekly honor of the 2026 season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Nick Irizarry, Russell Sage, Fr., OF, South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield
Irizarry hit .556 (10-for-18) with eight runs scored and four RBI in the 4-0 week for the Gators, as they moved closer to clinching the top-seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. The outfielder, who went 6-of-6 on stolen base attempts, slugged .556, totaled 10 bases, and had a .636 on-base percentage. He had at least two hits in each of his four games played on the week, including a 4-for-4 effort with two walks, two RBI and two stolen bases in a win over SUNY Poly Wednesday. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.
SOFTBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ally Boulger, Alfred, So., 3B, Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak
Boulger helped the Saxons extend their win streak to 10 with six Empire 8 victories on the week. She batted an incredible .714 with 15 hits (three of them were doubles and one home run), 10 runs and seven RBI. Boulger’s home run against Elmira college was the game-winning RBI and run. She later had the game-tying RBI in the first game against Keuka College as well as the game-winning RBI in the same contest. In three games, she was perfect at the plate. First, she went 3-for-3 in the second game against Houghton, then went 3-for-3 in the nightcap against Elmira and ended with an impressive, 4-for-4 in the finale at Keuka.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bella Nadzan, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., 2B, Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville
Nadzan was stellar at the plate for the Knights this week as they went 6-0 in Empire 8 action. Nadzan hit .588, going 10-for-17 at the plate with eight runs scored and five RBIs. Her week was highlighted by going 6-for-8 in the doubleheader sweep of Hartwick Sunday with five runs scored and three RBI.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Gabriella Petroski, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., P, Lancaster, NY/Sacred Heart
Petroski was dominant on the rubber this week for Geneseo, throwing three complete games, going 21 innings with zero runs allowed. Her three shutout performances were highlighted by a no-hitter against Elmira, where she struck out 16 batters. In the 1-0 win over Brockport, Petroski only allowed five hits and struck out seven, then capped off the week with seven innings and no runs allowed in the Knights 7-0 victory over Hartwick, striking out five more. It is Petroski’s third E8 weekly honor of 2026.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Arp, Russell Sage, Jr., Greenville, NY/Greenville
Arp was the low scorer among all Empire 8 student-athletes at the Oswego State Spring Invitational on April 25-26 from Oswego Country Club. Arp shot a two-round total of 145 (+3) to win individual medalist honors by three strokes over runner-up Sam Ligas of Oswego. Arp shot a 74 during the opening round Saturday and shot an even-par 71 on Sunday.
MEN’S LACROSSE
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Cole Loewke, Alfred, Sr., A, Hilton, NY/Hilton
Loewke had himself a historic week for the Saxons in a split. On Wednesday at SUNY Geneseo, he led Saxon scorers with two goals. On Saturday hosting SUNY Poly, he set two historic marks in both Alfred University and Empire 8 history. He recorded 11 goals, the single-most in a game in AU and E8 history. In addition, he added on four assists to reach 15 points to mark a new AU and E8 record for most points in a single game. Both records were previously held by former teammate Kevin Matson ‘25. Loewke’s senior day ended with 18 shots, 12 on frame with five ground balls and two caused turnovers to help the Saxons clinch a playoff spot in the Empire 8 Tournament. It is Loewke’s third E8 weekly honor of the season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Grady Swidersky, St. John Fisher, Fr., A, Annapolis, MD/Archbishop Spalding
Swidersky scored five goals and tallied 12 assists for 17 total points while leading St. John Fisher to lopsided victories over Keuka and Hartwick last week. He had three goals and five assists for eight points in a 30-1 win over Keuka on Wednesday and two goals and seven helpers for nine points in a 24-7 win over Hartwick on Saturday. He tied Fisher's third-highest single-game totals for assists and total points against Hartwick.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ben Bradshaw, SUNY Geneseo, So., GK, Homer, NY/Homer
Bradshaw made 23 saves on 34 shots, recording a 5.50 goals against average and .676 save percentage, as the Knights defeated Alfred and Utica to clinch the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament. He stopped 12 shots in an 11-5 win over Alfred Wednesday and made 11 saves in a 16-6 victory over Utica Saturday.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ellie Leisen, St. John Fisher, Jr., A, Massapequa, NY/Massapequa
Leisen posted eight goals and eight assists as St. John Fisher dominated Keuka and Hartwick last week. She had six points on four goals and two assists in a 27-0 victory over Keuka on Wednesday before erupting for 10 points – tied for the second most in a game in Fisher history – on four goals and six assists in a 22-1 win over Hartwick on Saturday. Her six assists marked a career high and matched Fisher's second-highest single-game total. It is Leisen’s fourth E8 weekly accolade of the season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Natalie Long, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., A, Auburn, NY/Auburn
Long tallied 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists over three games for the Knights. On Tuesday, Long had six points on three goals and three assists in a home contest against Union. The next day, she tallied three goals and an assist in a win over Alfred. On Saturday, Long ended the regular season by tallying eight points on five goals and three assists, as Geneseo defeated Utica to clinch the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Maddie Lowney, St. John Fisher, Sr., D, Baldwin, NY/McDonough
Lowney continued to produce big numbers for the Cardinals last week in victories over Keuka and Hartwick, finishing the week with 12 draw controls, eight caused turnovers and six ground balls. Lowney caused a pair of turnovers and controlled seven draws against Keuka on Wednesday. On Saturday, in a 22-1 Senior Day victory over Hartwick, she caused six turnovers to go with five draw controls and five ground balls. It was her seventh game this season with four or more caused turnovers. It is her fifth Empire 8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Terrance Bayly-Henshaw, Norwich, Jr., Scottsville, NY/Wheatland-Chili
Bayly-Henshaw turned in a strong week at the top of the Norwich lineup, going 2-0 at No. 2 singles while helping the Cadets close the regular season and advance to the Empire 8 Semifinals. In Wednesday’s non-conference match at Rhode Island College, Bayly-Henshaw earned Norwich’s lone point with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Sairaj Srinivasan. He followed that with another straight set win in Saturday’s Empire 8 First Round match against SUNY Delhi, defeating Nicholas VanHouten, 6-1, 6-3, as Norwich posted a 6-1 team victory and set a new program record for wins in a season with 13. Bayly-Henshaw also contributed at No. 1 doubles, nearly knocking off Rhode Island College’s top pair in a 7-6 tiebreak decision before helping Norwich claim a 7-5 win over Delhi in postseason play. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the 2026 season.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Jason Murphy, Houghton, Jr., Burdett, NY/Watkins Glen
Preston Tobolski, Houghton, Jr., Oakfield, NY/Oakfield-Alabama
Murphy and Tobolski picked up a strong win in second doubles against Nazareth by a 6-2 score Friday and also earned a 6-3 win in the second position over SUNY Oswego Saturday. These wins helped contribute to Houghton finishing out their regular season on a high note.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Distance, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
At the Penn Relays, Ryan Hagan broke his own program and Empire 8 record in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 13:55.68. With that record, Hagan now becomes the first student-athlete in program history to break 1:50 in the 800-meters, 3:40 in the 1,500-meters, and 14:00 in the 5,000-meters. He holds all three Empire 8 records and the Division III record in the 1500-meters. It is Hagan’s third E8 weekly honor of the spring.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Brandon Kaplan, St. John Fisher, Sr., Throws, Grahamsville, NY/Tri-Valley
Kaplan moved up to No. 6 on the Division III national performance list for the hammer throw with a season-best mark of 60.07 meters on Saturday in the Cardinal Classic. He placed first in the event and inched closer to breaking his own E8 record (60.87 meters) in the event. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the spring.
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Arianna McLendon, Utica, Jr., Sprints, Rome, NY/New York Mills
McClendon delivered a record-breaking performance to lead the Pioneers at the RPI Capital District Classic, as she turned in a runner-up finish in the 800-meters while rewriting the program record books. McClendon crossed in 2:19.29, setting a new all-time mark and finishing second overall against a competitive field that included Division I talent.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Isabel Morse, Nazareth, Sr., Pole Vault, Ithaca, NY/Charles O. Dickerson
Morse moved back into the top 15 nationally in the pole vault, placing second overall with a season-best vault of 3.85 meters (12’7.5”) at the Cardinal Classic, hosted by St. John Fisher.