General | 9/14/2026 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on September 14, 2026, for games played from September 7 - September 13. It is the second Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2026-27 season. Sports featured include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s golf 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 – Killian Bauer, Utica, So., Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill
Bauer and the Pioneers competed at Hamilton College’s Short Course Invitational, running a 5,000-meter course. Bauer finished second in the field of 141 runners, joining a group of just four student-athletes to finish sub-16:00. Bauer’s 15:54.8 finish time showed an improvement of almost 40 seconds from his two races of the same distance in 2025.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Emberlynn Nolt, Houghton, Jr., Dalton, OH/Dalton
Nolt won the Hamilton College Short Course and set a new personal best 4,000-meter time of 14:52, defeating 113 runners., including runners from Empire 8 institutions Nazareth, Russell Sage, St. John Fisher, and Utica. This is her second consecutive runner of the week honor.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Catherine Newkirk, Russell Sage, So., M, Marathon, NY/Marathon
Newkirk tallied 10 points on three goals and four assists to lead the Gators to a pair of wins, including the Empire 8 opener. She totaled two goals and three assists in an 8-3 win over Ramapo and added one goal and an assist in Sage’s first league game, a 7-1 win at Alfred on Saturday.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Morgan Parinello, St. John Fisher, Jr., GK, Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon
Parrinello made 11 saves and allowed just two goals as St. John Fisher picked up victories over SUNY Morrisville and Allegheny in net. She began the week by stopping three shots in a 7-2 win over SUNY Morrisville Wednesday, before completing an eight-save shutout in a 4-0 win over Allegheny College Sunday.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tyshawn Taylor, Utica, Sr., WR, Syracuse, NY/Syracuse Institute of Technology
Taylor put together one of the greatest receiving performances in program history during Utica’s 38-14 victory over RPI on Saturday. Taylor hauled in eight receptions and managed to rack up a career-high 244 yards, totaling the second-most single-game receiving yards in program history. Taylor capped off his stellar showing with a 69-yard touchdown, powering the Pioneer offense throughout the afternoon. He had catches of 69, 51, 38, and 31 yards in the win, with each of his eight receptions going for over 10 yards as he produced 30.5 yards per reception.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Joe Galea, SUNY Cortland, Sr., LB, Cross River, NY/John Jay
Galea recorded 2.5 sacks for 13 yards among his six total tackles during Cortland's 26-0 shutout win at Union Saturday. The Red Dragons posted their first shutout in two years and held Union to just 129 yards of total offense, including 31 on the ground.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Billy O’Connor, Hartwick, So., LB, Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa
O’Connor turned in a standout defensive performance for Hartwick in a 47-13 win over Buffalo State Saturday, finishing with nine total tackles including eight solo stops. O’Connor also recorded 4.5 tackles for a loss, including three sacks for loss for 20 yards, and a forced fumble.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Elijah Georges, Alfred State, Jr., WR/KR, Middletown, NY/Middletown
Georges scored two touchdowns for the Pioneers, including a 44-yard punt return score late in the first quarter that completed a 35-point scoring barrage. He also added a 62-yard touchdown reception earlier in the first quarter, as Alfred State rolled to a 57-12 win over Hilbert College to begin the season 2-0.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Raine Rumble, SUNY Canton, So., Gouverneur, NY/Gouverneur
Rumble recorded a pair of top five finishes in two events last week. He opened the week shooting a 77 (plus-5) to earn medalist honors at the Lou Jarvis Invitational at Jay Peak Resort Golf Course on Monday. He birdied the 220-yard par-three 14th hole and eagled the 527-yard par-five 16th hole going three-under in a three-hole span. He sophomore finished with an eagle, a birdie, eight pars and eight bogeys overall. On Wednesday, Rumble carded a round of 73 (plus-1) at the Clarkson Invitational at Potsdam Town & Country Club, finishing just two shots back of four players who tied for first. He went out in 38 and came home in 35 posting four birdies, 11 pars, two bogeys and a triple. Rumble birdied three of the four par fives and the par four 13th hole.
WOMEN’S GOLF
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hailey Baughan, St. John Fisher, Fr., Ithaca, NY/Lansing
Baughan tied for first place at nine-over-par 81 on Saturday at Caledonia Country Club, as the Cardinals bested Nazareth and SUNY Geneseo in a one-round tournament. Baughan's round included a birdie on the par-five 12th hole.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Mayer, Nazareth, So., Salzburg, Austria/International GED
Mayer tied for first place, shooting a nine-over-par round of 81 at a tri-match with St. John Fisher and SUNY Geneseo at Caledonia Country Club. Her round was highlighted by a seven-hole bogeyless streak on the back nine that included a birdie on hole eleven.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Devin Chandler, Hartwick, Jr., M, Wylie, TX/Wylie East
Chandler played a key role for Hartwick’s offense through a pair of wins over SUNY Morrisville and Houghton. Chandler recorded three assists in Hartwick’s 5-2 win over the Mustangs, before following with one goal and two assists in the Hawks’ 4-0 shutout against Houghton on Saturday. He finished the two-game stretch with one goal, five assists, and seven points, adding five total shots with four on target.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Max Crothall, Geneseo, Jr., GK, Rye, NY/Rye
Crothall held strong in the net for the Knights in their lone game of the week at the University of Rochester. The Knights played to a 1-1 draw through the rain against the Yellowjackets, with Crothall making five saves, including a pair of key saves late in the second half to keep the game tied.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ella Yartym, Geneseo, So., F, Bath, NY/Haverling
Yartym scored all three goals for the Knights this past week, finding the back of the net once against Oswego, and twice against Alfred State. Trailing the Pioneers 1-0 at halftime, Yarytm scored just over a minute into the second half to tie the game, and once again in the 82nd minute for the game-winner.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Eva Hirschoff, Russell Sage, Jr., D, Castleton-on-Hudson, NY/Maple Hill
Hirschoff helped the Gators shutout SUNY Delhi on Wednesday before scoring a goal in Saturday's E8 comeback victory at Keuka. The effort helped Russell Sage move to 5-0-0 on the season and win its league debut. The Gators have allowed just one goal in five games this season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Wertz, Houghton, Gr., M, Mechanicsburg, PA/West Shore Christian Academy
Wertz helped the Highlanders go 2-0 on the week. She played 163 of 180 minutes contributing both defensively and offensively. Wertz also had the assist on the game winning goal in a key 2-1 win over Empire 8 foe Hartwick College to open up league play on Saturday.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Samantha Lantzy, Hartwick, Sr., Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane
Lantzy went 3-0 in singles play across Hartwick’s matches against SUNY Oneonta, Russell Sage, and Houghton. Lantzy earned a 6-3, 7-5 victory at first singles at Oneonta, before winning in a 6-0, 6-0 decision at Sage, also at first singles. She closed the stretch with another straight-set win, defeating her opponent from Houghton, 6-3, 6-0 at second singles.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Rachel Molloy, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Erieville, NY/Cazenovia
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Samantha Rava, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Fairport, NY/Fairport
Molloy and Rava were dominant at second doubles this week for the Knights, helping the team improve to 6-0 on the season with three more wins this week. Molloy and Rava were the lone team to win at doubles against Penn St. Behrend, winning 6-1, then swept St. John Fisher 6-0, and earned a hard fought 6-3 win over Alfred. The Knights improved to 3-0 in Empire 8 play this season.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lydia Fraser, St. John Fisher, Jr., OH, Plymouth, MA/Fr. Gabriel Richard
Fraser led the Cardinals offensively to a 3-0 weekend at the Skidmore Tournament, recording 40 kills while hitting .263 and totaling 46.0 points to go along with 34 digs and three double-doubles. On Friday, Fisher defeated Skidmore in four sets, with Fraser recording 11 kills while hitting .346. The following day, the Cardinals swept Middlebury in three sets, as Fraser tallied 10 kills, 11 digs, two service aces, and a .318 hitting percentage. Later Saturday, the Cardinals battled Williams College, who is receiving votes in the AVCA national poll, earning a key five-set victory. Fraser recorded a career-high 19 kills, added three service aces, and totaled 22.0 points. Fraser was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Maya Lesinski, Hartwick, Fr., OH, Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W. Baker
Lesinski put together a strong two-match performance for the Hawks against Union and Russell Sage. Lesinski recorded eight kills, seven digs, and five service aces against Union. She followed with another eight-kill performance at Sage, adding on ten digs and three service aces.