General | 10/19/2026 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on October 19, 2026, for games played from October 11 - October 18. It is the seventh 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, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, and women’s volleyball.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Emerson Comer, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., South Kortright, NY/South Kortright
Comer led Geneseo to the team championship at the Mike Woods Invitational on Friday from Letchworth State Park, winning the individual title over the 8,000-meter course with a time of 24:58.7. The Knights won the meet with a score of 55 points, beating out RPI, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, and Amherst who are all in the top 20 in the country.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Greylynn Guyer, SUNY Geneseo, So., Sag Harbor, NY/Pierson
Guyer led Geneseo to a third-place finish at the Mike Woods Invitational on Friday, by placing ninth overall in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 22:29.8. The Knights finished third overall, behind NYU and Carnegie Mellon who are both top 15 programs. This is her second E8 Runner of the Week honor of 2026.
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 with impressive performances against Keuka and Alvernia, totaling five goals and two assists for 12 points. Harman tallied four goals in the win over Keuka and now has 36 points on the year with 12 goals and 12 assists. This is her second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor of 2026.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Amber Cribbs, Houghton, Jr., GK, Carlisle, PA/Big Spring
Cribbs maintained a 1.45 goals against average and .870 save percentage during a 2-0 week against St John Fisher and Nazareth. She made 20 saves on the week. In the Highlanders win over St. John Fisher, Cribbs made 14 saves in a 3-2 win. In their final game of the week against Nazareth, she stopped six shots in a 6-1 victory.
FOOTBALL
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mike Rescigno, SUNY Cortland, Jr., QB, Arlington, NY/Arlington
Rescigno completed a career-high 25 passes on 33 attempts for 241 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for a team-high 81 yards, in Cortland's 45-7 win at Alfred University Saturday. His touchdown passes covered 18, 18 and 41 yards, and he posted runs of 19 and 18 yards during a first-quarter drive that led to a Cortland score and a 14-0 lead. This is his second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Austyn Gollnitz., SUNY Brockport, So., LB, Hornell, NY/Hornell
On the road this past weekend in Brockport's 24-14 win over Alfred State, it was Gollnitz once again making the play of the game. Tied up at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, it was Gollnitz who finally broke the tie on the scoreboard with a clutch, pick-six to put Brockport up for good. To go with his 19-yard interception returned for a touchdown, Gollnitz also finished with five total tackles and one sack to earn his second E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor in 2026.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Cole Callard, SUNY Cortland, So., K/P, Medina, NY/Medina
Callard made his only field goal attempt and all six of his point-after attempt kicks in Cortland's 45-7 win at Alfred University. His 32-yard field goal with 1:01 left in the first half gave the Red Dragons a 17-7 halftime lead.
MEN’S GOLF
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Louie Roman, Utica, Jr., Oswego, NY/Oswego
Roman and the Pioneers traveled to The Powelton Club in Newburgh, NY, to close out their fall semester schedule at the Mount Saint Mary College Invitational. Utica had a strong day, placing all five golfers inside the top 10, led by Roman. He shot a plus-5 on the par-70 course, just one stroke short of the individual champion. His second-place finish in the 26-golfer field aided Utica to a second-place team finish.
MEN’S SOCCER
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Landon Berry, Alfred, Sr., M, Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan
Berry opened his collegiate scoring account in a big week against SUNY Geneseo and Keuka College with the first three goals of his career. Berry got the scoring started against the Knights on Wednesday with a low near-post shot finding the twine. In Saturday’s win over the Wolves, he once again opened the scoring just 15 minutes into the match and added on with an insurance goal in the 71st minute. His three goals during the week led all Saxon scorers.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Adam Grover, St. John Fisher, Gr., M, Warsaw, NY/Canisius
Grover continued his standout season by scoring three goals in St. John Fisher's two wins during the week. Grover netted both Cardinal goals, including the game-winner in the 90th minute, in a 2-1 victory over Houghton on Wednesday, then added his eighth goal of the season in a 3-0 Senior Day win over Russell Sage on Saturday. This is his second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Zachary Accetta, Utica, Sr., GK, Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point
Accetta and the Pioneers hit the road for two matchups this past week, challenging Russell Sage and Nazareth. Utica continued to ride a midseason unbeaten streak, extending it to six games with a 1-1 draw with the Gators and a 1-0 victory over the Golden Flyers. Accetta continued to play a pivotal role in the success, turning away all but one of the 16 shots on goal he faced over the last two matchups. With eight saves against Russell Sage and seven against Nazareth, he continues to jockey around the top of the national save percentage leaderboard, currently sitting at .932. This is his second consecutive E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Woolingham, St. John Fisher, Jr., F, Buffalo, NY/Williamsville East
Woolingham scored three goals for six total points to lead the St. John Fisher women's soccer team to a pair of Empire 8 Conference wins last week. Woolingham scored once in Fisher's 2-1 win over Houghton on Wednesday and twice in a 4-0 win over Russell Sage on Saturday. She now has 13 goals and 32 total points this season. Woolingham, the 2025 E8 Offensive Player of the Year, has scored five goals in the Cardinals' last four games. This is her second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Payton Malec, Keuka, Jr., GK, Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy
Malec led the Wolves to two crucial Empire 8 Conference draws, helping Keuka earn valuable points in the standings. She opened the week with three saves in a 1-1 draw against SUNY Poly before turning in one of her best performances of the season with 11 saves in a scoreless draw at Alfred University. Malec's 11-save effort secured her third shutout of the season and highlighted a week in which she anchored the Wolves defensively.
CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Emily Duro, Utica, Jr., GK, Wappinger Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham
Duro was a force in two key games against Russell Sage and Nazareth. She recorded nine saves over two matches, keeping clean sheets in both. Her seven saves against Nazareth earned the Pioneers a clean sheet and point against a high scoring attack. Duro came up with key saves at crucial moments, preserving shutouts and giving her squad the opportunity to stay in the Empire 8 postseason chase.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Kevin Zheng, Hartwick, Fr., Chino Hills, CA/Ruben S. Ayala
Zheng contributed largely in Hartwick’s meet against Ithaca and Scranton over the weekend. He won three individual events, placing first in every individual event he competed in, and came third in the 200-yard freestyle relay. He swam the 100-yardd freestyle in 47.76, 50-yardd freestyle in 21.52 and the 100-yard butterfly in 53.31. He was the lead-off swimmer in the relay, recording his lowest split time of the day at 21.49 for his 50 yards.
CO-DIVER OF THE WEEK – Nathan Davey, SUNY Geneseo, So., Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
Davey swept both of his dives this week, scoring 298.5 points in the 1-meter as Geneseo opened the season against Nazareth University, Grove City University and Penn State University at the Webster Aquatic Center on Friday. To complete his sweep of the diving events, he finished with a first-place score of 301.40 in the 3-meter dive.
CO-DIVER OF THE WEEK – Brenden Jardin-Reed, SUNY Brockport, So., Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post
Jardin-Reed delivered an outstanding performance at the Cortland Pumpkin Relays, sweeping both men's diving events to open the season. He captured first place in the 1-meter diving competition with a score of 291.25, finishing more than 61 points ahead of the runner-up. Jardin-Reed continued his success in the 3-meter competition, earning another first-place finish with a score of 289.70, nearly 68 points ahead of second place.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Elizabeth Share, Alfred, Jr., Macedon, NY/Palmyra-Macedon
Share had a strong start to the season against RIT over the weekend. She earned two wins on the road, clocking a time of 1:01.72 in the 100-yard backstroke and a time of 1:02.88 in the 100-yard butterfly. Share also earned a second-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:17.23. She began the meet by swimming the backstroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay, leading off with a time of 28.79.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Morgan Davey, SUNY Geneseo, So., Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
Davey led the way on the diving boards this week, capturing first in the 1-meter dive and second in the 3-meter dive in their quad meet win as Geneseo opened the season against Nazareth University, Grove City University and Penn State University at the Webster Aquatic Center on Friday. In her 1-meter dive she won with 285.70 points. Her second-place finish in the 3-meter dive earned a 261.20 score.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Natalie Pipes, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Victor, NY/Victor
Pipes was named the 2026 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Knights to their first Empire 8 title and first conference title since 2017. Pipes went 2-0 at both first doubles and first singles, picking up doubles wins in the semifinals and finals with scores of 6-1 and 6-2, respectively, then dominating at first singles with scores of 6-0 6-0 and 6-2 6-0, respectively.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Rachel Molloy, Geneseo, Sr., Erieville, NY/Cazenovia
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK – Samantha Rava, Geneseo, Sr., Fairport, NY/Fairport
Molloy and Rava picked up two wins in the 2026 E8 Championship Tournament. Against Nazareth in the semifinals, the two picked up a 6-0 win in the second doubles spot. In the Championship match against Alfred, the duo was the first match off the court with a 6-1 win in the second doubles spot.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alexa Belanger, Houghton, Jr., OH/MB, Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Belanger enjoyed a big week in conference play, leading Houghton to three victories. She totaled 37 kills with a .358 hitting percentage to go along with 34 digs. She had her best match against Keuka, slamming 17 kills and hitting .361, while adding 19 digs. This is her second E8 Player of the Week Honor of 2026.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lucy Walker, Hartwick, Jr., MH, Ithaca, NY/Ithaca
Walker had a phenomenal week in conference play during the Hawks wins over Utica and SUNY Poly, hitting .483 while averaging 4.71 kills and 6.14 points per set. Against the Pioneers, Walker paced the Hawks offensively with a match-high 19 kills and two aces, while notching six blocks, three digs, and two assists from the middle spot. She led the charge against SUNY Poly as well, hitting a match-high 14 kills, while again serving two aces and collecting six blocks.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Gillian Dickerson, Alfred, Fr., S, Frisco, TX/Wakeland
Dickerson recorded a grand total of 89 set assists in three Empire 8 matches, averaging 10 assists per set in a three-set home victory over Keuka College and averaging just shy of 30 set assists per match. She tacked on 14.5 points on the week from eight aces, three kills, five block assists and one solo block. Dickerson added 21 digs as a setter, recording eight in both victories over the weekend. This is her third consecutive E8 Rookie of the Week honor.