General | 11/2/2026 9:00:01 AM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on November 2, 2026, for games played from October 26 – November 1. It is the ninth 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 and women’s ice hockey, 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 – Collin Brown, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Rochester, NY/McQuaid
Brown was the individual race winner and Most Outstanding Runner of the Empire 8 Men’s Cross Country Championship, host by SUNY Poly on Saturday, Oct. 31. Brown finished five seconds ahead of the field, defeating 104 runners and completing the 8,000-meter course in a time of 25:10.1.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
RUNNER OF THE WEEK – Ari Reback, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Fairport, NY/Fairport
Reback was the individual race winner and Most Outstanding Runner of the Empire 8 Women’s Cross Country Championship, host by SUNY Poly on Saturday, Oct. 31. Reback finished just over five seconds ahead of the field, defeating 101 runners and completing the 6,000-meter course in a time of 21:50.1.
FIELD HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mary Kate McPhee, St. John Fisher, Sr., M, Salem, NY/Salem
McPhee scored twice to lead the No. 5-seeded St. John Fisher field hockey team past No. 4-seeded Houghton in the first round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament on Saturday. It marked McPhee's fourth two-goal performance of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Julia Nieboer, SUNY Brockport, Fr., GK, Fairport, NY/Fairport
In her first career postseason start, Nieboer sent Brockport to the Empire 8 Semifinals with a four-save shutout in the Golden Eagles' 1-0 First Round win over Utica. She also had four saves to earn a shutout in the regular season finale Wednesday, a 5-0 win over Nazareth. Since securing the starting job, Nieboer has posted a 1.16 goals against average with a 6-2 record, delivering four shutouts across seven starts. It is her second straight E8 Defensive Player of the Week honor.
FOOTBALL
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Derrion Battle, SUNY Brockport, Fr., RB, Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute
Battle led the way for the Brockport offense with a career-best, three-touchdown performance in a 28-3 win over Alfred University Saturday. Totaling 69 yards on 17 carries, the first-year back scored a pair of rushing touchdowns. The first time in his young collegiate career he ran for two in the same game. Battle then went on to score a third touchdown, as a receiver this time, to set a new career-high in scores for a single game. He added a total of three receptions for 19 yards and a score in the pass game. The engine for the offense, Battle totaled three touchdowns and 88 yards on 20 touches for the Golden Eagles.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Szalkowski., Utica, Sr., QB, Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute
Szalkowski racked up 36 completions, 259 yards passing, and three passing touchdowns in addition to a singular rushing score in Utica’s 35-14 win over St. John Fisher on Saturday. He finished just two completions short of the single-game program record but managed to grab those 36 completions in just 43 attempts, a completion rate of 84 percent. His methodical passing performance helped the team hold the ball for over 37 minutes in the matchup, while also going 9-for-13 on third down and 5-for-5 in the redzone. It is his second E8 Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2026/
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Billy O’Connor, Hartwick, So., LB, Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa
O'Connor led a tremendous defensive effort for the Hawks over the weekend, as Hartwick defeated Morrisville 17-14 on the road. O'Connor contributed six total tackles, with three of those being sacks and four of those being for loss, totaling 40 yards. He also forced a fumble as the Hawks' defense came up big late, stopping the Mustangs three times at the goal line as time expired to pick up the E8 win.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ravi Dass, Jr., SUNY Cortland, Sr., KR, Newburgh, NY/Somers
Dass became the first Cortland player in school history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a game during Cortland's 80-7 win over Alfred State. He returned the second half opening kickoff 85 yards for a score, and later in the third quarter he returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. He scored on the only two kickoffs Cortland received in the contest, and he's the only Division III player this season with two kickoff return TDs in the same game. Dass also returned two punts for a total of 13 yards.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Danny Bagnole, SUNY Geneseo, So., F, Franklin Park, IL
Bagnole tallied four points on a goal and three assists to help lead the Knights to the Buffalo State Tournament Championship over the weekend. He began the weekend by dishing out two assists in a 5-1 win over No. 5 Wisconsin-Stout and added a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win over host Buffalo State on Saturday night.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Drake Morse, Utica, Sr., F, Grand Rapids, MI
Morse contributed two goals, one assist, and a shootout winner to help No. 6 Utica escape No. 8 Adrian undefeated. In the opening contest of the weekend, Morse tallied an assist on the Pioneers’ third-period equalizer by Andrew Della Rovere to send the game to overtime, as Utica won 3-2 in the extra session. On Saturday, Morse scored two goals, one of which was a power play tally. In addition to his pair of goals, Morse also came up clutch in the eventual shootout, scoring glove-side to give the Pioneers a huge shootout victory.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Jacob Torgner, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., G, Mjolby, Sweden
Torgner stopped 50-of-53 shots in helping lead SUNY Geneseo to the Buffalo State Tournament Championship. He made 28 saves in a 5-1 win over No. 5 Wisconsin-Stout and made 22 more in a 5-2 win over the hosts. He recorded a 1.50 goals against average and a .943 save percentage.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mo McBride, Elmira, Sr., F, Norwich, VT
McBride delivered a dominant opening weekend, scoring all six of Elmira's goals to lead the Soaring Eagles to a pair of road victories. In Friday's season opener against SUNY Potsdam, McBride netted all four goals in a 4-1 victory. She followed that performance with another multi-goal outing on Saturday, scoring both goals in Elmira's 2-0 shutout victory over SUNY Canton. McBride finished the weekend with a nation-leading six goals, accounting for all of Elmira's offensive production as the Soaring Eagles opened the season with a 2-0 record.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Yael Fatiev, Utica, Fr., G, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
Fatiev and the Pioneers opened their regular season in a home-and-home set with the William Smith College Herons. After entering in relief of a 4-2 defeat by the Herons in game one, Fatiev was called upon for her first collegiate start in game two, playing a pivotal role in the 2-0 bounce back win for Utica. After stopping each of the two shots she faced in game one, Fatiev turned away all 40 on the road to cap her first victory with a shutout. The former member of Israel’s national team only got better as the game progressed, making 8, 13, and 19 saves in each frame, respectively.
MEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ryan Mathis, SUNY Brockport, So., F, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Mathis sent Brockport to the Empire 8 Semifinals with a two-goal effort in the Golden Eagles' 2-1 first-round victory at St. John Fisher. Trailing 1-0 in the first, Mathis connected with goals in the 31st minute and later in the 65th minute to power the Brockport offense.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Allen Joseph, Hartwick, Jr., D, Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa
Joseph played a crucial role in the Hawks' upset victory, opening the scoring in the 42nd minute with the game winning goal, giving Hartwick the 1-0 advantage going into halftime. His timely offensive contribution helped Hartwick secure a postseason victory, while his defensive efforts aided the Blue and White in preserving the shutout.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hope Russell, Houghton, Jr., F, Fillmore, NY/Fillmore
Russell scored the game-winning goal early in overtime to lift the No. 3 seeded Highlanders to a dramatic, 2-1 win over No. 6 Hartwick in the Empire 8 Quarterfinal match on Saturday.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Katriana Walls, Nazareth, Jr., GK, Fair Haven, NJ/Marine Academy of Science and Technology
Walls registered 12 saves across two games, as Nazareth has advanced to the Empire 8 Semifinals for the 15th straight season. She was stout in a 1-1 draw against SUNY Cortland Tuesday to end the regular season, as Cortland fired 16 shots towards the goal, seven on target. She earned a shutout win with six saves in a 2-0 win over Utica Saturday in the Empire 8 Quarterfinals.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Brian Pabisch, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Butterfly, Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills East
Pabisch led Geneseo to a dominant win over Brockport, placing first in four events for the Knights. Pabisch won the 100-yard breaststroke and the 50-yard breaststroke with times of 51.47 and 22.74, respectively. In the 200-yard medley relay, Pabisch and the Knights won with a time of 1:37.34 and then followed it up in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a first-place finish at 1:24.37.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Brenden Jardin-Reed, SUNY Brockport, So., Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post
Jardin-Reed continued his impressive start to the season, sweeping both diving events for the second consecutive dual meet against Geneseo. The freshman captured first place on the 1-meter board with 344.50 points before earning another victory on the 3-meter board with 337.45 points. His two first-place finishes highlighted Brockport's performance against Empire 8 competition. This is his third consecutive E8 Diver of the Week honor.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Freestyle/Backstroke, New Lebanon, NY/New Lebanon
Sotek led Geneseo to a dominant win over SUNY Brockport, as she took first in the 50-yard backstroke (27.28), 50-yard freestyle (24.47), 100-yard backstroke (1:00.73) and was a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Morgan Davey, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Diving, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
Davey won the one-meter competition with 273.50 points and the three-meter event as well, scoring 294.15 points, as Geneseo cruised to a dual meet win over SUNY Brockport.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Leah Fusilli, Nazareth, Gr., OH, Penfield, NY/Penfield
Fusilli averaged 4.9 kills and 2.4 digs per set in the Golden Flyers three matches this week, all wins, including two over the weekend that clinched an Empire 8 postseason berth. She registered a career-high 26 kills with 11 digs in five-set win over Utica Friday. She also tallied 22 kills at .319 with 11 digs in four-set victory against Oswego State. Fusilli recorded her eighth and ninth double-doubles of the season It is her second straight E8 weekly accolade.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaylene Noble, St. John Fisher, Sr., OH, Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius
Noble led the Cardinals to a 2-0 weekend with wins over SUNY Poly and Utica. Across six sets, Noble totaled 31 kills while hitting .509, recording 32.0 points and adding 26 digs. On Friday against SUNY Poly, Noble recorded 15 kills while hitting .462 and added 12 digs. She followed up with a strong performance against Utica on Saturday, totaling 16 kills while hitting .552, along with 14 digs and 17.0 points.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Petra Thomas, Houghton, Fr., MB/RS, Bandung, Indonesia/Gyeonggi Suwon International
Thomas hit .552 on the week with 4.25 points on the week. She had 15.5 points against Geneseo on Friday evening, leading Houghton with 11 kills on 17 attacks, with just one error for a .588 hitting percentage. She also contributed three solo blocks and three block assists. On Saturday against Brockport, Thomas led the Highlanders offensively with eight kills on 12 attempts, hitting .500. It is her second straight E8 weekly accolade.