General | 2/23/2026 1:00:00 PM
Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, released on February 23, 2026, for games played from February 16-February 22, 2026. It is the 26th Empire 8 weekly honors release of the 2025-26 season. Sports featured include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s volleyball, and men’s wrestling.
BASEBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Michael Norton, SUNY Brockport, Gr., OF, Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk
Across three starts in Canton, OH, Norton racked up seven RBI's and a home run, scoring three runs and finishing while hitting .333 and slugging .667 for the Golden Eagles.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Robert Leach, St. John Fisher, Jr., P, Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park
On the mound against No. 11 Johns Hopkins, Leach earned the win with four strong innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run while striking out three. Leach took over in the third and settled the game, tossing four effective innings without allowing a hit and keeping the Blue Jays off balance.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – CJ Wheaton, Elmira, Fr., SS, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Wheaton had an impressive opening weekend for Elmira, going 3-for-6 to bat .500 with a .667 slugging percentage for a .571 on-base percentage. He recorded three hits, two runs, one rbi, one double, one walk, and one stolen base. Defensively, he made no errors, as the Soaring Eagles earned a pair of wins.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lamar Lovelace, Keuka, Sr., G, Rockville Centre, NY/Southside
Lovelace averaged 34.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game, as the Wolves ended the regular season with a win over Elmira Tuesday and won their first postseason game as an Empire 8 member at No. 2 seed Nazareth on Saturday. Lovelace began the week by recording 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the floor, hitting four from behind the arc and all six of his free throw attempts in a win over Elmira. Saturday, Lovelace poured in a game-high 32 points to go along with 11 boards and five assists in 96-89 overtime win at Nazareth in the Empire 8 quarterfinals. It is his third E8 weekly honor of the season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Pharell Aybar, SUNY Brockport, Fr., G, Washington Heights, NY/A. Phillip Randolph
Aybar averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in two games, while shooting 50 percent from the floor in a pair of Brockport wins. He scored 23 points to go along with five boards and five assists in a one-point win over SUNY Geneseo Tuesday. On Saturday, Aybar had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in an 84-75 win over No. 4 seed SUNY Poly in the Empire 8 Quarterfinals. It is Aybar’s sixth E8 weekly honor of 2025-26.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Lauren Miller, Elmira, Jr., G, Pine City, NY/Mansfield
Miller helped lead the No. 7 Soaring Eagles to a 77-71 victory over No. 2 Brockport in the quarterfinals contest on Saturday. Miller tallied 21 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and was 6-for-7 from behind the three-point arc. She also recorded one block and one steal.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Teghan Trocki, Houghton, Fr., G, Frewsburg, NY/Frewsburg
Trocki averaged 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest in a pair of Houghton wins. She hit three shots from 3-point range, scoring 11 points, while adding six boards in Houghton’s E8 Quarterfinal win over St. John Fisher Saturday.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Drake Morse, Utica, Jr., F, Grand Rapids, MI
Morse capped off a spectacular regular season with six points on four goals and two assists, as the Pioneers picked up five key UCHC points against Chatham University, clinching their 10th straight conference regular season title. The Utica captain poured in in four goals and added an assist in Saturday’s 10-3 win, becoming just the 10th player in program history to notch four goals in a single outing. Morse’s massive weekend upped his totals to 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 2025-26.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – David Filak, SUNY Brockport, Jr., G, Northville, MI
In a historic 3-2 win at No. 10 SUNY Geneseo on Friday, Filak helped secure one of Brockport's biggest wins in program history. Filak finished Friday's contest with a career high of 55 saves, allowing just two goals in a tremendous outing in the Brockport win. He made 17 saves in each of the first two periods and 21 in the third period. Filak is now a two-time E8 Goaltender of the Week in 2025-26.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Cecelia Stewart, St. John Fisher, Fr., F, Buffalo, NY/Nichols
Stewart helped lead the Cardinals a pair of wins over the weekend on home ice against Hilbert College, tallying four points on three goals and an assist while recording a plus-5 rating. On Friday, she recorded three points on two goals and one assist, finishing the game plus-four in an 8-0 win. On Saturday, she recorded another goal in a 9-1 victory.
GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Olivia Last, Elmira, So., G, Sydney Australia
Last was a brick wall between the pipes this past weekend for the Manhattanville series. Last recorded 32 saves on the weekend, recording a pair of 16-save shutouts, as Elmira earned 3-0 and 7-0 road wins over the Valiants to wrap up the regular season. It is her second E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S LACROSSE
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Ronnie Trebing, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., A, Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West
In the Knights season opening game against No. 8 RPI, Trebing put together an impressive performance by tallying six goals and one assists for seven points. Geneseo had a comeback attempt going in the second half, outscoring the Engineers 8-6, but couldn't pull out the win behind Trebing, falling 18-13
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Jake Verneri, SUNY St. John Fisher, Fr., LSM/D, Whitehouse Station, NY/Voorhees
Verneri had two caused turnovers and two ground balls in St. John Fisher’s 18-12 win over Ithaca on Saturday.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Alyssa Specchio, Utica, So., A, Chenango Forks, NY/Chenango Forks
Specchio netted five of Utica’s seven goals in the season opener against SUNY New Paltz Saturday. She did so in just seven total shot attempts, scoring each of her shots on target. Additionally, she led the Pioneers with three of the team’s seven total draw controls, the only Utica player with more than one.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Leah Hilton, St. John Fisher, Jr., D, Utica, NY/New Hartford
Hilton caused a career-high five turnovers, picked up a ground ball and scored her first collegiate goal in the Cardinals' season-opener against the University of Rochester on Saturday.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Alex Palmer, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Breaststroke/Individual Medley, Fairport, NY/Fairport
Palmer was named the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Championship Meet at the 2026 Empire 8 Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center. He won individual titles in the 200-yard individual medley, 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events and was also part of the winning 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams. He began the meet by shattering a 13-year-old record in the 200-yard individual medley with an NCAA “B” cut qualifying time of 1:49.57. He also broke an E8 Championship meet record in winning the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 54.30 seconds and won the 200-yard breaststroke, also in an E8 record time of 1:59.47. Palmer was also part of two Empire 8 Championship record-setting relay teams, the 400-yard medley relay (3:20.51) and 200-yard medley relay (1:29.85), which were also NCAA "B" cut times. It is Palmer’s fifth E8 weekly honor of the year.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Greg Meder, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Diving, Plainview, NY/Plainview Old-Bethpage John F. Kennedy
Meder garnered Empire 8 Diver of the Championship Meet at the 2026 Empire 8 Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center. He swept both the 1- and 3-meter diving events. Meder rolled to victory in the 3-meter diving event on Feb. 18, finishing with a score of 601.70. Two days later, he claimed the 1-meter diving title, winning with a final score of 548.60. It is Meder’s seventh E8 weekly honor of the season.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Freestyle/Butterfly, New Lebanon, NY/New Lebanon
Sotek was named the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Championship Meet at the 2026 Empire 8 Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center. at the Webster Aquatic Center. She won individual titles in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly and was also part of the winning 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams and 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay teams. She recorded times of 23.21 seconds in the 50-free, 51.93 seconds in the 100-free and 56.28 seconds (55.52 in the prelims) in the 100-fly finals. Sotek was part of the 400-yard medley relay team that shattered an Empire 8 Championship and overall record with a time of 1:42.82, which was also an NCAA “B” cut time. It is Sotek’s sixth E8 weekly honor of the season.
DIVER OF THE WEEK – Morgan Davey, SUNY Geneseo, Fr., Diving, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa
Davey was named Empire 8 Diver of the Championship Meet at the 2026 Empire 8 Championships, held at the Webster Aquatic Center. Davey won the 1-meter event on Thursday with a score of 462.00 and was runner-up in the 3-meter event on Saturday with a finals score of 465.40. It is Davey’s third E8 weekly honor of the season.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ryan Hagan, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Distance, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool
Hagan set a new program record and shattered the Empire 8 record in the 5,000-meters with a time of 14:12.33 at the Brockport February Invitational. He now sits fourth among all Division III student-athletes in the 5,000-meters. It is Hagan’s fourth E8 weekly honor of 2025-26.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Hayden Penna, St. John Fisher, Jr., Pole Vault, Hilton, NY/Hilton
Penna bested his school record in the pole vault for the fourth time this season on Friday night as the St. John Fisher men's indoor track and field team wrapped up the regular season in the Nazareth Conference Tune Up. Penna placed second at 5.02 meters (16’ 5.5”), the seventh-best mark in Division III this season. He became just the second Empire 8 student-athlete to surpass five meters in the pole vault. It is Penna’s third E8 weekly of the season.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Laura Suppa, Utica Gr., Hurdles, Canastota, NY/Canastota
Laura Suppa set a new school record in the 60-meter dash, alongside another standout performance in the 60-meter hurdles on Friday evening at the St. Lawrence Open. Suppa wasted no time asserting control in the women's 60-meter hurdles, cruising through prelims in 8.89 seconds before lowering that mark to an 8.85 in the finals to take the event title. Suppa doubled back in the 60-meter dash exploded to a 7.69 time in the final to win the event outright and shatter the school record of 7.82 that was set back in 2020. It is Suppa’s second E8 weekly honor of 2025-26.
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Makenna Keough, St. Joh Fisher, Fr., Jumps, Elmira, NY/Elmira Notre Dame
Keough had the top result of the night for St. John Fisher's women's indoor track and field team on Friday in the Nazareth Conference Tune-Up, setting a program record in the triple jump with a first-place mark of 11.33 meters. That performance ranks 28th in Division III this season. Michaela Kurbs' mark of 10.97 meters had stood as the school record in the triple jump since 2023. It is Keough’s second E8 honor of the season.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Dylan Fox, Russell Sage, Jr., OH, Albany, NY/Albany
Fox hit .434 with 30 kills in three straight Russell Sage wins last week. He began the week by hitting .375 with 13 kills and six digs in a win over Hartwick. On Saturday, Fox hit .636 with 15 kills in a three-set sweep of Vermont State Johnson.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Avery Kielbasinski, St. John Fisher, Fr., OH, Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt
Kielbasinski amassed 41.5 total points over the Cardinals' four matches last week. He slammed 36 kills while hitting .287, tallied four total blocks and aced three serves. He added 13 digs on the defensive side of the net. Kielbasinski pounded 13 kills while hitting .400 to lead Fisher men's volleyball team to a road sweep of East Avenue rival Nazareth on Wednesday night. He also had 13 kills in a four-set home win over Misericordia on Friday night.
MEN’S WRESTLING
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK – Luca Friedman, SUNY Brockport, Sr., 197 lbs., Bedford Hills, NY/Fox Lane
At the Cardinal Invitational on Saturday, Luca Friedman dominated the 197-pound bracket, racking up 20.5 points. He wasted no time, securing a lightning-fast pin at 0:27, followed by another at 6:49 in the semifinals. Friedman capped off his commanding run with a 19-4 technical fall in the first-place match.