Empire 8 Announces Athletes of the Week

Date: October 22, 2012 Contact: Janelle Feuz, Assoc. Commissioner [email protected]

Field Hockey Offensive Player – Houghton Ashley Engle, Senior, F – Manheim, PA/ Lancaster Menonite

Ashley Engle scored eight points in two games as Houghton went 1-1 on the week. Engle tallied a hat trick in the 5-1 win over Morrisville on two unassisted goals and a penalty stroke. She added one goal in the 3-2 loss to Utica. The other goal for Houghton was registered when Engle fired a shot front outside the circle that was counted as an own goal by Utica.

Field Hockey Defensive Player – St. John Fisher Danielle Famolaro, Freshman, GK – Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy

Danielle Famolaro made 11 saves in a crucial 2-1 conference win over Nazareth College Wednesday night. That win secured an Empire 8 postseason berth for the Cardinals in just their second season.

Football Offensive Player – St. John Fisher College Cody Miller, Junior, RB – Spencerport, NY/Spencerport

Junior running back Cody Miller rushed for a career-high 208 yards and three touchdowns – both career highs – to lead nationally ranked St. John Fisher College to a 21-17 win over Ithaca College. On a fourth-and-one play, with Fisher trailing 17-14 with under five minutes left, Miller scored on a 36-yard run for the game's final touchdown. It was the first time a running back has rushed for over 200 yards in nearly seven years at Fisher.

Football Defensive Player – Salisbury University Greg Stanton, Junior, DB – Damascus, MD/Damascus

Salisbury junior defensive back Greg Stanton made a game- and career-high 12 tackles and his fourth interception of the season in the No. 8 Sea Gulls’ 24-21 win over Alfred. Stanton also posted half a tackle for loss and broke up two passes on the day. Football Special Teams Player – Utica College Thomas Woodburn, Freshman, Kicker – West Islip, NY/West Islip

Freshman kicker Thomas Woodburn went on to break his own school-record for points by a kicker in a single-game, which he originally set last week, as he totaled 12 points on the afternoon (three field goals, three extra points) in the Pioneers' win over Hartwick. He also tied the school-record for field goals made in a single-game with three. Woodburn knocked down field goals of 22, 22 and 30 yards.

Men’s Cross Country Runner – Utica Morgan Payne, Junior – Williamstown, NY/Altmar-Parish-Williamstown

Junior Morgan Payne placed second at the NYSCTC Cross Country Invitational, hosted by Nazareth College at Centre Park in Fairport, NY, to help the Pioneers to a sixth place finish in the team competition on Saturday. Payne posted a school-record time of 25:54.73 in the men's 8K (143 participants) and he placed just ten seconds behind the winner, Sam Rakoc, of St. Lawrence University. Payne was the top Empire 8 finisher competing against two nationally ranked teams, University of Rochester and St. Lawrence.

Women’s Cross Country Runner - Stevens Amy Regan, Freshman – Green Brook, NJ/Watchung Hills

Freshman Amy Regan paced the Ducks with a fourth place finish out of 69 runners on Saturday at the six-kilometer CTC Championship. She set a personal record on the 6K course by 20 seconds with a time of 23:27.3. The Steven’s Institute of Technology women’s cross country team raced to a second place finish out of seven teams with all five runners for the Ducks finishing in the top 20.

Men’s Soccer Offensive Player - Utica Shane Ruffing, Sophomore, F – Rochester, NY/Westborough

Shane Ruffing tallied a career-high six points on two goals and two assists in the Pioneers' 7-0 win over Alfred on Saturday. His six points in a game is tied for third all-time at Utica. Heading into the contest Ruffing had just one goal all season. Utica needs a win or a tie against Elmira to earn the No. 4 playoff seed.

Men’s Soccer Defensive Player – Stevens Paul Killian, Junior, GK – Ellicott City, MD/ Marriots Ridge

Paul Killian made seven saves in a 2-0 week for the Ducks, posting his fourth straight shutout. The four saves in the 2-0 win against Fisher, clinched the regular season Empire 8 title. Killian hasn’t allowed a goal in 382:48 minutes of consecutive action. Women’s Soccer Offensive Player - Houghton Stephany Ellison, sophomore, F – Whitesville, NY/Whitesville

Stephany Ellison registered eight points in two games as the Highlanders went 2-0 on the week and posted their fifth straight win. Ellison scored two goals and added an assist in Houghton’s 5- 1 win over St. John Fisher and then added one goal and one assist in the 3-2 victory at Elmira. Houghton stands at 11-6 on the season and will wait to see where they will be competing in the upcoming NCCAA tournament. As an NCAA provisional member the Highlanders are not eligible for Empire 8 postseason play, however it should be noted they defeated six conference opponents.

Women’s Soccer Defensive Player – Utica College Caitlyn Smith, Junior, GK - Waterville, NY/Madison

Caitlyn Smith totaled 22 saves in two games last week for the Pioneers. On Wednesday she made a season-high 17 stops as the Pioneers fell to #4 nationally ranked Ithaca. On Saturday she had five saves against Hartwick.

Women’s Tennis Player – Ithaca Cristina Nunez, Senior – Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills

Cristina Nunez earned Empire 8 Championships MVP honors after leading the Bombers to their eighth consecutive women's tennis title. Nunez won at first singles and doubles in both the semifinal and championship matches. Her singles win Sunday clinched the dual victory and tied her for the Ithaca career record in singles wins with 60 victories in just two and a half seasons.

Women’s Volleyball Player - Elmira Sasha Zavadska, Senior, OH – Bratislava, Slovakia

Sasha Zavadska finished the week with a remarkable 4.12 kills, 3.12 digs, 0.59 service aces and 0.41 assists per set in a 5-0 week for Elmira all while hitting .228. On Thursday against Alfred she finished with 10 kills, seven digs and five service aces while hitting .444. On Friday Zavadska pounded out a match-high 25 kills to go with 12 digs, hitting .259. She capped off the weekend on Saturday with 26 kills and 15 digs as Elmira defeated Salve Regina in a tight five setter. On the week the senior tallied 70 kills, 53 digs and 10 service aces, hitting .228. She was also named Most Outstanding Player of the Eastern Connecticut Tournament.

Women’s Volleyball Rookie – Ithaca Christine Flannery, Freshman, RS – Nazareth, PA/Nazareth

Christine Flannery tallied a pair of career-best performances with 13 kills in a 3-1 victory over visiting Oneonta on Tuesday night and six aces in a 3-0 sweep of Alfred on Sunday. She helped the Bombers to a 3-1 week and a playoff berth into the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. She ranked second on the team with 45 kills on the week, while adding 14 assists, a team-best 14 aces, 35 digs and three block assists. Men’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Stevens John Hu, Senior – Oak Harbor, WA/Oak Harbor

Senior John Hu set two pool-records and won two events as Stevens rolled to a win at Misericordia Saturday afternoon. He earned the win in the 200-fly with a 1:55.18 and the 200- yard IM with a 1:58.37.

Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete – Stevens Louise Moores, Junior – Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak

Junior Louise Moores won two individual events and was a member of both winning relays as Stevens rolled to a win at Misericordia Saturday. Moores set pool records in the 50-free (24.39) and 100-fly (58.07). She was also a part of two relays that won in pool-record time, the 200- medley (1:50.43) and 400-free (3:43.92).