Empire 8 Convention Players of the Week – January 19, 2026

General | 1/19/2026 1:00:00 PM

Below are the Empire 8 Players of the Week, launched on January 19, 2026, for video games performed from January 12-18, 2026. It is the twenty first Empire 8 weekly honors launch of the 2025-26 season. Sports featured embody males’s and ladies’s basketball, males’s and ladies’s ice hockey, males’s and ladies’s swimming and diving, males’s and ladies’s indoor observe and subject, males’s volleyball, and males’s wrestling.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tyler Cardello, Elmira, Sr., G, Scottsdale, AZ/Desert Mountain

Cardello was an offensive drive to be reckoned with for the Soaring Eagles this previous week, averaging 26.0 factors, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 block per sport and shot 57 p.c from the ground (24-for-42) in three hotly contested E8 contests. He recorded 36 factors in opposition to SUNY Geneseo, tying his profession excessive, a double-double in opposition to Nazareth with 18 factors and 14 rebounds, adopted by 24 factors at St. John Fisher.

 

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Trevor Hofer, SUNY Geneseo, So., G, Penfield, NY/Penfield

Hofer was stellar this week for the Knights as he led them to wins over Elmira and Utica. On Tuesday, Hofer dropped 23 factors at Elmira on 9-of-11 taking pictures from the sphere. In a troublesome loss at SUNY Poly, he scored 18 factors on 6-of-8 taking pictures. He capped off his spectacular week by main the Knights to an extra time win at Utica, scoring 17 factors on 5-of-9 taking pictures. On the week, Hofer was unimaginable from 3-point vary, taking pictures 10-for-12, whereas averaging 19.3 factors.

 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Tyson Clark, Houghton, Fr., G, New Hampton, NY/West Nottingham Academy

Clark averaged 18.7 factors, three rebounds, and three assists over three E8 video games final week whereas hitting 16-of-17 free throw makes an attempt. Clark scored 22 factors on Saturday, 18 of them within the second half, together with two game-winning free throws with 4 seconds remaining, which handed his Highlanders a 75-73 street victory at Hartwick. He has solely missed three of his 36 charity stripe tosses since Thanksgiving, and his 85.7 free throw proportion is sixth within the Empire 8. Clark is at present tied for tenth within the E8 in scoring in his inaugural marketing campaign. It is his fourth E8 weekly honor of 2025-26.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Brianna Carey, SUNY Brockport, Jr., G, Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville

In a 3-0 week for the Golden Eagles, Carey supplied a trio of wonderful all-around outings. On the week, Carey averaged 16.0 factors, 2.6 steals. 2.6 rebounds, and a couple of.3 assists per sport. Carey’s finest outing got here in a 97-78 win over Utica, dropping a career-high 24 factors on lights out taking pictures from past the arc (6-of-8), whereas including three steals. She completed the week taking pictures 47.6 p.c from 3-point vary (10-of-21), and 47.2 p.c from the sphere (17-for-36) to command the SUNY Brockport offense    

CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hanah Ferguson, St. John Fisher, Sr., G, Owego, NY/Newark Valley

Ferguson scored no less than 14 factors in every of the St. John Fisher girls’s basketball group’s three E8 victories final week. Ferguson swished a game-winning 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in regulation to elevate the Cardinals to a 63-62 victory over Houghton on Tuesday. She completed with 14 factors whereas taking pictures 50 p.c from the sphere, scoring 10 of these within the second half. Ferguson scored 15 factors with six rebounds on Friday in opposition to Keuka and 13 factors with two rebounds, two assists and two steals on Saturday in opposition to Elmira. Ferguson has scored no less than 13 factors in every of the Cardinals’ final seven video games. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Isabella Clute, Russell Sage, Fr., F, Schenectady, NY/Mohonasesn

Clute averaged 8.0 factors per sport on an ideal 6-of-6 taking pictures efficiency and 4.0 rebounds per contest to assist the Gators go 3-0 this week. She had 9 factors in simply 11 minutes off the bench in a win over Houghton Friday and added seven factors in six rebounds in a win over Alfred Saturday.

 

MEN’S ICE HOCKEY

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Gabriel Lundberg, Utica, Jr., F, Gothenburg, Sweden

Lundberg put collectively a whole efficiency within the Pioneers’ 9-1 win of Nazareth on Saturday, taking part in a starring position because the orange and blue stayed undefeated in UCHC play. He discovered success in a number of sides of the sport, scoring two targets and grabbing one help whereas dominating within the faceoff circle to assist push the group to victory. Lundberg was the lone Pioneer to file a number of targets within the win and noticed his solely help contribute to the sport’s opening purpose. In addition to his scoring output, Lundberg captured seven of his 9 faceoff alternatives, successful practically each draw as he arrange quite a few scores for his linemates. Lundberg was additionally plus-3 on the night.

 

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Jacob Torgner, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., G, Mjolby, Sweden

Torgner stopped all 32 pictures he confronted in a 7-0 shutout win for SUNY Geneseo in opposition to Manhattanville on Saturday for his second shutout of the season. Torgner now has a .935 save proportion this season and a 1.90 targets in opposition to common. It is his third E8 weekly honor of the season.

 

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Sophie Grant, St. John Fisher, Fr., F, Media, PA/Penncrest

Grant helped lead her group to a 1-1 weekend in opposition to SUNY Canton, highlighted by a standout effort on Saturday. The ahead scored two targets in a 3-0 victory, offering the offense the group wanted to shut the sequence robust.

 

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK – Olivia Last, Elmira, So., G, Sydney, Australia

Last was wonderful between the pipes for the Soaring Eagles of their weekend sweep over William Smith. Last solely conceded one purpose whereas recording 46 saves on the weekend, 22 on Friday and 24 on Saturday. Overall, Last stopped 46-of-47 pictures on the week for a 0.50 targets in opposition to common and a .979 save proportion.

 

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Yousef amr Abdallatif, Alfred, Fr., Butterfly/Backstroke, Cairo, Egypt/Raya Language School

Abdallatif broke 4 opposing faculties’ pool data on the week as he was undefeated in particular person occasions, posted the quickest backstroke splits within the 200-yard medley relays and received certainly one of three relay races. He started the week by swimming a 23.82 backstroke cut up within the 200-yard medley relay at SUNY Geneseo. Abdallatif went on to defeat all the pool by nearly two complete seconds as he broke his first of 4 pool data with a time of fifty.61 within the 100-yard backstroke on Wednesday, simply earlier than incomes his second pool file win, swimming a 1:52.26 within the 200-back to win by nearly three seconds. Abdallatif ended the mid-week meet with the second-fastest cut up within the 200-yard freestyle relay to assist the Saxons end second within the occasion and turn into simply the third group this season to attain over 100 factors in opposition to Geneseo in twin meets. He went undefeated at Hartwick whereas incomes one other two pool data Abdallatif received three particular person occasions, breaking Stevens Institute of Technology’s, six-time All-American Ravi Sun’s pool data within the backstroke occasions. He first broke Sun’s 100-back file time of 51.55 with a brand new time of 49.87. Abdallatif then swam a 1:51.80 to interrupt Sun’s 200-back Hartwick pool file time of 1:52.11. Abdallatif ended his week with nearly one other pool file, swimming a 50.74 within the 100-yard butterfly to almost break Hartwick’s personal, Mikey Schultz and his 2024 time of fifty.50. Abdallatif now has 11 pool data between Alfred University, SUNY Brockport, Hobart College, Nazareth University, SUNY Geneseo and Hartwick College in addition to three Alfred University program data. He is sixteenth within the nation for the 100-back and thirty seventh within the nation within the 200-back and 50-back. It is his fifth E8 weekly honor of the season.

 

DIVER OF THE WEEK – Greg Meder, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., Diver, Plainview, NY/Plainview

Meder helped lead the No. 15 ranked SUNY Geneseo swimming and diving group to an upset over No. 11 Case Western on Saturday afternoon, successful each diving occasions. In the one-meter dive, Meder scored a 357.85, then adopted it up within the three-meter dive with a 361.15. He additionally swept the dive occasions on Wednesday in opposition to Alfred St., scoring 515.05 within the one-meter dive and 392.45 within the three-meter dive. It is his fifth E8 weekly honor of the season.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

SWIMMER OF THE WEEK – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo, Jr., Butterfly/Freestyle, New Lebanon, NY/New Lebanon

Sotek led the No. 21 Knights to a top-25 upset over No. 17 Case Western on Saturday afternoon. Sotek broke one minute within the 100-yard backstroke, inserting first at 59.30, she then went on to win the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 54.00. The New Lebanon, N.Y. native additionally helped the 200-yard medley relay group take first place with a time of 1:46.45, whereas capping off her meet in second place within the 100-yard butterfly at 58.17. It is her fourth E8 weekly honor of the season.

 

DIVER OF THE WEEK – Morgan Davey, SUNY Geneseo, Fr., Diver, Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa

Davey led Geneseo to wins over Alfred and No. 17 Case Western this week, successful three diving occasions between the 2 meets. In the top-25 upset over the Spartans, Davey received the one-meter dive with a rating of 274.65, then took second within the three-meter at 270.85. Against Alfred, Davey swept the each occasions with scores of 447.10 and 281.15 within the one and three-meter dives, respectively.

 

MEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Ayden Grinion, SUNY Brockport, Sr., Sprints, Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili

At the Brockport Saturday Night Rust Buster, Grinion received the 400-meters in a time of fifty.35 seconds and completed tied for second within the 200-meters with a time of 23.12 seconds. 

 

FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Spencer Borghardt, Utica, Sr., Throws, Smithtown, NY/St. Anthony’s

Borghardt received the load throw at Utica’s Winter Opener meet on Friday with a toss of 17.10 meters (56’1.25”).

 

WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Shiann Williams, Utica, So., Sprints, Bronx, NY/Hydel

Williams registered prime three finishes in a pair of occasions over the weekend. In the 500-meters on Friday on the Utica Winter Opener, Williams posted a time of 1:21.85, a mark adequate for sixth on the all-time leaderboard. On Sunday, Williams took house first place within the 200-meter open on the Suffolk Ice Breaker Challenge, posting a time of 25.78, beating out a number of Division I opponents. 

 

FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK – Allison Wojciechowski, SUNY Brockport, Sr., Jumps, Lancaster, NY/Lancaster

Wojciechowski took first with a leap of 10.92 meters (35’10”) at Brockport’s Saturday Night Rust Buster meet. She at present sits thirty ninth in Division III within the occasion.

 

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – AJ Burda, Nazareth, Sr., S, Fairport, NY/Fairport

Burda totaled 91 assists in two wins for the Golden Flyers. He had 51 assists and seven digs in a five-set win over Eastern and 41 assists and two digs in a three-set win over Wilkes. Overall, Burda averaged 11.5 assists, 1.1 digs and 0.8 kills per set.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK – Sean Frawley, Nazareth, Fr., RS, Liverpool, NY/Liverpool

Frawley registered 25 factors, together with 23 kills, whereas hitting at a .365 clip, 15 digs and two service aces in a 2-0 week for the Golden Flyers. He Tallied 12 factors, 10 kills at .320, eight digs and two aces in five-set win over Eastern. Frawley led Nazareth with 13 kills at .409, seven digs and 13 factors in a three-set victory over Wilkes.

 

MEN’S WRESTLING

WRESTLER OF THE WEEK – Seth Richardson, Utica, Sr., 174 lbs., Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain

Richardson and the Pioneers returned to motion within the 2026 12 months by touring to the Floy Lewis Bakes Center to compete within the Will Abele Invitational, hosted by Ursinus College. He opened the event with a commanding 15-3 main choice within the Round of 16, then rebounded from a quarterfinal setback by ripping off three straight wins within the comfort rounds. Richardson capped his run with two pins and a decisive win within the fifth-place bout. In his first fall victory, he overcame a 17-6 deficit to win the match on the 6:34 mark. The following bout, he closed out a 7-0 win by fall after 2:45. In the fifth-place match in opposition to SVU’s Tanner Giatras, Richardson received in an 11-4 choice. It is his second E8 weekly honor of the season.