SUNYAC Athletes of the Week - October 27, 2025
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC selects its fall Athletes of the Week after nine weeks of competition and its third week of 2025-26 swimming and diving selections. The conference honors 12 student-athletes from seven different member institutions for their performances during the week of October 20-26.
Field Hockey Offensive Athlete of the Week – Kaitlyn DeModna, Salisbury
DeModna, the Brewster, N.Y. native, scored two goals in the lone game for SU this past week. Her two goals came against SUNY New Paltz, helping the Sea Gulls earn the No. 1 seed in the SUNYAC Tournament.
Field Hockey Defensive Athlete of the Week - Emma Morgan, Cortland
Morgan made four saves and posted a shutout in a 1-0 home victory over Oneonta on Saturday afternoon. The senior made two crucial saves in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter to preserve the shutout victory, and also stopped two other shots in the third quarter.
Men's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week – Diego Rivera, Buffalo State
Rivera continued his stellar season helping the Bengals clinch the number two seed in the SUNYAC Tournament following a win over Oswego and a draw with Plattsburgh. Rivera scored twice against the Lakers and once with the Cardinals as he set the Buffalo State program records in goals (25) and points (58) in a single season.
Men's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week – Dylan Pederson, Cortland
Pederson captained the nationally 14th-ranked Red Dragons to a pair of shutout victories to clinch the SUNYAC regular-season title last week. The junior played the full 90 minutes in a 4-0 road win at Canton on Wednesday evening, helping the Red Dragon defense allow only three shots on target in the game. He finished the week by also playing the entire 90 minutes, and the Cortland back line held Potsdam without a shot on goal over the final 86 minutes of action to secure the victory.
Women's Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week – Sydney Myers, Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh State junior forward Sydney Myers played a pivotal role in leading the Cardinals to a perfect 2-0 week, directly contributing to both game-winning goals. Myers netted the decisive tally late in the second half to lift Plattsburgh to a 1-0 victory over Potsdam, before following up with the game-winning assist in another 1-0 win against Buffalo State. Her clutch performances helped the Cardinals close out the regular season strong and solidify the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC playoff race.
Women's Soccer Defensive Athlete of the Week – Katie Diem, Cortland
Diem played all 180 minutes for Cortland in two shutout victories to clinch the SUNYAC regular-season title last week, and the Red Dragons did not allow a shot on goal in either contest. In a 6-0 home win over Canton on Wednesday evening, Diem was the only Red Dragon to play the full 90 minutes as the defense allowed just three attempts in the contest. She followed it up with another full-game effort in a 1-0 road win at Potsdam on Saturday afternoon, where Cortland allowed only one shot attempt in the game for the Bears.
Women's Volleyball Offensive Athlete of the Week - Isabelle Eskierka, Morrisville
Eskierka assisted Morrisville to a 1-1 week in SUNYAC play, recording 46 kills, three aces, 14 digs and 10 total blocks across the weekend. The sophomore led all attackers in the 3-2 match loss to Oswego, posting 27 kills (an average 5.4 per set), while hitting .235 from the floor. Defensively she added three blocks and 10 digs to her totals, averaging 2.0 digs per set, while racking up 5.9 points per set for the Mustangs in the five set battle. She followed with 19 kills (4.75 per set) in a 3-1 match win over Canton where she hit .275 from the floor, posted two aces and added seven blocks at the net to her totals across the weekend. Altogether, she averaged 5.11 kills per set, hit .250 across two matches, and collected 54 points, an average of 6.0 per set.
Women's Volleyball Defensive Athlete of the Week - Delaney McCarthy, Buffalo State
McCarthy was a force at the net for the Bengals resulting in a 3-0 weekend as Buffalo State picked up wins against Plattsburgh, Potsdam, and Clarkson. McCarthy totaled 16 blocks while also adding 10 digs and a 1.000 reception percentage. McCarthy had a high of seven blocks in the four-set win over Clarkson.
Men's Swimmer of the Week - Isaac Stoeckle, Penn St.-Behrend
Stoeckle tallied two relay and two individual wins vs. Penn State Altoona on Saturdya. He won the 100 backstroke in 52.54 and the 200 backstroke in 2:01.03, while swimming on the winning 400 medley relay (3:38.21) and the 400 free relay (3:18.63).
Men's Diver of the Week - Benjamin Heyman, Oneonta
Sophomore Heyman won the one-meter and three-meter diving events in Saturday's dual meet at RPI. He first scored 168.20 to won the one-meter and then recorded 203.80 to win the three-meter.
Women's Swimmer of the Week - Kaitlyn True, Penn State Behrend
True won three individual events and one relay in a dual-meet victory against Penn State Altoona on Saturday. She captured the 1000 free (11:23.19), 100 free (59.11) and the 200 IM (2:21.32). True also swam on the winning 400 medley relay (4:15.21). Her time in the 1000 is a freshman and team Top 10 time and her 200IM is a freshman Top 10 time.
Women's Diver of the Week - Auttumn Ayakawa, Cortland
Ayakawa finished second out of six divers on the 1-meter board in a home dual meet Saturday versus Rochester. She posted a score of 238.15 points.
