SUNYAC Athletes of the Week - March 23, 2026
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC selects its spring Athletes of the Week honoring eight student-athletes from five different member institutions for their outstanding performances during the week of March 16-22.
Baseball Athlete of the Week - Sal Diaz, Canton
Diaz had a monster week at the plate hitting .636 (7-for-11) with three homers, a double, seven RBI and 17 total bases leading the Roos to a 3-1 record in a pair of non-conference doubleheaders last weekend. He opened the week combining to go 3-for-6 with a double, a home run and three RBI as Canton split a doubleheader against Baruch on Friday with a 5-4 win and 7-6 loss. On Saturday the senior was dominant going 4-for-5 with two homers, two runs and four RBI in an 11-0 and 17-2 sweep of Lehman. He also drew three walks on the week finishing with a .667 on-base % and a 1.545 slugging %. Diaz was also perfect in the field behind the dish in two games recording 15 put outs in 15 chances.
Baseball Pitcher of the Week - Michael Weed, New Paltz
Weed helped the Hawks improve to 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the SUNYAC after notching his first win of the year in an ace performance in a 10-0 win over Fredonia Friday. He tossed 7.1 innings and had a no-hitter going through the top of the seventh and finished the day yielding just two hits, three walks and matched a career-high with eight strikeouts. Fredonia registered its first hit of the game against him with two outs in the seventh. He finished the game with an ERA of 0.00 and WHIP of .68 with a k/9 of 9.82. He also added one assist defensively with a fielding percentage of 1.000.
Men's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Peter Urso, Plattsburgh
Urso delivered a dominant offensive performance in the Cardinals' 20-10 win over New England College, finishing with a career- and game-high nine points on career- and game-high seven goals and two assists. The junior attacker was highly efficient, placing 11 of his 12 shots on goal (91.7%) while posting a 58.3 shooting percentage. In addition to his scoring output, Urso contributed across the field with three ground balls and a caused turnover. He also protected possession well, committing just one turnover, and played a key role in driving the Cardinals' offensive success throughout the contest.
Men's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Kevin Murray, Plattsburgh
Murray played a key role in the Cardinals' defensive effort in their 20-10 victory over New England College. The junior defender recorded three ground balls while causing a game-high five turnovers, consistently disrupting the Pilgrims' offensive rhythm. Ruland also showed strong composure with possession, committing just two turnovers, and was instrumental in helping the Cardinals control the defensive end while contributing to a 20-for-23 effort on clears.
Women's Lacrosse Offensive Athlete of the Week - Vanessa Willick, Buffalo State
Willick was an offensive force for the Bengals as she totaled 17 points on 12 goals and five assists with four caused turnovers, ten ground balls, and 18 draw controls in a pair of Buffalo State wins over Allegheny and Plattsburgh. She set the program marks for most career ground balls and draw controls and moved into second in program history in goals scored.
Women's Lacrosse Defensive Athlete of the Week - Amy Whitman, New Paltz
Whitman was the best player on the field for the Hawks in their last two games, leading the defense with seven caused turnovers and 10 ground balls. The junior defender tied a career-high and matched a game-high with three caused turnovers and four ground balls in a 16-5 road win over Kean Wednesday. She was the catalyst in holding the Cougars to just five goals and 17 shots on goal. She continued her impressive play in the team's first SUNYAC matchup of the season, where she set career-high's and led all players with six ground balls and four caused turnovers — doing so in just three quarters played with SUNY New Paltz holding a commanding 10-goal cushion. She was key in limiting the Roos to just 15 total shots, six on goal and three goals against while with Whitman in the game, Canton only totaled eight shots, three on goal and two scores. She finished the week leading her team in caused turnovers and received no cards in a clinical defensive performance.
Softball Athlete of the Week - Katie Stork, Cortland
Stork batted .500 (7-for-14) with a triple, two doubles, five RBI and three runs scored in a 5-0 week for the Red Dragons in Florida. She finished the week with a .533 on- base percentage and a .786 slugging percentage. Stork went 2-for-3 with three RBI in a 12-4 win over Ursinus and was 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs in a 5-1 victory versus Endicott. She also doubled and drove in two runs in the Red Dragons' 4-2 win over Wisconsin-Platteville. In addition, Stork handled 17 fielding chances at third base (10 assists, seven putouts) without an error.
Softball Pitcher of the Week - Morgan Ormerod, Plattsburgh
Ormerod put together a strong week in the circle for Plattsburgh State, making four appearances and three starts while logging 23.0 innings. Ormerod totaled 23 strikeouts across her outings, including a 10-strikeout performance against Brockport, where she allowed no earned runs over 6.2 innings. She followed that up with a complete-game effort against Keene State, tossing 7.0 innings while allowing three earned runs and striking out four. She also contributed out of the bullpen with a 2.1-inning relief appearance against William Paterson, allowing just one earned run while striking out two. Across the week, Ormerod demonstrated durability and effectiveness, consistently working deep into games and providing Plattsburgh State with quality innings in the circle.
