ROCHESTER, NY - The Empire 8 Conference has announced its Players of the Week, for the week of October 12th with four of Pioneers earning conference recognition for their standout performances.

Gianna Marcantonio (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) - Defensive Player of the Week (Field Hockey)

Utica defender Gianna Marcantonio (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) was integral to a Pioneer team that only allowed three goals and scored 12 in a pair of Empire 8 wins against Russell Sage and Keuka. The orange and blue backliner was all over the field, generating stops on defense while also powering the offense to the tune of two goals and three assists, racking up seven points despite mainly playing from the back of the formation. Marcantonio now has points in her last five games, and goals in four of her last five outings. 

Marcantonio and the Pioneers return to action on Wednesday, October 14 as the team travels to take on Nazareth University. Game time is set for 6pm from Rochester, NY. 

Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) - Defensive Player of the Week (Men's Soccer)

Accetta and the Pioneers hosted two strong Empire 8 opponents in St. John Fisher University and SUNY Brockport, defeating both in 2-0 battles. The senior netminder played a pivotal role in both of the results, saving all 21 shots on target he was tasked with. While a five-save shutout of the Cardinals started the week strong, it was his 16-save clean sheet against the Golden Eagles that stole the show. It was the most saves in a game by a Utica goalkeeper in almost exactly a decade. Accetta has now played 272:33 consecutive shutout minutes, raising his 2026 save percentage to a .931, the best in the nation across all three NCAA divisions.

Accetta and the Pioneers return to action on Wednesday, September 14 as the team travels to take on Russell Sage. Kickoff from Troy, NY is set for 4pm. 

Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) - Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Football)

Pioneer signal-caller Tyler Szalkowski (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) was solid in Saturday's 33-7 win over Morrisville, completing 22 passes and tossing for 349 yards while finding the endzone twice. Szalkowski was extremely effective at spreading the ball around, along with finding the deep ball, as he found five different receivers and averaged 15.9 yards per completion. Notably, Szalkowski also boomed a punt to help flip field position, booting the ball 45 yards and pinning Morrisville at its own three-yard line. 

Szalkowski and the Pioneers head into the bye week this week, and return to action on Saturday, October 24 as the team welcomes Alfred University to ABM Field at Gaetano Stadium. Kickoff in the GKG & Sullivan Contracting Breast Cancer Awareness Game is set for 1pm. 

Jordyn Davis (Hempstead, NY/Uniondale) - Defensive Player of the Week (Football)

Jordyn Davis (Hempstead, NY/Uniondale) had an outstanding day on the interior defensive line for a Pioneer team that held the Morrisville rushing attack to just 59 yards on 28 attempts in a 33-7 win. Davis was at the forefront of the Pioneers' bruising run-stop, as the Senior tackle racked up nine tackles (three solo), a quarterback hurry, and a big third-down sack that helped stall the Mustangs early in the matchup. His nine total tackles were second in the entire game behind Pioneer linebacker Isaiah Thomas (Kingston, NY/Kingston), who posted 10. Davis was the main culprit behind Morrisville's 2.1 rushing yards per attempt on Saturday.

Davis and the Pioneers head into the bye week this week, and return to action on Saturday, October 24 as the team welcomes Alfred University to ABM Field at Gaetano Stadium. Kickoff in the GKG & Sullivan Contracting Breast Cancer Awareness Game is set for 1pm.