GANSEVOORT, N.Y. – Two SUNYIT Athletes took home NEAC Athlete of the Week honors on Monday, as men's basketball player Alexander Drake (West Sand Lake, N.Y. / Lansingburgh) and men's volleyball player Justin Rich (Hamburg, N.Y. / Eden) were recognized in their respective sports.
Drake nabbed the NEAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week award after an excellent week for the SUNY Institute of Technology Wildcats. The junior guard led the Wildcats to a 3-1 week through four conference games with his efficient play, hitting 57 percent (20-of-35) of his shots, including draining 10 of his 17 3-point attempts to shoot 59 percent from beyond the arc, en route to averaging 14.5 points per game in addition to 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals in 30 minutes per contest. Drake hit double figures in scoring three times on the week, including a game-high 24 points behind four 3-pointers and 10-of-13 shooting from the floor in a 112-91 win over Penn State Abington Sunday, where he also dished out six assists and had no turnovers in 32 minutes of play. That performance came just a day after Drake led all scorers with 17 points to go along with five boards and a game-best five steals in a 74-68 victory over Gallaudet University Saturday. Drake is currently averaging a team-best 13.9 points per game while being second in the NEAC in total steals with 28 for the Wildcats, who improved to 5-3 in conference play and 10-4 overall.
Rich earned the NEAC Men's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week award after a strong season-opening week for the SUNY Institute of Technology Wildcats. The junior libero guided SUNYIT to a 3-1 record with nearly flawless play during the team's own home invitational, as he totaled 28 digs (2.33 d/set) while committing just one reception error and one ball handling error through 12 sets. Rich helped the Wildcats post three straight-set victories, including a tournament-opening 3-0 sweep over Bard College Friday where he posted a match-best 11 digs. He also helped make quick work of Mount Ida in the day's next match, posting six digs and an assist in the 3-0 sweep. He closed play with 11 more digs to go along with three assists in a 1-1 split on Saturday, placing him third in the conference in total digs and second in digs per set after the first week of play.
To view the full NEAC press release, click here.
Eugenio Mercurio at neacsports.com did reporting contributing to this release