ELMIRA, N.Y. -- James Fritsche '18 of the men's cross country team and Taylor Kaznowski '19 of the women's volleyball team have been awarded Elmira College Athlete of the Week honors for the week ending October 16th.

After missing the first two races of the season due to injury, Fritsche has made significant strides over the past four weeks. At Saturday's Cross Country Only Conference (CCOC) Championships, the junior distance runner paced the Soaring Eagles, as he navigated the 8,000-meter course at Seneca Lake State Park in 29:05.30. He placed 46th out of the 145-man field.

Not only was Fritsche's 8K time the fastest recorded by the EC men's cross country team this season, but it ranks as the fourth-fastest in the program's all-time record book. A native of Bolton, Connecticut, Fritsche also managed to shave 1:37.30 off of his time from the last race, the Highlander Invitational 8K on October 8th, and was 48.50 faster than last year's CCOC Championships at Seneca Lake State Park.

Following a weekend off from competition, the Elmira men's cross country team will return to action on Saturday, October 29th, when the Purple and Gold compete in the Empire 8 Conference Championships, hosted by Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York.

Although the EC women's volleyball team ended last week without a win, Kaznowski continued to produce at an extraordinary level by recording a trio of double-doubles. The second-year setter accumulated 141 assists, 51 digs, five service aces and four total blocks in four matches. She added her fifth, sixth, and seventh double-doubles of the season against Alfred University on October 12th, SUNY Cortland on October 14th, and Lycoming College on October 15th.

Not usually known for her attacking prowess, Kaznowski has added a sneaky-yet-lethal dump attack from her position as a front row setter. That allowed the Hamburg, New York, native to tie her career high with four kills against both the Saxons and the Warriors. She also added a pair of kills against the Red Dragons. With 25 kills through 58 sets played in her sophomore season, Kaznowski has already tied her single-season total from the 108 sets she played as a freshman.

Kaznowski's defense has also been a valuable asset for the Soaring Eagles. She has picked up double-digit digs in six of her last eight matches, and twice last week she matched her career high with 16. She sits second on the team with 144 digs so far this season.

With 44 assists against Alfred and 43 versus Lycoming, Kaznowski has now compiled at least 40 helpers six times in 2016. She ranks third in the E8 with 8.53 assists per set and eighth all-time in program history with 1,298 in her young career.

EC women's volleyball will conclude play inside the Empire 8 this weekend with a pair of matches against Nazareth College and Hartwick College inside Naz's Kidera Gymnasium in Rochester, New York, on Saturday, October 29th.