Empire 8 Release

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- For the second time in her Elmira College career, junior forward Rachel Vespucci '19 has been crowned the Empire 8 Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.

Vespucci guided the Soaring Eagles to one of their finest starts in program history. With wins over Hilbert (70-62), Keystone (63-32) and Oswego State (53-40) – the latter of which earned EC the Max Ziel Tournament Championship – Elmira's record stands unblemished at 3-0. It's the first time that the Purple and Gold have won three straight to kick off a season since 1997-98.

The Macedon, New York, native picked up right where she left off in 2016-17. She was the only player in the Empire 8 to finish with a double-double average last winter and she is the only one to do so through the first week of the 2017-18 season. The 5-foot-9-inch forward paces the league in rebounds per game (10.7) and is tied for the team lead in points per game (12.3).

The reigning E8 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection logged double-doubles in the first two games of the year, beginning with a 14-point, 10-rebound performance in the season-opening victory over Hilbert inside Speidel Gymnasium. Two days later in the first round of the Max Ziel Tournament, hosted by Oswego State, Vespucci recorded season highs in points (15), rebounds (14) and free-throw makes (7). The standout junior then solidified her spot on the All-Tournament Team in EC's 53-40 victory over the Lakers in the tournament championship game with eight points, eight boards and a trio of assists.

Vespucci and her teammates will look to continue their perfect start, following a brief hiatus during the holiday break. The EC women return to action on Monday, November 27, with a 6:00 p.m. road tilt against the Pennsylvania College of Technology Wildcats in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.