Wilcox Repeats as Player of the Year, Presuto, Panara, and Ithaca Coaching Receive Top Honors
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the
2016 Women's Lacrosse All-Conference teams as voted on by the conference’s coaches. In addition, the Player of the Year, Goalie of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year have been selected.
Player of the Year: Erika Wilcox, Stevens
Erika Wilcox has been named the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. Wilcox becomes the fourth player to repeat as the league’s top player and the second athlete from Stevens to do so (Alyssa Pigott – 2009, 2010). Wilcox guided the Ducks to an E8 Semifinal appearance with a conference-leading 67 goals and the league’s second-highest point total at 76. The bulk of her scoring came in conference contests, as the senior midfielder finished with 43 points on 36 goals and seven assists in eight league appearances. She finished the year with 49 draw controls and 28 ground balls, both ranking second on this year’s team, in addition to ending her collegiate career on a 56-game goal streak dating back to her freshman campaign.
Goalie of the Year: Kimberly Presuto, Ithaca
Sophomore netminder Kimberly Presuto became the second Goalie of the Year honoree in Ithaca’s storied history, after helping the Bombers reach the Empire 8 Tournament final. Presuto appeared in all 18 games for Ithaca this season and logged the most time between the pipes with 586 minutes. She turned away 80 shots on the season for a .513 save percentage, the highest save rate of any E8 netminder with 10 or more appearances, while her 7.78 goals-against average was the fifth-best among the conference’s goaltenders.
Rookie of the Year: Allison Panara, Ithaca
In her first collegiate season, Allison Panara started in each of Ithaca’s 18 games this season and played a major role in helping the Bombers win the E8 regular season title and reach the conference tournament final. Panara finished the regular season with 36 points on 24 goals and 14 helpers, which tied for second-most on this year’s squad; she added two additional tallies in the Empire 8 championship game. The rookie midfielder registered at least one point in 17-of-18 games and found the back of the cage in 13 contests. Panara also amassed the team’s third-highest draw control total at 27, while shed collected 17 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers.
Coaching Staff of the Year: Ithaca College
Head Coach Karrie Moore and her staff at Ithaca have been named the 2016 E8 Women’s Lacrosse Coaching Staff of the Year. Coach Moore, who began her first season with the Bombers this spring, and her staff helped guide Ithaca to a 12-win regular season and the 2016 Empire 8 regular season title, as well as an appearance in the conference tournament championship game. The staff led Ithaca to a 13-5 record overall record through the conference tournament, which helped the Bombers secure an at-large bid into the 2016 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship.