The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the
2017 Men’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: Seth DeLisle, Nazareth College
Junior face-off specialist Seth DeLisle (Fulton, NY) has been named the Player of the Year for the third straight season. He started all 20 games, posting a team and conference high 212 ground balls and a face-off percentage of .727 (330-454). His 10.60 ground balls per game ranks sixth in Division III and face-off percentage ranks fourth. He had twelve games with 10 or more ground balls on the season including a season high 19 against Ithaca in the Empire 8 Tournament. It is the eighth time a player fro Nazareth has earned the Player of the Year.
Goalie of the Year: Jake Deragon, Ithaca College
Jake Deragon (Fort Washington, PA) started 11 of the 12 games he played in for the Bombers in 2017 and amassed a 9-3 overall record. He had six games in which he produced double-digit save totals, including a season-high of 18 against RIT. Overall he played 653:07 minutes in net and recorded 116 saves. He allowed 7.62 goals against average and registered a .583 save percentage, which ranks 20
th in Division III for the season. It is the third straight year and seventh time overall an Ithaca player has been awarded the Goalie of the Year.
Rookie of the Year: Alex Winkler, Nazareth College
Nazareth goalie Alex Winkler (Fort Collins, CO) was named the Rook of the Year after a seamless transition into the college game. Winkler started 17 of 20 games he played in for the Golden Flyers in 2017 and totaled 825:31 minutes. He had seven games in which he produced double-digit saves, including a season high 16 against Hamilton. Overall he totaled 143 saves, a.480 save percentage and finished the year with an 8-8 record. Winkler is the fourth Golden Flyer to earn the E8 Rookie award.
Coach of the Year: Rob Randall, Nazareth College
Nazareth head coach Rob Randall has been named Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career; gaining his previous awards in 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2015. In his 17
thseason at the helm, Randall guided his team to an 11-9 overall record and 6-2 E8 record. The Golden Flyers were the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament and won two overtime games to win the Championship for the tenth time. Nazareth earned the automatic NCAA bid and and made its 22
nd national appearance and tenth under Randall.
Sportsmanship Team
In addition to the yearly awards and all-conference teams, one member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2017 Men’s Lacrosse Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Player of the Year: Seth DeLisle, Nazareth College
Goalkeeper of the Year: Jack Deragon, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Year: Alex Winkler, Nazareth College
Coach of the Year: Rob Randall, Nazareth College