Alfred's LeMorta, Nazareth's Benedict Headline E8 Basketball All Region Selections

3/12/2019 8:12:02 AM

OFFICIAL RELEASE 
Six Empire 8 Conference student-athletes were named All-Region selections as D3hoops announced their honorees. Leading the way were Alfred's Dom LeMorta and Nazareth's Rachel Benedict, who were named First Team selections. Alfred's Russell Phillips was named the East Region Coach of the Year.

Also recognized on the women's side were Hartwick's Caitlin Corbett and St. John Fisher's Erin Hulbert, while Nazareth's Tyler Stenglein and Fisher's Ryan Henderson were tabbed on the men's side.

CLOSER LOOK
Phillips led Alfred to an overall record of 24-5 while going 14-2 in Conference play and won both the E8 Regular Season and Tournament titles. The Saxons advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and won 14-straight games during the season. 

LeMorta had an outstanding season during his senior campaign as he posted 26 games with double-digit scoring, including 16 games with 20 or more points. He played his best basketball of the season when it mattered most as the senior finished his career with a 10-game double-digit scoring streak, including posting 35 points to help claim the E8 Regular Season Title over Nazareth, 31 points to claim the E8 Tournament Championship over Fisher, and 45 points to help lead Alfred past Ramapo in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. His 45 points set a Christopher Newport University - Freeman Center single game mark. He finished his career by scoring 28 in the team's Second Round loss to the host institution.

Phillips earned E8 Coach of the Year honors, while LeMorta was a First Team All-Conference selection. 

Nazareth's Benedict led the Golden Flyers to an 18-8 record with 17.6 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per contest. The E8 Player of the Year scored her 1,000th career point during the season and had a streak of seven double-doubles and finished with 16 for the season.

Hartwick's Corbett, an E8 First Team selection as well as the Empire 8 Tournament MVP, led the Hawks to their first ever E8 Championship. She averaged 15.1 points per game and shot 53% from the field, both first on the team and third in the conference. She was also second on the team and eighth in the league in rebounding at 6.8 per contest, second on the team and tenth in the conference in assists, with 2.7 per game.

Another E8 First Team honoree, Hulbert was among the most productive players in the conference this season. She averaged nine points, six rebounds, and five assists per game and was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Hulbert helped lead the Cardinals to an appearance in the E8 Championship game. 

Stenglein was selected as a member of the D3hoops.com All-East Region team for the second consecutive year. He finished his career at Nazareth with 1,782 points and averaged 15.6 points per game this season as he helped the Golden Flyers to an 18-8 overall record. He was named an E8 First Team selection. Stenglein was a second team selection to the All-Region team this season after earning first team honors last season.

Fisher's Henderson was named the E8 Player of the Year and was a First-Team All-Conference selection as he became the 24th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points during the season. He finished his career with 1,050 points, which ranks 19th all-time at Fisher. The senior led the team in scoring with 18.8 points per game and also pulled down nearly six rebounds per contest in helping lead the Cardinals to a postseason berth.

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ