General | 6/24/2020 11:28:22 AM
Several Empire 8 teams and individual student-athletes finished their respective seasons among the Division III individual national leaders in 2019-20. Below is a snapshot of team and individual leaders from the fall and winter seasons.
Men’s Basketball
- Nazareth finished seventh in Division III in both fewest turnovers (274) and fewest turnovers per game (10.1).
- St. John Fisher recorded 268 steals as a team, good for 17th most in Division III.
- Utica finished 18th nationally with 458 made free throws and 19th by shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point range.
- Zach Stenglein of Nazareth was 11th in Division III with 66 total steals.
- Jonathan Park of the Golden Flyers was 20th with 58 total blocks, while teammate Cody Green shot 44.3 percent from 3-point range, also 20th nationally.
Women’s Basketball
- The Empire 8 boasted two of the top teams in rebounding margin, as St. John Fisher was 12th nationally (11.0 per game) and Sage finished 19th (9.7 per game).
- Utica finished the season 15th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.12) and 21st in assists per game (16.7).
- St. John Fisher allowed opponents to shoot just 24.9 percent from 3-point range, 16th best in Division III.
- Sage was among the national leaders in both free throws made (420) and attempted (597).
- 2019-20 Empire 8 Player and Defensive Player of the Year Nicolette Conkin finished fourth nationally with 177 total assists and 6.8 assists per game. She was also among the national leaders with 84 total steals and 3.23 steals per game.
- 2019-20 Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player Miranda Lynch finished 16th in Division III, shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range.
- Nazareth standout Rachel Benedict finished 15th with 8.3 defensive rebounds per game.
- Sage’s Kaitlyn Bowmanattempted 181 free throws, 14th most in Division III
- Utica’s Sydney Przygoda was 16th in field goal percentage, shooting 56.3 percent from the floor.
Field Hockey
- St. John Fisher’s Lindsay Scott, the 2019 Empire 8 Player of the Year, finished second in Division III with 0.95 assists per game.
- Bre Socker of St. John Fisher finished 2019 second nationally with 1.4 goals per game and fourth with 3.1 points per contest.
- Elmira goalkeeper Tina O’Donnell was fourth nationally with a 0.858 save percentage, while Allyson Osborne of Hartwick was eighth, posting an .834 save percentage. O’Donnell was also 17th in Division III with 9.06 saves per game.
- Alexandra Lettre of Sage finished sixth nationally with 11 defensive saves, while Makenzie Stevens of Utica was tied for 11th with nine.
- As a team, Sage was fifth nationally with 23 defensive saves, eighth in assists per contest (2.42), as well as 12th in goals and points per game, averaging 3.47 goals and 9.37 points, respectively.
- St. John Fisher finished fourth overall with 2.5 assists per game. The Cardinals were also 11th nationally, averaging 9.4 points per game and 14th in goals per contest, with 3.45. The Cardinals also enjoyed the 17th best scoring margin in Division III (2.09).
Football
- The stout Brockport defense led the nation by allowing just 35.1 rushing yards per game and allowed opponents to convert just 22.6 percent of their third down attempts. In addition, Brockport was fifth nationally with 20 interceptions, sixth in total defense (236.1 yards per game) and sixth in total time of possession (34:27 per game).
- Maki Medici of Utica finished second with 1.5 made field goals per game. He was also among the national in Division III by making 78.9 percent of his attempted field goals. Medici was also a key member of Utica’s punting unit that led all of Division III by allowing -0.2 return yards per game and was fifth in net punting (37.75 yards per punt).
- Utica lost just two fumbles in 2019, which was fourth best in Division III and scored five defensive touchdowns, which tied for sixth nationally.
- Jala Coad of Brockport scored 18 rushing touchdowns in 2019, tied for tenth in Division III.
- Jason Rodriguez of St. John Fisher was third nationally with 0.7 interceptions per game. He led the league with seven picks in 2019.
- St. John Fisher’s Will Blake was eighth nationally, hauling in 8.2 receptions per game.
- Elijah Belle of Utica finished tied for tenth with 1.7 passes defended per contest.
Men’s Soccer
- Houghton’s Ben DiCrasto tied for the national lead with two penalty kick goals.
- Nazareth goalkeeper Brian Wilkin was among the Division III leaders with an .840 save percentage (24th), 0.687 goals against average (27th) and eight shutouts (28th).
- As a team, Nazareth was 23rd overall in save percentage (.833) and 28th in save percentage (0.726).
- 2019 Empire 8 Player of the Year Jake Adams of Nazareth tied for 25th in Division III with five game-winning goals.
- Alfred’s Justin Eaton scored 0.81 goals per game, 29th most in the nation.
Women’s Soccer
- 2019 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year Mikayla Blumenstock of Utica finished eighth nationally with 22 goals and ninth with 1.22 goals per game. Blumenstock’s 47 total points were also 19th most in Division III.
- Blumenstock and Alfred’s Natalie O’Brien tied for 24th in Division III with six game-winning goals.
- Hartwick goalkeeper Cassandra Robataille finished tied for sixth nationally with 12 shutouts.
- Utica’s Allison Wagner, the 2019 Empire 8 Tournament MVP finished 15th nationally in save percentage (.881), while Nazareth’s Hannah Miller, the 2019-20 Empire 8 Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, was right behind in 16th (.880).
- As a team, Utica was eighth overall in save percentage (.887) and Nazareth finished 12th (.882).
- Hartwick recorded a shutout in 63.2 percent of its total games, 19th best in Division III.
Women’s Volleyball
- 2019 Empire 8 Player of the Year Alea Steigerwald of St. John Fisher finished seventh nationally with 5.17 points per set, eighth with 4.39 kills per set and eighth with 501 total kills. She was also 18th with 1,313 total attacks and 20th with 68 service aces.
- Houghton’s Haley Unverdorben finished 23rd in Division III with 0.7 service aces per set.
- As a team, St. John Fisher ranked sixth nationally with 321 total service aces. The Cardinals were also 27th with 2.7 service aces per set.
- Houghton finished 16th in Division III, averaging 2.87 service aces per set. The Highlanders were also among the national leaders with an .800 winning percentage.
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.
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