Field Hockey | 11/8/2021 9:52:56 AM
St. John Fisher College senior forward Bre Socker was named Player of the Year for the second straight season and earned her league record fifth all-league first team accolade, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Field Hockey All-Conference awards on Monday, November 8. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. St. John Fisher freshman Selena Emery was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Nazareth senior Amanda Chuttey was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Houghton forward Jace Hunzinger earned Rookie of the Year honors, while Erin Autera and her staff from Hartwick was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Socker, who was previously the 2017 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and Spring 2021 Player of the Year, becomes the first five-time All-E8 first team pick in league history. Socker, the Empire 8’s all-time leading scorer, enters the NCAA Tournament with 18 goals, 10 assists and 46 points in 18 games this season. She tied her own Empire 8 single-game record with five goals in a win over Russell Sage on October 1 and was named the Empire 8 Championship Tournament for the second straight season, while leading the Cardinals to their second consecutive league title. Socker has 95 career goals, 41 assists and 236 points.
Emery enjoyed an excellent rookie season for the Cardinals, leading the league with 10 defensive saves, while leading a defense that has allowed just two goals in 10 games against Empire 8 foes this season. Overall, St. John Fisher has recorded nine shutouts this season.
Chuttey, who was an All-Empire 8 second team selection in the spring and honorable mention pick in 2019, stopped a league-high 257 shots in 2021, recording an .818 save percentage to go along with a pair of shutouts. She made at least 20 saves in a game seven times this season, including a career-best 31 at Rensselaer on October 8 and 25 saves in the regular season finale at Washington & Jefferson, a 2-1 win that secured a postseason berth.
Hunzinger enjoyed an excellent rookie season for Houghton, tallying 24 points on six goals and a league-best tying 12 assists. Her 24 points were tied for sixth in the Empire 8 this season. She had three matches with at least five points in a game this season, including six points on a goal and four assists in the season finale on October 30.
Autera and assistant coach Carissa Warren led the Hawks to a 7-1 league mark and 11-5 overall record in 2021, earning the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. It is the first time that Autera and her staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors and third time that a Hartwick coach was honored. Autera is now 40-20 in four seasons with the Hawks, having won the 2019 E8 Championship.
Empire 8 runner-up Utica led all institutions with four first team selections apiece, while E8 Champion St. John Fisher and regular season runner-up Hartwick Utica each had three first team picks. Chuttey was also a first team selection. Sydney Gagnon of Hartwick earned her third straight All-E8 first team honor, while Sabrina Whitehouse of Utica picked up her second straight first team accolade in addition to second team plaudits in 2018 and 2019.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 Empire 8 Field Hockey Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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 sportswomen.
2021 Empire 8 Field Hockey All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Bre Socker, Gr., F, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Selena Emery, Fr., D, St. John Fisher
Goalkeeper of the Year: Amanda Chuttey, Sr., GK, Nazareth
Rookie of the Year: Jace Hunzinger, Fr., F, Houghton
Coaching Staff of the Year: Hartwick, led by Head Coach Erin Autera
Empire 8 First Team
Sydney Gagnon, Jr., F, Hartwick
Bre Socker, Gr., F, St. John Fisher
Sabrina Whitehouse, Gr., F, Utica
Sydney Scaccia, Sr., F, Utica
Julie Ruzzi, Sr., M, Hartwick
Alyssa Andres, Gr., M, St. John Fisher
Jeslyn Files, Sr., M, Utica
Emily Strutt, So., D, Hartwick
Selena Emery, Fr., D, St. John Fisher
Chloe Williams, Sr., D, Utica
Amanda Chuttey, Sr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Second Team
Jace Hunzinger, Fr., F, Houghton
Bailey Selman, Jr., F, Nazareth
Madeline Hubbard, Sr., F, Washington & Jefferson
Hailey Wachowiak, So., F, Washington & Jefferson
Deborah Cross, Fr., M, Houghton
Caroline Desautels, Sr., M, Nazareth
Gianna Palma, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Lindsay Diggan, Jr., M, Washington & Jefferson
Ashlee Billert, So., D, Russell Sage
Mya Maloof, Sr., D, Nazareth
Ashley Kunkle, Sr., D, Washington & Jefferson
Sophia Trozzi, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Third Team
Lex Matarazzo, Sr., F, Hartwick
Molly Fisher, Fr., F, St. John Fisher
Madeline Krecidlo, Sr., F, Utica
Makenzie Kensel, So., M, Hartwick
Emily Stallone, Sr., M, Keuka
Mackenzie Mix, Sr., M, Utica
Kristen Tull, Fr., D, Elmira
Rebecca Peakes, Sr., D, Hartwick
Zoey Kasper, Sr., D, Houghton
Rileigh Luste, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Madison Maddocks, Jr., GK, Hartwick
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Kristen Tull, Fr., D, Elmira
Michaela Parker, Sr., M, Hartwick
Molly Brizzell, Sr., D, Houghton
Emily Stallone, Fr., M, Keuka
Amanda Chuttey, Sr., GK, Nazareth
Kyndra Riche, Sr., M, Russell Sage
Sophia Trozzi, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Kennedy Guy, Sr., M, Utica
Lina Crowley, Jr., F, Washington & Jefferson