Men's Lacrosse | 3/4/2021 2:29:58 PM
The Cardinals of St. John Fisher will attempt to defend its Empire 8 crown, as six teams will battle for the 2021 E8 Championship. The upcoming season gets underway with Fisher at Clarkson on March 6, as league play begins on March 27. Keuka College makes its Empire 8 debut as a full-time member of the conference this season. The Empire 8 expanded its postseason format for spring 2021, as the top-six teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place from May 4-9. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on
Empire 8 TV.
Team Capsules (Sorted by 2019 Standings)
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher is coming off its finest season in program history in 2019, setting a program record with 17 victories, while winning its first Empire 8 Championship and advancing to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals were among the top-10 nationally in several categories, including scoring offense (17.30 goals per game) and scoring margin (9.50 goals per game). St. John Fisher returns 2021 USILA Division III Preseason All-Americans, seniors Nicholas Miller, Jack Mulvihill and Joe Post. Miller set Empire 8 single-season records with 82 goals and 114 points 2019. Ian Evans, the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, recorded 85 points on 48 goals and 37 assists in 2019 and added a team-best 26 points in five games in 2020. The Cardinals are ranked No. 14 in the 2021 preseason United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association/Warrior and New Balance poll and No. 15 in the Nike/US Lacrosse preseason poll.
Nazareth
The Golden Flyers got off to a strong 5-2 start in 2020 and look to continue that momentum as the 2021 season begins. Senior Jeremy Jacob led the Golden Flyers with 17 goals and 24 points and will be counted on to play at a high level. Junior Jon Roth emerged as a go-to-scorer from the midfield with 19 points. In net, Eric Almquist is entering his third season as starting goalkeeper for the Golden Flyers. Nazareth looks to get back to the level of play that has characterized their program for the better part of three decades. The Golden Flyers won Division III National Championships in 1992, 1996 and 1997.
Alfred
Alfred has a veteran-laden team with 16 upperclassmen. Senior face-off specialist Garrette Briggs returns after finishing second in all of Division III, winning 77.6 percent of his draws taken during the 2019 season. He is a three-time All-Empire 8 selection. Graduate student Shane Weber, an All-Empire 8 second team pick is back on defense, ad will serve as captain along with classmates Ben Cafolla, Jake McNaney and Briggs, while goalkeeper Gage Ponsetti will look to enjoy a standout season.
Utica
The Pioneers return 2019 all-conference selection in junior defender Kevin Parisi. Senior attack Dylan Dunham recorded three hat-tricks in four games last season, while fellow standouts John Avery, James Daniele, and Dale Wagner will be counted to lead the way. Nick Alexander and Parisi will team up to be one of the better young long pole groups in the region. Goalkeeper Jozef Korpics appeared in all five games as a freshman in 2020.
Sage
Sage will look to challenge for a postseason berth after winning eight games in 2019. The Gators return junior Robert Martin, who led the team in scoring in 2019 with 53 points on 19 goals and 34 assists and was on his way to a monster season in 2020 with 25 goals in seven contests. Junior Bailey Martin and sophomore Anthony Abreu each tallied 19 points in 2020 and are primed for even greater success. Junior Shea Obado will lead the midfield, while classmate Michael Capitelli is expected to see plenty of time in goal during the 2021 season.
Keuka
Keuka College will look to introduce themselves to the Empire 8 following a run in the North Eastern Athletic Conference where Keuka made the final four of the conference tournament every year. The Wolves return Chris Bellanca and Connor Cupp on attack and midfielder Kasey Gallina. Bellanca had nine goals and two assists while Cupp added seven goals and seven assists in the two games during the shortened 2020 season. All three were all-conference performers during the last full season in 2019.
^ Elmira, Hartwick and Houghton have opted out of league play for the 2021 season.
Final 2019 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Standings
St. John Fisher (17-3, 7-1 Empire 8) – League Champions – 3-2 in 2020
Hartwick (10-5, 6-2 E8) – 0-2 in 2020
Nazareth (7-11, 5-3 E8) – 5-2 in 2020
Alfred (8-7, 4-4 E8) – 3-3 in 2020
Utica (8-8, 4-4 E8) – 1-3 in 2020
Sage (8-9, 2-6 E8) – 2-5 in 2020
Elmira (3-10, 1-7 E8) – 3-2 in 2020
Houghton (4-12, 0-8 E8) – 3-2 in 2020
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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