Field Hockey | 4/26/2021 9:51:03 AM
St. John Fisher College senior forward Bre Socker was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Houghton College senior defender Hannah Daniels earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Spring Field Hockey All-Conference awards on Monday, April 26. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. Senior Allyson Osborne of Hartwick was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while teammate Emily Strutt, a defender, earned Rookie of the Year honors. Victoria Bothner and her staff from St. John Fisher was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Socker, who was previously the 2017 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, is now a four-time All-E8 first team pick. In just six games this season, Socker netted 16 goals and added four assists for 36 points after scoring 28 goals in 2019. She tallied at least a goal in all six games, including a four-goal effort in the season-opener against Utica and an Empire 8 single-game record-tying and St. John Fisher record five-goal outburst in the Empire 8 Semifinals against Nazareth College on April 23. Socker also finished the season as St. John Fisher’s all-time leader in points with 185 on 77 goals and 31 assists.
Daniels earned the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year Accolade in 2021. Now a three-time All-Empire 8 selection (first team, 2021; second team, 2018 and 2019), Daniels had a pair of defensive saves for the Highlanders this season.
Osborne, who was an All-Empire 8 first team selection in 2019, earned the inaugural E8 Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2021. Osborne recorded a 0.79 goals against average and an .821 save percentage in 2021 to go along with three shutouts. Strutt was a solid contributor to a defensive unit that allowed just five goals in six games during the 2021 season, including three shutouts. She is the second straight Hartwick student-athlete to earn E8 Rookie of the Year honors.
Bothner and her staff of assistant coaches Elizabeth Cusack, Ashley Maynard and Kelly Bergamo, led the Cardinals to a 6-0 record in 2021, including their second Empire 8 Championship. Fisher out-scored its opponents, 29-2 in 2021. It is the second straight season and third time overall that Bothner and her staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Bothner is now 94-33 in seven seasons with the Cardinals.
Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher and runner-up Hartwick led all institutions with four first team selections apiece, while Empire 8 semifinalist Houghton had a pair of first team picks. Utica’s Sabrina Whitehouse was also a first team selection. Houghton’s Caitlin Jennings earned her fourth consecutive All-E8 accolade for the Highlanders of Houghton.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 Empire 8 Spring 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 Spring Field Hockey All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Bre Socker, Sr., F, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Daniels, Sr., D, Houghton
Goalkeeper of the Year: Allyson Osborne, Sr., GK, Hartwick
Rookie of the Year: Emily Strutt, Fr., D, Hartwick
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by Head Coach Victoria Bothner
Empire 8 First Team
Sydney Gagnon, So., F, Hartwick
Gianna Palma, Jr., F, St. John Fisher
Bre Socker, Sr., F, St. John Fisher
Sabrina Whitehouse, Sr., F, Utica
Tegan Robinson, Sr., M, Hartwick
Caitlin Jennings, Sr., M, Houghton
Alyssa Andres, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Emily Strutt, Fr., D, Hartwick
Hannah Daniels, Sr., D, Houghton
Abby Harris, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Allyson Osborne, Sr., GK, Hartwick
Empire 8 Second Team
Holly Calore, Fr., F, Hartwick
Caroline Desautels, So., F, Nazareth
Madeline Krecidlo, Jr., F, Utica
Leah Tolley, So., M, Hartwick
Sam Choate, Fr., M, St. John Fisher
Jeslyn Files, Sr., M, Utica
Natalie L’Hommedieu, Sr., D, Nazareth
Zoey Kasper, Jr., D, Houghton
Katelyn Slomba, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Katherine LeRoy, Sr., D, Utica
Amanda Chuttey, Jr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Rebecca Peakes, Jr., D/M, Hartwick
Hannah Daniels, Sr., D, Houghton
Lydia Dewart, Sr., F, Nazareth
Alyssa Andres, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Katherine LeRoy, Sr., D, Utica