Women's Lacrosse | 5/3/2021 9:58:44 AM
St. John Fisher College junior midfielder Sydney DeGirolamo was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Nazareth College senior defender Vicki Arena earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference awards on Monday, May 3. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Junior Katie Lawrence of Nazareth was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while teammate Eleanor Matz, a midfielder and St. John Fisher defender Shannon Foster shared earned Rookie of the Year honors. Linda Michele and her staff from St. John Fisher was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
DeGirolamo, who was previously the 2019 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, is now a two-time All-E8 first team pick. In 15 games this season, DeGirolamo leads the Cardinals in scoring with 59 points on 27 goals and 32 assists to go along with 115 draw controls, which is among the top-20 nationally.
Arena was named the 2021 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year. Now a three-time All-Empire 8 first team selection (2018, 2019, 2021), Arena recorded 50 draw controls, 28 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers for the Golden Flyers.
Lawrence finished with a 7-6 record, 8.97 goals against average and a .457 save percentage in 2021 for Nazareth. Matz was a solid contributor, tallying 13 points to go along with 13 draw controls and 13 ground balls in 13 games during the 2021 season. Foster is a key leader on St. John Fisher’s stout defense that has allowed just 3.90 goals per game in 2021. Foster has 26 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers in 14 games.
Michele and her staff of assistant coaches Mary Doyle and Mark Michele led the Cardinals to a 7-0 record in regular season league play and their ninth straight Empire 8 title in 2021. St. John Fisher enters the 2021 NCAA Championship Tournament ranked No. 10 in the IWLCA National poll with a 14-1 record. It is the first time that Michele and her staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors and Fisher’s second overall honor.
Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher led all institutions with six first team selections apiece, while Nazareth had five picks. Utica’s Lexi Scaccia was also a first team selection. Overall, both St. John Fisher and Nazareth had 10 all-conference selections.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse 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 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Sydney DeGirolamo, Jr., A, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Vicki Arena, Sr., D, Nazareth
Goalkeeper of the Year: Katie Lawrence, Jr., GK, Nazareth
Co-Rookie of the Year: Shannon Foster, Fr., D, St. John Fisher
Co-Rookie of the Year: Eleanor Matz, Fr., M, Nazareth
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by Head Coach Linda Michele
Empire 8 First Team
Sydney DeGirolamo, Jr., A, St. John Fisher
Emma States, So., A, Nazareth
Alyssa Sproule, Sr., A, St. John Fisher
Tori Blazey, Sr., M, Nazareth
Logan Chase, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Lexi Scaccia, Jr., M, Utica
Mackenzie Alexander, So., M, St. John Fisher
Vicki Arena, Sr., D, Nazareth
Emma Parry, Jr., D, Nazareth
Shannon Foster, Fr., D, St. John Fisher
Erin Mills, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Katie Lawrence, Jr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Second Team
Callahan Lyon, Sr., A, Nazareth
Emma Robinson, Sr., A, Nazareth
Brittany Halpin, Jr., A, St. John Fisher
Samantha DeCondo, So., A, Utica
Claudia Pollaro, Fr., M, Hartwick
GinaMarie Wilson, Sr., M, Hartwick
Jordan Knapp, Sr., M, Nazareth
Alyssa Sabotka, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Dylann Hogan, Gr., D, Nazareth
Aana Blaszka, Fr., D, Utica
Sydney Scaccia, Sr., D, Utica
Claudia Mocciaro, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Third Team
Brenna Turner, So., A, Alfred
Rachel Hedden, Sr., A, Hartwick
Stephanie Husnay, Sr., A, Utica
Lauren Wolff, Sr., A, Utica
Mary Doell, So., M, Houghton
Eleanor Matz, Fr., M, Nazareth
Madeline Greene, So., M, Keuka
Brittany Gage, Sr., M, Russell Sage
Michaela McKernan, Sr., D, Hartwick
Brylee Pelfrey, So., D, Russell Sage
Lauren Swartz, So., D, St. John Fisher
Claire Frier, Jr., GK, Utica
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Ceci Sherwood, Fr., M/D, Alfred
Jennifer Paszko, Sr., GK, Hartwick
Zoey Kasper, Jr., M, Houghton
Caitlin Loving, Jr., A, Keuka
Regan McGwin, Sr., A, Nazareth
Alexandra Franco, Sr., A, Russell Sage
Alyssa Sabotka, Sr., M, John Fisher
Brianna Colley, Sr., D, Utica
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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