General | 8/2/2021 9:29:35 AM
Empire 8 Conference Commissioner Chuck Mitrano announced the hiring of Jessica Wilcox as Assistant Commissioner on Monday. Wilcox will officially begin on August 16 and commence a two-year term during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years through the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority & Women’s Internship Grant program.
Wilcox was a five-year student-athlete at Alfred University, where she exceled as a member of the softball program, helping lead the Saxons to the 2021 Empire 8 Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. She served as a marketing intern at Alfred in 2020-21, creating social media content for the university in addition to several feature stories in both print and video.
In 2020, Wilcox was named the Alfred University “Gold Bone” Campaign Prize Winner in 2020 for her promotional work with the volunteer organization, K-9 Kravings Dog Food. In addition, Wilcox worked as a student employee for Saxons in the athletics office and sports information department for four seasons. She was a member of Alfred’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and LEAD Athletic and was an Ideal Saxon Nominee in 2021.
As assistant commissioner, Wilcox’s job responsibilities will include helping Associate Commissioner Joe Venniro oversee the E8’s public relations, graphic design, video, social media, and marketing programs in addition to the conference’s sports information department and assist with Empire 8 Network web streaming. She will also help oversee the Empire 8 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and assist with the annual Empire 8 Student-Athlete Summit among other duties.
“Jessica will be an exceptional addition to the Empire 8 office,” said Commissioner Mitrano. “As a two-time first-team all-Empire 8 pitcher and our reigning Pitcher of the Year, she has great discipline, a sky-high work ethic and thrives in a team environment. Her expertise with social media from the student-athlete perspective, outstanding skills with graphic design and video will greatly enhance the service to our membership. She is certainly a rising star, and we look forward to helping her learn about intercollegiate athletics and the conference operation so she can flourish in her bright future. This would not be possible without the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant which has launched countless careers.”
Wilcox earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with a focus in marketing in 2020 before obtaining a master’s degree in Business Administration in May 2021, both from Alfred. She also served as a marketing intern for the United Way of Chautauqua County in 2019.
“The Empire 8 Conference has given me numerous opportunities within my athletic career, and to be given the chance to connect and work alongside them to further my professional career is incredible,” said Wilcox. “I look forward to growing in experiences with the conference and the student-athletes that encompass it.”
Wilcox enjoyed a storied career for the Saxons in the pitching circle. A 2021 NFCA Second Team All-American, Wilcox was also the 2021 Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year, 2021 Empire 8 Championship Most Valuable Player and All-NFCA Northeast Region selection. She helped lead Alfred to a 32-11 record, its second E8 Championship in program history and trip to the Wisconsin-Eau Claire NCAA Regional. She went 18-5 in 27 appearances with a 1.48 earned run average, 0.81 WHIP, 18 complete games, eight shutouts and an AU-record 257 strikeouts to go with just 17 walks in 156.1 innings pitched, while opponents hit just .186 against her. Wilcox struck out double-digit batters in 17 occasions in 2021 and was among the NCAA Division III leaders in strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and strikeouts per seven innings.
Wilcox finished her collegiate career with a 54-29 record with a program-best 653 strikeouts in 528.1 innings. She made 100 appearances, fired 57 complete games, and recorded 20 shutouts, while finishing with a 1.87 earned run average and 1.00 WHIP.
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.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram