Women's Basketball | 2/23/2022 11:18:50 AM
Nazareth College senior forward Jadyn Abrams was named Player of the Year for the second straight season, while St. John Fisher College and Hartwick College earned a pair of individual awards, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021-22 Women’s Basketball All-Conference awards on Wednesday, February 23. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Abrams, who was previously a 2018-19 and 2019-20 All-Empire 8 second team selection and 2021 first team pick, has an enjoyed another banner excellent year for the Golden Flyers, averaging 16.2 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She leads the league in 3-point shooting, while hitting 87.3 percent from the foul line and has scored in doubles figures 21 times this season. She becomes the fifth player in Empire 8 history to earn back-to-back Player of the Year accolades, joining Tiffany Hurley of Hartwick (2000-02), Dani Dudek of Stevens (2007-09), Jessica Berry of Utica (2009-11) and Kaitlyn Astel of Stevens (2014-17).
A pair of senior guards, Amy Gardner of St. John Fisher and Molly Kirby of Hartwick were named 2021-22 Empire 8 Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Gardner has helped the Cardinals allow opponents to just 48.8 points per game and 31.0 percent shooting from the floor in league play this season. Kirby leads the league and is among the national leaders, averaging 3.7 steals per game, while leading a stout Hartwick defense that has allowed opponents to shoot 30.5 percent from the field. Hartwick has allowed just 54.3 points per game in 2021-22.
First-year standout Syrita Faraj of Russell Sage College was named the E8 Rookie of the Year. Faraj has appeared in all 26 games for the Gators, averaging 13.7 points per game (fourth most in the Empire 8) to go along with 7.9 rebounds (seventh), and 1.5 steals per game in 2021-22. Faraj is Russell Sage’s first Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in program history.
Regular Season champion St. John Fisher and runner-up Hartwick shared 2021-22 Empire 8 Co-Coaching Staff of the Year honors. St. John Fisher, led by head coach Melissa Kuberka and her staff have led the Cardinals to a 15-1 record in league play and a 23-2 overall mark heading into the postseason. St. John Fisher is also ranked No. 21 in the current D3hoops.com national poll. Hartwick, led by first-year head coach Sarah Lombard and her staff finished 13-3 in league play and enter the tournament with an 18-6 overall mark. It is St. John Fisher’s second E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor and Hartwick’s fifth accolade.
Abrams, along with Sydney Przygoda of Utica earned their second All-Empire 8 first team honor in 2021-22. Przygoda, a 2019-20 first team pick, is second in the league in scoring, averaging 15.4 points and leads the league in rebounding with 10.5 caroms per contest. St. John Fisher sophomore guard Claire Kruszka, the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, garnered first team accolades in 2021-22, averaging 12.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, fourth in the league. She is also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. The Hartwick senior duo of Maggie Kirby and Giuliana Pritchard also garnered first team accolades. Kirby is third in the league in scoring, averaging 13.6 points per game and is also pulling down 6.1 boards per game. Pritchard is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 13.0 points and is among the league leaders, with 1.3 blocks per contest to go along with 6.6 caroms.
Top-seeded St. John Fisher will host the semifinals and championship of the 2022 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball Championship this weekend. The Cardinals will take on No. 5 seed Russell Sage, Friday, February 25 at 5:30 p.m. in one semifinal, while No. 2 seed Hartwick and No. 3 seed Nazareth will battle in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. The two semifinal winners will meet for 2022 Empire 8 Championship at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 26. The Empire 8 Champion receives an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021-22 Women's Basketball 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.
2021-22 Empire 8 Women’s Basketball All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Jadyn Abrams, Sr., F, Nazareth
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Amy Gardner, Sr., G, St. John Fisher
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Molly Kirby, Sr., G, Hartwick
Rookie of the Year: Syrita Faraj, Fr., G, Russell Sage
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year: Hartwick, led by head coach Sarah Lombard
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by head coach Melissa Kuberka
Empire 8 First Team
Maggie Kirby, Sr., G, Hartwick
Giuliana Pritchard, Sr., F, Hartwick
Jadyn Abrams, Sr., F, Nazareth
Claire Kruszka, So., G, St. John Fisher
Sydney Przygoda, Sr., F, Utica
Empire 8 Second Team
Sabrina Wolfe, Gr., G, Nazareth
Syrita Faraj, Fr., G, Russell Sage
Sammy Pasinella, Sr., G, Russell Sage
Kaitlyn Walker, Jr., F, St. John Fisher
Brigid Johndrow, Gr., G, Utica
Empire 8 Third Team
Ana Ion, Jr., G, Alfred
Desiree Roy, Fr., F, Elmira
Molly Kirby, Sr., G, Hartwick
Kim Davis, Sr., F, Nazareth
Miranda Lynch, Sr., G, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Karly Welty, So., G, Alfred
Alicia Johnson, Sr., G, Elmira
Bree Fargnoli, So., F, Hartwick
Carlee Miller, So., F, Houghton
Katie Deatherage, Fr., G, Keuka
Makalah Sizer, Sr., G, Nazareth
Renna Poulin, Jr., G, Russell Sage
Sidney Tomasso, Fr., G, St. John Fisher
Brigid Johndrow, Gr., G, Utica