Men's Tennis | 5/12/2022 9:55:23 AM
Houghton College junior Micah Schilke was named Empire 8 Player of the Year honors, while teammate Jaimie Staerkle was named Rookie of the Year as the league announced its 2022 Men’s Tennis All-Conference awards on Thursday, May 12. Houghton head coach Zach Shilvock was named Coach of the Year. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Houghton led the way with four student-athletes who earned first team selections, while E8 Tournament Champion Nazareth garnered three first team spots. Schilke and Nazareth’s Nathan Allen earned All-Empire 8 first team singles accolades for the second straight season. Allen and Houghton’s Levi Webb garnered first team honors in doubles for the second straight year.
Schilke recorded a 6-1 record at first singles and an 7-0 mark with both Matthew Cicero and Adam Brown in doubles action during Empire 8 regular season play. In addition to earning All-E8 first team honors in singles, Schilke and Cicero garnered second team doubles plaudits. Schilke is the second straight Houghton student-athlete to earn Player of the Year honors, joining Ethan Yung (2021).
Staerkle earned Rookie of the Year honors after going 8-0 in league play at the third singles position, while partnering with Isaac Little to finish 6-2 at first doubles during Empire 8 regular season play. Staerkle, who earned All-E8 first team honors in singles and second team accolades in doubles, also won both of his singles matches in the E8 Tournament as well. Staerkle is the third Houghton student-athlete to earn E8 Rookie of the Year accolades, joining Louis-Guillaume Garcia (2018) and Levi Webb (2021).
Shilvock was named 2022 Empire 8 Coach of the Year after leading Houghton to the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship. The Highlanders went 8-0 overall in league play and earned the top seed in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, advancing to the title match. Six Houghton student-athletes earned All-Empire 8 accolades in 2022. It is Shilvock’s first Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year award and the fourth straight season that a Houghton coach has earned this honor.
Schilke and Nazareth’s Nathan Allen earned All-Empire 8 first team singles accolades for the second straight season. Allen and Houghton’s Levi Webb garnered first team honors in doubles for the second straight year.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2022 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Sportsman 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 sportsmen.
2022 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Micah Schilke, Jr., Houghton
Rookie of the Year: Jaimie Staerkle, Fr., Houghton
Coaching Staff of the Year: Houghton, led by Head Coach Zach Shilvock
Empire 8 First Team – Singles
Jaimie Staerkle, Fr., Houghton
Micah Schilke, Jr., Houghton
Levi Webb, So., Houghton
Nathan Allen, Jr., Nazareth
Dominic Vito, Sr., Nazareth
Damien Bruce, Jr., Utica
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles
Nolan Zach, Fr.,/Levi Webb, So., Houghton
Nathan Allen, Jr./William Britton, Sr., Nazareth
Sean Danahy, Jr./Jake Anthony, So., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles
Matt Cicero, Sr., Houghton
Isiah McMurray, So., Nazareth
Jake Anthony, So., St. John Fisher
L.J. Nuzzo, Sr., Utica
Jordan O’Connell, Gr., St. John Fisher
Austin McGrain, Sr., Utica
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles
Micah Schilke, Jr./Matt Cicero, Sr., Houghton
Isaac Little, So./Jaimie Staerkle, Fr., Houghton
Damian Bruce, Jr./L.J. Nuzzo, Sr., Utica
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
David Lingenfelter, Sr., Alfred
Isaac Little, So., Houghton
Isiah McMurray, So., Nazareth
Cameron Campbell, Jr., St. John Fisher
Austin McGrain, Sr., 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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