Softball | 5/17/2022 10:52:14 AM
Six players from four Empire 8 institutions were named to the 2022 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region III Team. Empire 8 Co-Players of the Year Allie Klonowski of St. John Fisher College and Arianna Papas of Russell Sage College earned first team honors, while Taylor Dicranian of Russell Sage, Meghan Neto from Empire 8 Champion Alfred University and the Houghton College duo of Hannah Haskell and Grace Thompson garnered third team accolades.
This year's 10 squads are comprised of a total of 384 student-athletes from 197 programs. The awards salute student-athletes from the Association's 10 NCAA regions with first, second and third-team honors. NFCA member coaches voted on the teams in their respective regions, and all honorees are eligible for selection to the 2022 NFCA Division III All-America squads, which will be announced on May 24.
Both Klonowski and Papas earned NFCA All-Region accolades for the second straight season.
Klonowski, a junior outfielder, enjoyed a tremendous season for the Cardinals in 2022, hitting .414 with league-best totals of 12 home runs, 39 runs batted in and an .828 slugging percentage, while tying for the league lead with 22 extra base-hits. Her 1.293 OPS was second in the Empire 8.
Papas, a senior outfielder, led all Empire 8 student-athletes with a .476 batting average, .521 on-base percentage and 1.340 OPS in 2022. She tied for the team lead with 22 extra base hits and was second among all players with 50 hits. Papas slammed 13 doubles, four triples and five home runs, while driving in 30 runs. She also stole six bases on the season and was second in the league with an .819 slugging percentage.
Dicranian, a senior pitcher/first baseman, batted .336 with 25 runs scored and 26 RBI. She topped the Conference with 18 doubles and logged an 8-8 record with 12 complete games in the circle to also earn All-E8 first team accolades for the second straight season.
Neto, the 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, enjoyed an excellent debut season for Alfred, the 2022 Empire 8 Champions, batting .364 with a 1.068 OPS to go along with 14 extra base hits, including three home runs and 25 runs batted in. The first-year outfielder also walked 16 times and was hit by pitch a league-high 11 times en route to earning All-E8 second team accolades.
Haskell, a senior shortstop, led the league in several offensive categories. She batted .457 with an Empire 8 best 58 hits, while leading the league with 39 runs and six triples to go along with three home runs and 35 RBI, while slugging .669 and recording a 1.186 OPS. She set program records for season batting average, hits, runs and triples and career marks for hits (142) and batting average, while earning All-Empire 8 first team honors.
Thompson, a senior who played primarily at third base, was third in the Empire 8 with a .431 batting average and sixth with 47 hits. She led Houghton with 12 doubles, while adding a triple, home run and 23 RBI. She also scored 22 runs and was second on the team with 64 total bases. Thompson also had a .956 field percentage with 28 putouts and 59 assists at the hot corner on her way to earning All-Empire 8 first team accolades.
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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