Men's Lacrosse | 5/27/2022 10:23:53 AM
Thirteen Empire 8 student-athletes were named 2022 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Dynamic Division III All-Americans. Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher led the way with a program record tying nine different All-American selections, while runner-up Nazareth College had three All-Americans and Alfred University had one player honored.
Players selected for All-American were nominated by their coach and then received votes from the All-American Committee. A total of 51 players were named first, second and third team All-Americans, while 150 more earned honorable mention accolades. The Empire 8 had seven All-Americans featured on the first three teams and six honorable mention selections. Twelve of the 13 All-American selections earned All-Empire 8 first team accolades in 2022. Nine were repeat All-Americans.
St. John Fisher graduate student face-off specialist Joe Post was named the Co Face-Off Player of the Year and First Team All-American, while classmate Jack Mulvihill, a midfielder, was also a first team pick. Graduate student attack Nicholas Miller was a second team selection, while Nazareth College graduate student Brett Randall, St. John Fisher senior attack Ian Evans, graduate student short stick defender Matt Jeffries and senior defender Kyle Rochester were third team selections.
Senior midfielder Jordan DePetres, graduate student midfielder Tucker O’Donnell and graduate student long stick midfielder Roger Panara of St. John Fisher, along with Nazareth’s duo of senior midfielder Jon Roth and senior defender Griffin Randall and Alfred University senior goalkeeper Scott Kimiecik were named USILA Honorable Mention All-Americans.
The most decorated faceoff specialist in Division III history, Post, who was also named a First-Team All-American by both USA Lacrosse Magazine and the USILA, wrapped up his career with 1,250 faceoff wins and 854 ground balls – both of which are NCAA Division III records.
Now a three-time USILA All-American, Post was dominant at X this season after going 313-for-433 for a career-high .723 winning percentage. The Canandaigua native, who was named the Empire 8's Player of the Year earlier this month, ranked second in the country with 237 ground balls and finished his final season in a Fisher uniform having picked up at least 10 ground balls in a game 16 times overall including a season-best 20 against Hartwick. He also won at least 20 faceoffs in a single game four times during the 2022 campaign.
Muilvhill garnered First-Team All-American by the USILA after the graduate student anchored Fisher's potent midfield. Over 18 games this season, Mulvihill ranked fourth on the team with a career-high 58 points including 34 goals and 24 helpers as the DeWitt native accounted for 100 shots overall. A three-time USILA All-American, Mulvihill became the 10th player in program history to surpass 100 career goals earlier this year. An Academic All-America selection last season by the College Sports Information Directors of America, Mulvihill will go down as one of the top players in team history after registering 116 career goals, 74 career assists and 190 total points – good for fifth all-time in Fisher's record book.
The most dominant scorer the Empire 8 has ever seen, Miller was named Second-Team All-American by both the USILA and USA Lacrosse Magazine to wrap up a brilliant career. A three-time USILA All-American, Miller graduates as Fisher's all-time leader in goals (240), assists (125), points (365) and shots (648). Over 75 career games, Miller was capable of taking over on the offensive end of the field as he produced 100 points of more in a season twice including a career-high 114 on 82 goals and 32 dimes in 2019. This season, Miller, who was named First-Team All-Conference by the Empire 8, accounted for a conference-leading 60 goals. He also became one of the top facilitators in Division III with 49 assists over 19 games.
Now a two-time USILA All-American, Evans garnered third team accolades in 2022 another excellent season that culminated with 59 goals, 26 assists and 85 points – the third most in the Empire 8 this season. A COSIDA Academic All-America selection last year, Evans, like Miller, is one of the top scoring threats to ever don the Cardinal and Gold. Over 60 career games, the Lafayette native ranks second in program history with 167 goals and 272 total points while his 105 assists are third all-time.
Rochester earned his second USILA All-American honor after anchoring one of the top defensive units in Division III in 2022. Over 18 games, Rochester, who was often tasked with guarding some of the top attackmen in the country, ranked second on the team with 17 caused turnovers while his 32 ground balls were the most among Fisher's long poles. A First-Team All-Empire 8 honoree this year, Rochester, a native of Glen Ridge, NJ, was also a key component in clearing the ball out of Fisher's defensive zone as the Cardinals finished the season with an .895 clearing percentage, which was fifth in Division III.
Like Rochester, Jeffries was often matched up with some of the top scoring threats in the country this season and the East Amherst, NY native delivered as one of the top short stick defensive specialists in the game, as Fisher surrendered five goals or fewer to its opposition seven times this year. He earned his second straight USILA All-American accolade. Over 19 games in 2022, Jeffries was credited with 43 ground balls and three caused turnovers.
Panara was named All-American by the USILA for the second time overall in 2022. A Preseason All-America selection entering the 2022 season, Panara lived up to the hype with 18 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers over 19 games played. Additionally, Panara showed off his talent on the offensive end of the field with two goals and an assist on seven shots.
O’Donnell was named an Honorable Mention All-American for the second straight season after the Truxton, NY native ranked fifth on the team with 51 total points on 20 goals and a career-high 31 assists across 19 games. He concluded the season ranked 11th all-time in scoring at Fisher with 142 career points to his name.
Depetres, a 2022 All-E8 first team pick, enjoyed a standout campaign that included a career-high 44 goals and 14 assists for 58 total points. The Hilton native found the back of the net three times or more seven times in a game including five tallies in a win over Alfred University. Depetres, a native of Hilton, NY was also a key figure on Fisher's man-up with seven goals over 19 games played. Over 60 career games dating back to 2019, Depetres, who is one of just 11 players to surpass 100 career goals, is 10th in team history with 151 career points.
Brett Randall, a native of Rochester, NY, joined the Golden Flyers in 2022 after playing four seasons at Division I Richmond and settled in as Nazareth's leading scorer with 100 points on 55 goals and 45 assists. He finished second in the Empire 8 in scoring this season and became one of just three Nazareth student-athletes to tally 100 points in a season.
Griffin Randall, of Victor, NY, has started every game for the Golden Flyers over the past three seasons as a close defender. In 2022, he contributed 33 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. A two-time All-Empire 8 selection, Randall has played in 41 games at Nazareth
Roth, of Honeoeye Falls, NY, is a repeat selection to the All-American team after finishing the 2022 season as the Golden Flyers' top-scoring midfielder with 58 points on 37 goals and 21 assists. A two-time All-E8 selection, Roth has 79 career goals, 51 assists and 130 points in 53 games at Nazareth.
Kimiecik was named the 2022 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Goalkeeper of the Year. He started in all 15 contests for the Saxons as he finished with a 10-5 record and was 4-2 in conference. Kimiecik finished the year with a .568 save percentage, stopping 155 shots on goal while only allowing 118 to find the back of the net. He had seven games with double-digit saves including three games with 17 saves. All three of those games in the 2022 season are games where Kimiecik made more saves than goals allowed, including Empire 8 wins over Hartwick College and Utica College.
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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