Field Hockey | 10/10/2023 12:05:22 PM
The Empire 8 Conference is celebrating the league’s 25th Anniversary season in 2023-24, honoring student-athletes, teams, coaches and administrators who have played a key role in the league’s success over the last 25 years. Empire 8 Field Hockey is no exception, as several individuals and teams have excelled at the conference, national and regional levels.
Hartwick College was awarded the first E8 Field Hockey Championship in 2002 as the top team in the regular season. In 2007, the league held its first Empire 8 Championship Tournament to crown a league champion, as Nazareth University claimed its first and only league title that season. Seven different institutions have claimed E8 titles, with Hartwick having claimed a league-high five championships over the first quarter century of play.
In 2021, Bre Socker of St. John Fisher became the league’s first five-time All-E8 first team selection. She finished her career as the Empire 8’s all-time leading scorer with 95 goals, 41 assists and 230 points. Hannah Mackey of Utica finished her career with 84 goals, 31 assists and 199 points. Sydney Gagnon of Hartwick, Mackey and fellow Utica standout Louise Steele-Norton are four-time All-Empire 8 first team selections.
Hartwick’s legendary coach Anna Meyer holds the E8 record with 183 coaching wins, while Jomara Coghlan of Washington & Jefferson, a four-time E8 Coach of the Year is right behind with 179 victories. Tori Bothner of St. John Fisher, who coaches from 2014-2021, had 104 wins, won three E8 Coach of the Year titles and three league championships, while maintaining a E8 record .721 winning percentage.
Below we are honoring members of the Empire 8 Field Hockey 25th Anniversary Team. Recipients were chosen by the league office and were named either a Player of the Year, All-American or earned All-Empire 8 first team honors at least three times in their collegiate careers.
Empire 8 Field Hockey 25th Anniversary Team
Victoria Alvarez, F, Stevens
Alyssa Andres, M, St. John Fisher
Amanda Barton, M/F, Hartwick
Carla Behe, M, Utica
Rachel Buyan, D, Washington & Jefferson
Callie Black, F, Elmira
Kara Borzillo, F/M, Stevens
Kelly Cooman, F, Hartwick
Marguerite Chavez, F, Stevens
Sydney Gagnon, F, Hartwick
Katie Kutas, F, Utica
Katie Lass, GK, Ithaca
Caitlin Jennings, M, Houghton
Hannah Mackey, F, Utica
Jennifer Marabella, F, Washington & Jefferson
Emily Markarian, F, St. John Fisher
Kelly Miranda, F, Nazareth
Hillary Paul, M, Stevens
Shannon Rohacek, F, Utica
Julie Ruzzi, M/F, Hartwick
Tasha Snowden, F, Ithaca
Lindsay Scott, F, St. John Fisher
Louise Steele-Norton, F, Utica
Allison Shields, M, Stevens
Bre Socker, F, St. John Fisher
Amanda Steffey, F, Washington & Jefferson
Amy Stevens, M, Russell Sage
Mallory Swanson, M, Stevens
Tara Wilkes, F, Hartwick
Founded in 1999, the Empire 8 has developed into one of the premier NCAA Division III athletic conferences, both on the field and in the classroom. The conference has created and implemented innovative and groundbreaking sportsmanship programming over this time, many of our which have received great publicity, including features in USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The NCAA News, and various athletic profession publications. The Empire 8 has also been highly influential in helping to shape the Division III landscape, passing many legislative proposals along with individuals who hold leadership roles at the national level.
Feature stories and series’ celebrating the league’s 25th anniversary will be highlighted on the conference's website and social media platforms throughout the 2023-24 season, starting in September. The conference will also be using the #E825 and #E8Anniversary hashtags on its Twitter and Instagram platforms as a way for fans to follow along throughout the year.
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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