Field Hockey | 11/7/2023 11:26:00 AM
ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Hartwick Hawks Field Hockey team earned the qualifying bid into the NCAA tournament after winning their second straight Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, defeating St. John Fisher 2-1 on the road.
The Hawks will play in the first round at Rowan University at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8 against the Profs.
Hartwick enters the contest with a 12-5 overall record and a 6-1 record in Empire 8 Conference play. The Hawks have been led by the 2023 Empire 8 Field Hockey Co-Player of the Year, Julie Ruzzi (High Falls, N.Y.) The senior was tops on the team with 43 points on 17 goals and nine assists.
In addition to Ruzzi, the team enters the game with six other all-conference players, including first year, Danielle Hand (Queensbury, N.Y.) who was tabbed as the Empire 8 Field Hockey Rookie of the Year.
The Rowan University Profs enter the NCAA Tournament as the #17 team in the country with an 11-7 overall record. Rowan earned their bid by defeating #22 TCNJ 3-0, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship. The Profs are averaging 2.67 goals per game and are led offensively by Vanessa DiDonato who has recorded a team-high 17 goals.
"Due to our experience last season, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors were able to see first-hand the level of skill and competition we will face in the NCAA tournament. We intentionally scheduled opponents of that caliber this season in order to help our team understand what is truly needed to compete in the NCAA tournament," remarked Autera.
The winner will head to the second round on November 11 to take on the winner of Southern Maine vs Tufts. The contest will be played at Babson 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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