Men's Tennis | 5/1/2023 8:54:43 PM
Houghton University sophomore Jaimie Staerkle was named Empire 8 Player of the Year honors, while teammate Marcelo Garcia was named Rookie of the Year as the league announced its 2023 Men’s Tennis All-Conference awards on Tuesday, May 2. 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 Nazareth College and St. John Fisher University each garnered a pair first team spots. Nazareth’s Nathan Allen and Houghton’s Micah Schilke earned All-Empire 8 first team singles accolades for the third straight season. Allen and Houghton’s Levi Webb garnered first team honors in doubles for the third straight year.
Staerkle, who previously earned Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors last season, went 5-0 in league play at the first singles position, while partnering with Webb to finish 7-0 at first doubles during Empire 8 regular season play. The duo is 13-2 overall this season. Staerkle earned All-E8 first team honors in singles and second team accolades in doubles for the second straight season. Staerkle is the third straight Houghton student-athlete to earn Player of the Year honors, joining Schilke (2022) and Ethan Yung (2021).
Garcia earned Rookie of the Year honors after going 6-1 in league play, while playing in several lineup spots. He partnered with Schilke to finish 8-0 at second doubles during Empire 8 regular season play. Garcia, who earned All-E8 first team honors in doubles and first team accolades in doubles, is 14-3 with Schilke overall this season heading into the NCAA Tournanent. Garcia is the third straight Houghton student-athlete and fourth overall to earn E8 Rookie of the Year accolades, joining Louis-Guillaume Garcia (2018), Webb (2021) and Staerkle (2022).
Shilvock was named 2023 Empire 8 Coach of the Year after leading Houghton to its second Empire 8 Championship in the last three seasons. The Highlanders went 8-0 overall in league play and rolled to the league title with shutout wins over Utica University and Nazareth College in postseason tournament. Six Houghton student-athletes earned All-Empire 8 accolades in 2023. It is Shilvock’s second straight Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year award and marks the fifth straight season that a Houghton coach has earned this honor.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023 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.
2023 Empire 8 Men’s Tennis All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Jaimie Staerkle, So., Houghton
Rookie of the Year: Marcelo Garcia, Fr., Houghton
Coaching Staff of the Year: Houghton, led by Head Coach Zach Shilvock
Empire 8 First Team – Singles
Jaimie Staerkle, So., Houghton
Micah Schilke, Sr., Houghton
Levi Webb, Jr., Houghton
Nathan Allen, Sr., Nazareth
Jake Anthony, Jr., St. John Fisher
Sean Danahy, Sr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles
Jaimie Staerkle, So.,/Levi Webb, Jr., Houghton
Nathan Allen, Sr./Chris Benedict, Fr., Nazareth
Micah Schilke, Sr./Marcelo Garcia, Fr., Houghton
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles
Marcelo Garcia, Fr., Houghton
Nolan Zach, So., Houghton
Max Funicello, Fr., Nazareth
Pierre Ntonga, Fr., Nazareth
Dominic Vito, Sr., Nazareth
Will Chubb, Fr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles
Nolan Zach, So./Matt Cicero, Gr., Houghton
Dominic Vito, Sr./Isiah McMurray, Jr., Nazareth
Sean Danahy, Sr./Jake Anthony, Jr., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Mike Roberts, So., Alfred
Graham Cook, So., Houghton
Sean Graham, Fr., Medaille
Dominic Vito, Sr., Nazareth
Sean Danahy, Sr., St. John Fisher
Gaynay Doo, So., 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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