Men's Lacrosse | 5/26/2023 12:50:38 PM
Eight Empire 8 student-athletes were named 2023 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III Blatant Lacrosse All-Americans. Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher led the way with five All-American selections, while Alfred University had two All-Americans and Nazareth College 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 53 players were named first, second and third team All-Americans, while 152 more earned honorable mention accolades. All Empire 8 All-Americans were honorable mention selections. All eight All-American selections earned All-Empire 8 first team accolades in 2022. One was a repeat All-American.
St. John Fisher attack Timmy Salit, midfielder Samuel Miller, short-stick defensive midfielder Connor Mesh, long stick midfielder Jack Cornell and defender Brian Jantz, along with Nazareth attack Quinn McKercher and Alfred attack Kevin Matson, along with goalkeeper Scott Kimiecik earned All-American honors. Kimiecik was the lone repeat All-American.
Salit, a junior attack, led the Cardinals in scoring with 72 points on 31 goals and 41 assists during the 2023 season. He also added 43 ground balls. Miller, a senior midfielder, finished with 32 goals, 14 assists and 46 points in 18 games played.
Mesh, a sophomore defensive midfielder, excelled for the Cardinals in 2023, grabbing 32 ground balls to go along with 13 caused turnovers. Cornell, a sophomore, led the Cardinals with 26 caused turnovers and added 43 ground balls from his long stick midfielder position in 19 games.
Jantz led a St. John Fisher defense that allowed just 40 goals in seven conference games in 2023. The senior played in all 20 games for the Cardinals in 2023 and finished with 21 caused turnovers to go along with 33 ground balls. Jantz was named the first E8 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
McKercher leads all Empire 8 student-athletes with 76 points on 44 goals and 32 assists. He excelled in league play with 40 points on 18 goals and 22 assists in seven contests, leading all players with 5.7 points per contest. He recorded nine games with at least five points this season and has 176 career points on 114 goals and 62 assists in 47 contests spanning three seasons. McKercher, who was previously named the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, is the seventh different Player of the Year from Nazareth.
Kimiecik wrapped up a successful collegiate career with Alfred University, having been named as the Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive season. As a graduate, Kimiecik finished the season with a conference-best .568 save percentage. Kimiecik additionally picked up a career-high 168 saves, making the fourth-highest total in a single season in program history. Kimiecik is just the second AU goalie to finish his career with 500 or more saves.
Matson put together a record-breaking season with the Saxons to receive All-American honors for the first time in his collegiate career. In a win over Russell Sage College, Matson became the first player in Empire 8 history to score 10 or more goals in a single game. Matson led the conference with 57 goals while dishing an additional 13 assists for Alfred University.
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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