Men's Lacrosse | 5/8/2023 1:55:33 PM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023 Men’s Lacrosse All-Conference awards on Monday, May 8. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Nazareth College junior attack Quinn McKercher was named the 2023 E8 Offensive Player of the Year, while senior defender Brian Jantz of league champion St. John Fisher was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Alfred University goalkeeper Scott Kimiecik was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while Nazareth attack Matthew Farrington garnered Rookie of the Year honors. The Alfred coaching staff, led by head coach Jason Lockner was named the 2023 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
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.
Jantz led a St. John Fisher defense that allowed just 40 goals in seven conference games in 2023. He has played in all 18 games for the Cardinals in 2023 and has 19 caused turnovers to go along with 31 ground balls. Jantz is the first E8 Defensive Player of the Year.
Kimiecik, a graduate student, was named the Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season. He finished 11-5 on the season with a 10.96 goals against average and a .568 save percentage for the Saxons in 2023. Kimiecik allowed five goals or less in a game seven times this season and had seven games with at least 12 saves, including a career-best 26 against Hartwick on March 25. Kimiecik had a .594 save percentage in league play. He is the fourth goalkeeper in Empire 8 history to win back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Matthew Farrington of Nazareth was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. He appeared in 14 games for the Golden Flyers, recording 43 points on 14 goals and 29 assists. He is third among all E8 players with 2.06 assists per game and is in the top-10 with 3.07 points per game. Harrington had 17 points in six league games and is Nazareth’s eighth different E8 Rookie of the Year in program history.
Lockner and his staff of assistant coaches Adam DuPree, Kaelan Winkky, Joey Carra III and Noah Soriano led the Saxons to their best Empire 8 finish in program history, while securing the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Alfred finished the 2023 season with an 11-5 record and 6-1 mark in league play, while out-scoring opponents, 237-167. It is the first E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor for Alfred.
Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher led all institutions with seven first team selections, while Alfred had four picks, Nazareth two and Hartwick, one. Overall, St. John Fisher had 12 all-conference selections. Jantz and Kimiecik were named All-Empire 8 first team selections for the third time. McKercher earned first team accolades for the second straight season. Twelve of the 15 E8 first team picks earned that honor for the first time.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse 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 Lacrosse All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Quinn McKercher, Jr., A, Nazareth
Defensive Player of the Year: Brian Jantz, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Goalkeeper of the Year: Scott Kimiecik, Gr., GK, Alfred
Rookie of the Year: Matthew Farrington, Fr., A, Nazareth
Coaching Staff of the Year: Alfred, led by Head Coach Jason Lockner
Empire 8 First Team
Kevin Matson, Jr., A, Alfred
Quinn McKercher, Jr., A, Nazareth
Brady Mason, So., A, St. John Fisher
Timmy Salit, Jr., A, St. John Fisher
Justin Mosher, Sr., M, Alfred
Jack McOsker, Sr., M, Nazareth
Samuel Miller, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Benjamin Cunninghan, Fr., D, Alfred
Nick Cacciola, Jr., D, Hartwick
Brian Jantz, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Jack Cornell, So., LSM, St. John Fisher
Connor Mesh, So., SSD, St. John Fisher
Hunter Cupp, Fr., F/O, Alfred
Logan Grom, Jr., F/O, St. John Fisher
Scott Kimiecik, Gr., GK, Alfred
Empire 8 Second Team
Paul Forte, Sr., A, Alfred
Pete Conley, Sr., A, Hartwick
Matthew Farrington, Fr., A, Nazareth
Nate Kettle, Fr., A, Russell Sage
Matthew Kemmis, Jr., A, St. John Fisher
Garrett Frost, So., M, Hartwick
Shayne Kerrigan, Jr., M, Hartwick
Louis Cogliandro, Fr., M, Nazareth
Ben Chaddock, Sr., D, Nazareth
Joe Urlacher, Jr., D, St. John Fisher
Ethan Brown, Jr., D, Utica
Andrew Schuhwerk, Sr., LSM, Alfred
Max Freeman IV, So., SSD, Alfred
Ben Hammond, Jr., GK, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Third Team
Devon Gerhardt, So., A, Keuka
Greg Bilek, Sr., A, Nazareth
Braeden McKercher, Sr., A, Nazareth
Josh Hauman, Jr., M, Alfred
Brandon MacDonell, Sr., M, Keuka
Jacob Gallina, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
CJ Denson, Sr., D, Hartwick
Reece Wieder, Hr., D, Nazareth
Joe Johnson, So., D, Russell Sage
Robert Hill, Jr., LSM, Keuka
Dugan Doeblin, Jr., SSD, St. John Fisher
Daniel Beltran, Jr., F/O, Hartwick
Eric Almquist, Gr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Dawson Felenchak, Sr., M, Alfred
Evan Johanns, Sr., M, Hartwick
Brandon MacDonell, Sr., A, Keuka
Matt Kennedy, Jr., A, Medaille
Max Popolizio, Sr., A, Nazareth
Drew Rankin, So., D, Russell Sage
Hunter Noteware, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Chase Rorick, Jr., D, 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 and
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