Women's Lacrosse | 5/8/2023 9:44:24 AM
Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher University earned four of the five major awards, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference awards on Monday, May 8. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Nazareth College senior Emma States was named the 2023 E8 Offensive Player of the Year. From there, the nationally-ranked Cardinals of St. John Fisher swept the individual honors, as junior Shannon Foster was named Defensive Player of the Year. Her defensive partner Maddie Lowney was named Rookie of the Year, while senior Lilly Goodsell was named Goalkeeper of the Year. The St. John Fisher coach staff, led by head coach Linda Michele was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
States enjoyed another tremendous season for the Golden Flyers, appearing in all 18 games for the Golden Flyers in 2023, finishing with 73 points on 53 goals and 20 assists. It is her second consecutive 50-goal season. She also added 27 draw controls, 23 ground balls and a team-best 18 caused turnovers. In four seasons, States has 216 career points on 160 goals and 56 assists. States is Nazareth’s fourth Offensive Player of the Year in program history.
Foster, who was previously the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, is the leader of a St. John Fisher defense that is currently second in all of Division III, allowing just 5.39 goals per game. She has scooped up 42 ground balls and leads the Cardinals with 23 caused turnovers. Foster is the second Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year from St. John Fisher since the award was implemented in 2019.
Goodsell is enjoying an excellent senior season for the Cardinals, having played in all 18 games heading into the NCAA Tournament. She is 16-2 and leads the nation with a sensational 5.39 goals against average. Goodsell has allowed five goals or less in a game 10 times this season. She is the first Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year from St. John Fisher.
Lowney has enjoyed an excellent debut season for the Cardinals with 47 ground balls, 32 draw controls and 18 caused turnovers. She is a key component of the St. John Fisher defensive unit that allowed just 24 goals in seven Empire 8 regular season contests. Lowney is the seventh Cardinals to earn E8 Rookie of the Year honors.
Michele and her staff of assistant coaches Logan Chase and Mark Michele led the Cardinals to a 7-0 record in regular season league play and their 11th straight Empire 8 title in 2023. It is the third straight season that Michele and her staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors and Fisher’s fourth overall honor. Under Michele’s tutelage, the Cardinals have now won 46 consecutive games against Empire 8 opponents dating back to 2018. St. John Fisher is 16-2 overall this entering NCAA Tournament play.
Five different teams had student-athletes earn first team accolades. St. John Fisher led the way with five selections on the first team and had a league-best 11 all-conference selections in total.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Sportswoman 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 sportswomen.
2023 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Emma States, Sr., A, Nazareth
Defensive Player of the Year: Shannon Foster, Jr., D, St. John Fisher
Goalkeeper of the Year: Lilly Goodsell, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Maddie Lowney, Fr., D, St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by Head Coach Linda Michele
Empire 8 First Team
Emma States, Sr., A, Nazareth
Hanna Kumpf, So., A, St. John Fisher
Samantha DeCondo, Sr., A, Utica
Kristen Vaccarelli, So., M, Hartwick
Cameron Briggs, So., M, Medaille
Sydney Carpenter, So., M, St. John Fisher
Grace Stuhlman, So., M, Utica
Maggie Gannon, Jr., D, Nazareth
Shannon Foster, Jr., D, St. John Fisher
Maddie Lowney, Fr., D, St. John Fisher
Aana Blaszka, Jr., D, Utica
Lilly Goodsell, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team
Amelia Booth, So., A, Alfred
Katrina Marten, So., A, Hartwick
Courtney O’Dea, Sr., A, St. John Fisher
Claudia Pollaro, Jr., M, Hartwick
Katelynn Deveans, So., M, Medaille
Annie Rubel, Sr., M, Nazareth
Mykenzie Black, So., M, St. John Fisher
Teresa DiNanno, So., D, Hartwick
Gabi Accurso, So., D, Medaille
Ella Stewart, So., D, St. John Fisher
Lauren Swartz, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Breese Burlingame, Fr., GK, Utica
Empire 8 Third Team
Sara Geiser, Jr., A, Medaille
Grace Hines, Jr., A, Russell Sage
Mary Fiorentino, So., A, St. John Fisher
Emily Madigan, So., M, Hartwick
Madeline Greene, Sr., M, Keuka
Reva Mussi, Sr., M, Nazareth
Ashley Hearn, Jr., M, Russell Sage
Kaley Griffin, Fr., M, St. John Fisher
Brianna Liebro, So., D, Hartwick
Angelina Schaefer, So., D, Russell Sage
Mara Cunningham, Jr., D, Utica
Maddi Morrison, Fr., GK, Hartwick
Allie Klestinec, Fr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Ceci Sherwood, Jr., M/D, Alfred
Ellie Masterpole, Sr., M, Hartwick
Madeline Greene, Sr., M, Keuka
Erin Hardick, Sr., M. Medaille
Maren Wallace, Sr., A, Nazareth
Ashley Hearn, Jr., M, Russell Sage
Tara Osterdale, Sr., A, John Fisher
Devin Ryan, Jr., M, 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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