Women's Tennis | 10/29/2024 10:56:21 AM
Hartwick College first-year standout Alexandra Krasinska was named Empire 8 Player of the Year and shared Doubles Team of the Year honors with teammate Phoebe Olson, as the league announced its 2024 Women’s Tennis All-Conference awards on Tuesday, October 29. Hartwick head coach Samantha Butcher was named Coach of the Year, while Marian Aguirre of Russell Sage College earned Rookie of the Year honors. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Krasinska helped lead Hartwick to its third straight Empire 8 regular season title and second league championship in the last three seasons. Playing at first singles, Krasinska, an All-E8 first team selection, finished 7-0 in league play and also recorded a 12-1 mark in doubles action overall.
Krasinska and Olson, named the inaugural E8 Doubles Team of the Year, finished 6-0 in league play and 9-0 overall at first doubles while also garnering All-E8 first team honors. Krasinska joins Olson, the 2023 Empire 8 Player of the Year, as all-time Empire 8 Players of the Year from Hartwick. Olson was previously named the 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year.
Aguirre enjoyed a tremendous debut for Russell Sage, leading her team to its first E8 Tournament win in program history and a berth in the league semifinals. Playing at first singles, Aguirre was 7-0 in E8 play and 12-0 overall, while earning All-E8 first team accolades. She was also part of Russell Sage’s second doubles team with Olivia Monaco, finishing 6-2 in league play and 13-2 overall to pick up All-E8 second team honors. Aguirre is the second Russell Sage student-athlete to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Maddie Cherry, who was honored in 2021.
Butcher was named 2024 Empire 8 Coach of the Year after leading Hartwick to its second Empire 8 Championship in the last three seasons. The Hawks went 12-1 overall in 2024, including a 8-0 mark in league play, before defeating Russell Sage and SUNY Geneseo in the Empire 8 Tournament to claim the title and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place in May, 2025. Six of her student-athletes earned All-Empire 8 accolades in 2024. It is Butcher’s second E8 Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year award.
For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, please see below. Empire 8 Champion Hartwick and Russell Sage led the way with three student-athletes who earned first team accolades, while a pair of SUNY Geneseo and Nazareth University standouts were honored. Olson garnered her third straight first team accolade in doubles. Nazareth’s doubles team of Catherine Zak and Kenna Ellis earned first team accolades for the second straight year. Krasinska and Russell Sage junior Tirzah Spivey were the lone two E8 student-athletes to earn All-E8 first team accolades in both singles and doubles. Freshman Samantha Lantzy of Hartwick and the SUNY Geneseo duo of Natalie Pipes and Samantha Rava garnered first team singles honors. Russell Sage graduate student Emma Nuzzi partnered with Spivey to garner first team doubles accolades.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 Women's Tennis 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.
2024 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Alexandra Krasinska, Fr., Hartwick
Doubles Team of the Year: Alexandra Krasinska, Fr./Phoebe Olson, Jr., Hartwick
Rookie of the Year: Marian Aguirre, Fr., Russell Sage
Coach of the Year: Samantha Butcher, Hartwick
Empire 8 First Team – Singles
Natalie Pipes, So., SUNY Geneseo (Victor, NY/Victor)
Samantha Rava, So., SUNY Geneseo (Fairport, NY/Fairport)
Alexandra Krasinska, Fr., Hartwick (Pine Island, NY/Warwick Valley)
Samantha Lantzy, Fr., Hartwick (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane)
Marian Aguirre, Fr., Russell Sage (Plano, TX/Plano)
Tirzah Spivey, Jr., Russell Sage (Clifton Park, NY/Schenectady)
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles
Alexandra Krasinska, Fr./Phoebe Olson, Jr., Hartwick
Catherine Zak, Jr./Kenna Ellis, So., Nazareth
Emma Nuzzi, Gr. (Glenville, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)/Tirzah Spivey, Jr., Russell Sage
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles
Rachel Molloy, Fr., SUNY Geneseo (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia)
Gianna Leggieri, So., Hartwick (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)/
Phoebe Olson, Jr., Hartwick (Jamestown, ND/Jamestown)
Kenna Ellis, So., Nazareth (Auburn, NY/Skaneateles)
Catherine Zak, Jr., Nazareth (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury)
Lily Miller, So., St. John Fisher (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles)
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles
Ryann Ashby, Sr./Gianna Leggieri, So., Hartwick
Lily Vanuga, Jr./Samantha Lantzy, Fr., Hartwick
Marian Aguirre, Fr./Olivia Monaco, Fr. (Campbell Hall, NY/Washingtonville), Russell Sage
Empire 8 Third Team – Singles
Joann Catalano, Fr., SUNY Geneseo (Williamson, NY/Williamson)
Ryann Ashby, Sr., Hartwick (Malta, NY/Ballston Spa)
Lily Vanuga, Jr., Hartwick (Springville, NY/Springville-Griffith Institute)
Victoria Cioni, So., Nazareth (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)
Ali Klee, Gr., Nazareth (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads)
Sarah Stone, Sr., Nazareth (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester)
Empire 8 Third Team – Doubles
Alyssa Seegert, So. (Oroville, CA/Las Plumas)/Becca Epping, Fr. (Mitchell, IN/Bedford North Lawrence), Alfred
Natalie Pipes, So./Samantha Rava, So., SUNY Geneseo
Victoria Cioni, So./Anna Spencer, So. (Bridgeport, NY/Chttenango), Nazareth
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Sarah Bradford, Gr., Alfred (Beaverton, OR/Beaverton)
Lena Paolicelli, Sr., SUNY Brockport (Holbrook, NY/Sachem East)
Samantha Rava, So., SUNY Geneseo (Fairport, NY/Fairport)
Gianna Leggieri, So., Hartwick (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Alexandria Leary, Gr., Houghton (Windsor, VT/Homeschool)
Catherine Zak, Jr., Nazareth (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury)
Juliana Gagliardi, Jr., Russell Sage (Schenectady, NY/Valley Tech)
Abby Garvey, Jr., St. John Fisher (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy)
Callie Ott, Sr., Utica (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy)
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 YouTube
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