Field Hockey | 11/13/2024 9:58:32 AM
Empire 8 Champion SUNY Geneseo swept Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2024 Field Hockey All-Conference awards on Wednesday, November 13. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
SUNY Geneseo senior Katrina Clare was named Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, while her teammate, senior defender Hailey Roethel was named Defensive Player of the Year. SUNY Brockport senior Ella Buchanan was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while Nazareth University forward Michaela Cushman earned Rookie of the Year honors. Margaret McConnell and her staff from SUNY Geneseo was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Clare leads the league in scoring with 38 points on 16 goals and six assists in 20 games played this season. She excelled in league play, tallying 26 points on 11 goals and four assists in nine games vs. E8 foes. Clare enters the NCAA Tournament having recorded at least one point in 13 games, with five different two-goal outbursts. Clare excelled during a six-game stretch from Sept. 18 to Oct. 5, recording 22 points.
Roethel has enjoyed an excellent season for the Knights in 2024, leading a stout Geneseo defense that allowed just three goals in 12 games against Empire 8 opponents during the regular season and postseason. The Knights enter the NCAA Tournament having allowed just 16 total goals in 20 contests overall this season. Roethel is also a tremendous weapon on penalty corners for Geneseo, as she has 15 points on five goals and five assists.
Buchanan led the Empire 8 with an .832 save percentage and was second in the league with a 1.47 goals against average and six shutouts this season, while finishing 12-5. She was 6-2 in league play with a 1.45 goals against average and an .844 save percentage to go along with three shutouts in nine E8 contests. Buchanan made at least 10 saves in a game six times, including two 19-save efforts. On Sept. 4, Buchanan was named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III Defensive Player of the Week.
Cushman enjoyed an excellent rookie season for Nazareth, tallying 32 points on 12 goals and six assists. Her 32 points were tied for third in the Empire 8 this season, while she was second in points per game (1.88). Cushman has 21 points on 10 goals and an assist in nine E8 regular season contests. She tallied a point in 13 different contests and scored two goals in a game three times this season. Cushman is Nazareth’s first E8 Rookie of the Year.
McConnell and assistant coaches Gianna Palma, Laura Ramsey, Meg Reitz, and Julia Kim led the Knights to a 9-0 league mark in 2024, earning the Empire 8 Championship in Geneseo’s first season as a league member. Geneseo out-scored opponents, 48-3 in nine league games this season and 79-16 overall in 20 contests entering the NCAA Tournament. The Knights have been a mainstay in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association top-20 throughout the season.
SUNY Geneseo led all institutions with four first team selections, while SUNY Brockport had three first team picks. The Knights had eight All-Conference selections overall to lead the league. St. John Fisher University standout Emma Cooper earned All-E8 first team accolades for the second straight season.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 Empire 8 Field Hockey 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 Field Hockey All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Katrina Clare, Sr., F, SUNY Geneseo
Defensive Player of the Year: Hailey Roethel, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ella Buchanan, Sr., GK, SUNY Brockport
Rookie of the Year: Michaela Cushman, Fr., F, Nazareth
Coaching Staff of the Year: SUNY Geneseo, led by Head Coach Margaret McConnell
Empire 8 First Team
Katrina Clare, Sr., F, SUNY Geneseo (Barker, NY/Barker)
Ella Greico, So., F, SUNY Geneseo (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)
Kelsey Zehr, Sr., M, SUNY Brockport (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury)
Paige Thowe, Sr., M, SUNY Brockport (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Sam Lewis, Jr., M, SUNY Geneseo (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester)
Hope Angioletti, So., M, Hartwick (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay)
Ashley Tricarico, Sr., M, Hartwick (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay)
Audra Mieczkowski, Jr., M, Nazareth (Vestal, NY/Vestal)
Emma Cooper, Sr., M, St. John Fisher (Eden, NY/Eden)
Audrey Grieb, Sr., M, St. John Fisher (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas)
Mackenzie Mix, Sr., M, Utica (Camden, NY/Camden)
Hailey Roethel, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Northport, NY/Northport)
Ella Buchanan, Sr., GK, SUNY Brockport (Barnevald, NY/Holland Patent)
Empire 8 Second Team
Danielle Hand, So., F, Hartwick (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury)
Jace Hunzinger, Sr., F, Houghton (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy)
Michaela Cushman, Fr., F, Nazareth (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent)
Alyssa Pisano, Gr., F, Utica (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington)
Samantha Choate, Gr., M, SUNY Brockport (Gasport, NY/Royalton Hartland)
Deborah Cross, Sr., M, Houghton (Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe/Gateway)
Lydia Coombs, Sr., M, Nazareth (Jamesville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius)
Emmalee Moore, Sr., D, SUNY Brockport (Macedon, NY/Penfield)
Mary Young, Sr., D, SUNY Brockport (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker)
Olivia Hernick, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Pittsford Mendon)
Kiara Dolan, Sr., D, Hartwick (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia)
Alison Taplin, Fr., D, St. John Fisher (London, United Kingdom/Kingsdale Foundation School)
Morgan Russo, So., GK, Nazareth (Illion, NY/Central Valley Academy)
Empire 8 Third Team
Allison Greene, Fr., F, SUNY Brockport (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown)
Ava Harman, Fr., F, SUNY Geneseo (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley)
Adria Hartzler, So., F, Houghton (Belleville, PA/Miffin County)
Kirstin Billings, Sr., F, Keuka (Hilton, NY/Hilton)
Molly Fisher, Sr., F, St. John Fisher (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas)
Sara O’Donnell, So., M, SUNY Geneseo (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster)
Jessica Betts, Sr., M, Hartwick (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls)
Isabel Porterfield, Fr., M, Nazareth (Rochester, NY/Coudersport (PA))
Alexa Wentz, Gr., M, Russell Sage (Whitney Point, NY/Whitney Point)
Cheyanne Zobel, So., M, Russell Sage (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa)
Shannon Cunningham, Jr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Poughquag, NY/Arlington)
Katelyn Klotz, So., D, Hartwick (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls)
Jordan Nichols, Sr., G, Keuka (Deposit, NY/Afton)
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Kelsey Zehr, Sr., M, SUNY Brockport (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury)
Madison Fleming, So., M, Elmira (Harpursville, NY/Harpursville)
Meg Pappalardo, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Brighton)
Katelyn Sanzone, Sr., D, Hartwick (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius)
Sara Carter, Sr., D/M, Houghton (Matthews, NC/Covenant Day)
Kirstin Billings, Sr., F, Keuka (Hilton, NY/Hilton)
Avery Tanton, Jr., D, Nazareth (Vestal, NY/Vestal)
Shauna Lanoue, Sr., D, Russell Sage (Troy, NY/Columbia)
Caitlyn Mahoney, So., D, St. John Fisher (Westford, MA/Westford)
Dakota Alexander, Jr., D, Utica (Medina, NY/Medina)
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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