Men's Volleyball | 4/11/2024 1:58:07 PM
Nazareth University and St. John Fisher University seniors Owen Wickens and Jake Baker shared Empire 8 Player of the Year honors for the second time in three seasons, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2024 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference awards on Thursday, April 11. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Wickens, who was previously the 2023 Empire 8 Player of the Year, 2022 Empire 8 Co-Player of the Year and 2021 Rookie of the Year, is enjoying another tremendous season in 2024, averaging 3.66 kills and 4.87 points per set. He leads all of Division III with 0.97 service aces per set. Wickens also has 119 digs, 73 assists and 32 blocks. He was a three-time Empire 8 Player of the Week in 2024.
Baker, who earned Empire 8 Co-Player of the Year honors with Wickens in 2022, has led the Cardinals to a 25-5 record and No. 10 ranking in the NVA/AVCA Division III national poll in 2024. He leads the Cardinals with 266 kills to go along with 119 digs and 37 blocks and was the Empire 8 Player of the Week on Feb. 26.
Trace La Robardiere of St. John Fisher earned his first E8 Libero/Defensive Player of the Year honor. La Robardiere, a junior leads all E8 student-athletes with 245 digs and is second with 2.51 digs per set. He has recorded at least 10 digs in a match 12 times in 2024, including a season-high 17 on two occasions.
St. John Fisher’s Sonepith Keoviengsamay and Dylan Fox of Russell Sage College shared 2024 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors. Keoviengsamay is hitting .297 on the season with 56 kills and 37 digs, while Fox led the Gators with 274 kills, 160 digs and 52 blocks during the season.
The St. John Fisher coaching staff, led by head coach Matt Cohen, was named the 2024 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Cardinals are currently ranked 10th nationally with a 25-5 overall record and claimed the E8 title with a 4-0 mark in league play. St. John Fisher will look to earn its third straight NCAA Tournament berth. Overall, the Cardinals have won nine matches over nationally-ranked opponents in 2024.
Baker is one of three Cardinals to earn Empire 8 first team selections, along with junior setter Gavin Newman and junior middle blocker Ian Rauh. Wickens garnered All-Empire 8 first team accolades for the fourth time in his illustrious career, while teammate Josh Weaver was also a first team selection. Elmira junior middle blocker Edwin Sosa rounded out the E8 first team selections.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 Men's Volleyball 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.
2024 Empire 8 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Selections
Co-Player of the Year: Jake Baker, Sr., OH, St. John Fisher
Co-Player of the Year: Owen Wickens, Sr., OH/L, Nazareth
Libero/Defensive Player of the Year: Trace La Robardiere, Jr., L/DS, St. John Fisher
Co-Rookie of the Year: Dylan Fox, Fr., OH, Russell Sage
Co-Rookie of the Year: Sonepith Keoviengsamay, Fr., OH, St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by Head Coach Matt Cohen
Empire 8 First Team
Edwin Sosa, Jr., MB, Elmira (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Centro de Excelencia Profesional)
Josh Weaver, Jr., S/RS, Nazareth (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa)
Owen Wickens, Sr., OH/L, Nazareth (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit)
Jake Baker, Sr., OH, St. John Fisher (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Gavin Newman, Jr., S, St. John Fisher (Commack, NY/Commack)
Ian Rauh, Jr., MB, St. John Fisher (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park)
Empire 8 Second Team
Max Cohen, Jr., S, Elmira (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa)
Alex Vega, So., L/DS, Elmira (San Cristobal, Dominican Republic/Liceo Antonio Garabito)
Andrew Bodensteiner, Jr., MB, Nazareth (Rochester, NY/Spencerport)
Dylan Fox, Fr., OH, Russell Sage (Albany, NY/Colonie Central)
Jarod Martel, Gr., OH, Russell Sage (Albany, NY/Colonie Central)
Gabe La Robardiere, So., OH, St. John Fisher (North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse)
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Cache Littrell, Fr., RS/DS, Elmira (Uintah, UT/Bonneville)
Devin Tullar, Sr., MB/RS, Houghton (Rushford, NY/Cuba-Rushford)
Anthony Caimano, Jr., MB, Nazareth (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool)
Connor Murphy, So., S, Russell Sage (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury)
Evan Ingerick, Jr., S, St. John Fisher (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
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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