Hartwick Looks for Third Straight Empire 8 Field Hockey Title as 2024 Season Draws Near

Field Hockey | 8/23/2024 9:58:33 AM

Hartwick College will look to earn its third straight Empire 8 Championship, as the 2024 season gets underway on Aug. 30. E8 league play begins on Sept. 20. SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo join the conference in 2024, expanding the Empire 8 field hockey membership to 10 programs.
 
The top six teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place with first round action on Monday, Nov. 4, semifinal contests on Thursday, Nov. 7 and the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 10. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.
 
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the Empire 8 Network.
   
Kirstin Billings, Keuka, Sr., F, Hilton, NY/Hilton – Billings tallied 13 points on six goals and an assist last season. She needs eight goals and 24 points to become the career leader in both categories at Keuka.
 
Ella Buchanan, SUNY Brockport, Sr., GK, Barnevald, NY/ – Buchanan earned All-SUNYAC first team and NFHCA All-Region III second team accolades after finishing 9-7 with a 1.55 goals against average, .827 save percentage and three shutouts in 2023.
 
Jaia Caron, Russell Sage, Jr., GK, Bellows Falls, VT/Bellows Falls Union – Caron returns after earning All-E8 third team honors in 2023. She was second in the league with a .768 save percentage.
 
Katrina Clare, SUNY Geneseo, Sr., F, Barker, NY/Barker – Clare, an All-SUNYAC first team selection. led the Knights with 13 goals and 27 points in 2023. She has 31 goals and 71 points in 53 career games.
 
Lydia Coombs, Nazareth, Sr., M/D, Jamesville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius – Coombs garnered All-Empire 8 second team accolades in 2023 and will be counted on to lead the Golden Flyers on the defensive end in 2024.
 
Caitlin Ehlenfield, Elmira, So., F, East Aurora, NY/Iroquois – Ehlenfield led the Soaring Eagles in scoring in 2023 and will be counted on to lead the way this season.
 
Jace Hunzinger, Houghton, Sr., F, Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy – Hunzinger, the 2021 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, will look to earn All-E8 honors for the fourth straight season in 2024 (first team 2023; second team 2021 and 2022). She led all of Division III with 21 assists last season and is the Empire 8’s all-time leader with 51 career assists. She is five points shy of 100 for her career.
 
Ashley Luppens, Hartwick, Gr., GK, Wading River, NY/Shoreham Wading River – Luppens earned All-Empire 8 second team accolades in 2023. She went 6-1 in league play with a 0.63 goals against average and four shutouts.
 
Mary Kate McPhee, St. John Fisher, So., M, Salem, NY/Salem – McPhee earned All-Empire 8 second team honors in 2023 after scoring 10 goals and 22 points.
 
Mackenzie Mix, Utica, Sr., M, Camden, NY/Camden – Mix, a three-time E8 Player to Watch, garnered All-Empire 8 second team accolades in 2023 after recording first team honors in 2022. A three-sport star, Mix was also the 2022 and 2024 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Track Athlete of the Year as a standout sprinter.
   
St. John Fisher
St. John Fisher won the regular season title and advanced to the 2023 Empire 8 Championship. This season, the Cardinals will look to win their fourth E8 title. The Cardinals will have five former All-Empire 8 selections from back, including seniors Selena Emery, Emma Cooper, Audrey Grieb, Molly Fisher, and sophomore Mary Kate McPhee. Emery, the 2021 E8 Defensive Player of the Year, will look to earn All-E8 honors for the fourth straight year, while Cooper, a two-time All-E8 first team pick, had five goals, 12 assists and 22 points. Grieb lead the team in scoring last year with 11 goals and 32 points, while McPhee added 10 goals. Head Coach Lauren Scorza and her staff, who was the 2023 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year, has eight talented newcomers looking to make an immediate impact.
 
Hartwick
The Hawks will look to make it three straight Empire 8 Championships in 2024. Hartwick returns 19 players from last season’s team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Including the postseason. Hartwick will look to replace a trio of All-E8 stalwarts Julie Ruzzi, Libby Fortin and Emily Strutt but have a strong group of seniors looking to play a larger role in 2024, including midfielders Makenzie Kensel and Ashley Tricario in addition to defenders Kiara Dolan and Sami Shortino. Fifth-year goaltender Ashley Luppens was an All-E8 second team selection in 2023, while up front, Danielle Hand was the 2023 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and an All-E8 second team pick.
 
Houghton
Houghton recorded 11 wins in 2023 and advanced to the Empire 8 Semifinals. The Highlanders have 18 players and 10 starters from last season’s squad returning, including Jace Hunzinger, who is attempting to earn All-E8 honors for the fourth straight season in 2024. She led all of Division III with 21 assists last season and is the Empire 8’s all-time leader with 51 career assists. Fellow seniors Deborah Cross, who like Hunzinger, is looking to garner All-E8 honors for the fourth straight year and Bekah Davie, a two-time All-E8 selection, are back to lead the way for Houghton. Davie enters the season with 45 career goals and 95 points, while Cross had 30 points last season. Sophomore Adria Hartzler had 25 points in her rookie season last year. Head Coach Hannah Ogden has also brought in a well-rounded group of six newcomers who are ready to contribute.
 
Utica
The Pioneers advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament for the fifth straight season in 2023 and return 12 players, including seven starters. Up front, Utica returns graduate student Alyssa Pisano, who led the Pioneers with 30 points on 14 goals and two assists to earn All-E8 first team accolades. She was also a second team pick in 2022. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Mix, an All-Empire 8 second team pick in 2023 and first team selection in 2022, has 52 career points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 55 career games and is a multiple E8 Champion as a sprinter on the track. Defensively, All-Empire 8 first team selection and 2023 E8 Defensive Player of the Year Madison Ranalli returns after leading the country in defensive saves in both 2022 and 2023. Senior goalkeeper Hannah Young will be counted on to be a team leader. Head Coach Nikki Hobiaca has a strong group of newcomers ready to contribute.
 
Russell Sage
The Gators of Russell Sage return 11 players from last season’s team that advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament. Carissa Warren, who helped lead Hartwick to back-to-back league titles as an assistant coach in 2022 and 2023, takes over as head coach at Russell Sage in 2024. Graduate student Alyssa Fitzgerald returns after earning All-Empire 8 first team accolades in 2023. She finished tied for second in the league with 17 goals and was tied for fourth with 36 points. While the Gators will have to replace E8 Co-Player of the Year and NFHCA Second Team All-American Amy Stevens, Warren has a strong group of newcomers. Junior goalkeeper Jaia Caron returns after earning All-E8 third team honors. She was second in the league with a .768 save percentage.
 
Keuka
The Wolves will look to get back to the Empire 8 postseason in 2024. Keuka returns 13 players from 2023, including senior forward Kirstin Billings, senior goalkeeper Jordan Nichols, and juniors Anna Dewey and Tori Nelson. Billings led the Wolves in scoring last season and needs eight goals and 24 points in 2024 to become Keuka’s career leader in both categories. Nichols was second in the E8 with 171 saves last season and third in save percentage. She needs 79 saves to become Keuka’s all-time leader. 
 
Nazareth
Nazareth will look to get back to the postseason in 2024 as first-year head coach Kelsey Devine takes over for the Golden Flyers. Sixteen letterwinners and all 11 starters return for the Golden Flyers in 2024. Junior defender Lydia Coombs after earning All-Empire 8 second team honors in 2023. Classmate Audra Mieczkowski was an All-E8 third team pick at forward, while fellow junior Avery Tanton returns after earned All-Empire 8 third team accolades in 2022.
 
Elmira
The Soaring Eagles will look to make a postseason push in 2024. Sophomore forward Caitlin Ehlenfield, junior defenders Jazmine Knox and Jessica Yesensky, along with sophomore midfielder Madison Fleming will be counted on to lead the Soaring Eagles. Elmira has six highly touted newcomers joining in 2024, with all six poised to crack the starting lineup.
 
SUNY Brockport
The Golden Eagles of SUNY Brockport enter their first season in the Empire 8 in 2024. Last season, Brockport won 11 games and advanced to the SUNYAC Semifinals. Sixteen players and nine starters from last season’s team return, including All-SUNYAC first team selections goalkeeper Ella Buchanan and forward Emmalee Moore, both seniors. Fellow seniors Paige Thowe (All-SUNYAC second team) and Quinn Guy will also lead the way. In addition, the Golden Eagles added a pair of former All-Empire 8 selections in midfielder Sam Choate and forward Rileigh Luste from St. John Fisher.

SUNY Geneseo
SUNY Geneseo makes its Empire 8 debut in 2024 after a long, successful run in the SUNYAC, with three league titles, most recently in 2019. Head coach Margaret McConnell Shaffer enters her seventh season at Geneseo in 2024 and has a 65-28 record. The Knights return 21 players and nine starters from last season’s team that won 11 games and advanced to the SUNYAC Semifinals. Four fifth-year seniors, Katrina Clare, Olivia Hernick, Grace Olczak and Lauren Briody return to lead the way. Clare was an All-SUNYAC first team selection and has 31 career goals. Fellow All-SUNYAC selections Hailey Roethel, Emma Fon, Sam Lewis, and Hernick will also lead the way.
 
Final 2023 Empire 8 Field Hockey Standings
St. John Fisher (11-8, 7-0 E8)
Hartwick (12-6, 6-1 E8) – League Champions
Houghton (11-6, 5-2 E8)
Utica (7-11, 4-3 E8)
Russell Sage (6-10, 3-4 E8)
Keuka (4-12, 2-5 E8)
Nazareth (1-14, 1-6 E8)
Elmira (2-10, 0-7 E8)
 
^ SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo are making its Empire 8 debut in 2024. Brockport and Geneseo competed in the SUNYAC in 2023.
 
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 YouTube.
 
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