Wrestling | 3/24/2025 9:59:35 AM
SUNY Brockport won three of the four major individual honors, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its inaugural 2024-25 Wrestling awards on Monday, March 24. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Brockport graduate student Nick Franco was named the Empire 8 Wrestler of the Year, while first-year Vandavian Way earned co-Rookie of the Year honors and the Golden Eagles Coaching Staff led by head coach Troy Seymour was named the 2024-25 E8 Coaching Staff of the Year. E8 St. John Fisher University’s Trevor Bishop was also named Co-Rookie of the Year.
Franco, a graduate student from Farmingdale, NY, won 26 matches in 2024-25, with 14 coming via fall and two more by technical fall. He was the lone Empire 8 student-athlete to qualify for the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships after finishing third at 285 lbs. at the NCAA Division III Region II Championships. Franco was the runner-up at both the New York State and SUNYAC Championships. He was a three-time E8 Wrestler of the Week.
Way, a native of Gouverneur, NY, won 13 matches for the Golden Flyers in 2024-25, wrestling at 165 lbs., with seven of those victories coming via fall. Way finished third in his debut at the John Summa Invitational and placed seventh at the NCAA Regional in his weight class to wrap up the season.
Bishop, a native of Brunswick, NY, won 18 matches for the Cardinals this season at 141 lbs., including seven by fall and three more via technical fall. He finished fifth in his weight class at the NCAA Region II Championships and was the E8 Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 3. Bishop won six of his first seven matches to begin the season.
Seymour and his staff were named the 2024-25 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Golden Eagles finished with a 6-1 dual meet record, finished third at the 2025 SUNYAC Wrestling Championship and placed 11th at the NCAA Region II Championships. Seymour led Franco to the NCAA Championship Tournament at 285 lbs.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024-25 Men's Wrestling 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.
2024-25 Empire 8 Men’s Wrestling Award Winners
Wrestler of the Year: Nick Franco, Gr., 285, SUNY Brockport
Co-Rookie of the Year: Trevor Bishop, Fr., 141, St. John Fisher
Co-Rookie of the Year: Vandavian Way, Fr., 157/165, SUNY Brockport
Coaching Staff of the Year: SUNY Brockport, led by head coach Troy Seymour
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Liam Bullock, Gr., 125, SUNY Brockport (Chester, NY/Chester Academy)
Hollis Berry, Sr., 157, Elmira (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia)
Derek Bernardino, Jr., 133, St. John Fisher (Verona, NJ/Verona)
James Post, So., 125, Utica (Ilion, NY/Ilion)
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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