Men's Lacrosse | 4/28/2025 3:49:42 PM
Top-seed St. John Fisher University is looking to win its sixth straight league title, as six teams will vie for the 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship. No. 3 SUNY Geneseo hosts No. 6 Alfred University, while No. 4 Hartwick College hosts No. 5 SUNY Brockport in first round action on Tuesday, April 29. St. John Fisher will host the winner of Hartwick and Brockport, while No. 2 seed Nazareth University will host the winner of Geneseo and Alfred in semifinal action on Thursday, May 1, while the two semifinal winners will play in the title game on Saturday, May 3, with all games played at the higher seed. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins with first round games on May 7 and second and third round action, May 10-11.
2025 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Participants
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (9-0 E8, 13-4 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth University (8-1 E8, 12-5 Overall)
No. 3 – SUNY Geneseo (7-2 E8, 10-6 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick College (6-3 E8, 8-6 Overall)
No. 5 – SUNY Brockport (5-4 E8, 8-8 Overall)
No. 6 – Alfred University (4-5 E8, 6-8 Overall)
The 2025 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X (@Empire8).
2025 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 29 – First Round
No. 5 SUNY Brockport at No. 4 Hartwick College –
4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 6 Alfred University at No. 3 SUNY Geneseo – 5 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Thursday, May 1 - Semifinals
Winner of SUNY Geneseo/Alfred at No. 2 Nazareth University –
4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Winner of Hartwick/SUNY Brockport at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 7 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, May 3 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
St. John Fisher enters the 2025 Championship with a perfect 9-0 record in league play, having won 45 straight games (regular season and postseason) against league opponents dating back to the 2019 season. The Cardinals are looking for their sixth straight league title and have out-scored opponents, 199-47 in nine league games. Twelve different players have at least 10 goals this season. Brady Mason leads the Cardinals in scoring with 63 points on 42 goals and 21 assists. He is second among all E8 student-athletes with 31 goals and 45 points in league play. Timmy Salit has 52 points on 17 goals and a league-high 35 assists. Bryce Riffel and Scott Reeves have combined to win 64 percent of their face-offs taken overall and 76 percent in league play. Jack Cornell, the 2024 E8 Defensive Player of the Year and All-American, has a team-high 33 caused turnovers and 68 ground balls on the defensive side. In net, Tyler Manning has won 13 games this season with a league-best .579 save percentage. He has a sensational .682 save percentage and 4.42 goals against average in league play.
No. 2 seed Nazareth is looking for its 12th Empire 8 title in program history and first since 2017. The Golden Flyers are 12-5 overall, 8-1 in E8 play and enter the tournament riding a two-game winning streak. Quinn McKercher, the 2023 E8 Player of the Year, leads Golden Flyers and Empire 8 in scoring with 71 points on 42 goals and 29 assists in 17 games. Matthew Farrington, the 2023 E8 Rookie of the Year, has 53 points on 32 goals and 21 assists. Jakob Denkenberger leads the league with 263 face-off wins and just over 71 percent of his draws taken. He has won 81 percent of his face-offs taken in E8 play. Denkenberger also has a league-high 166 ground balls, while Nicholas Hinck leads the Golden Flyers with 19 caused turnovers. McLean Ralston, the 2024 E8 Goalkeeper of the Year, has played in all 17 games in net with a .509 save percentage.
No. 3 seed SUNY Geneseo enters the league tournament with a 10-6 record, having finished 7-2 in league play. The Knights, who are making their E8 postseason debut, have eight players with at least 10 goals. Jimmy Atkinson leads the team in scoring with 39 goals and 53 points, while Riley Henselder is right behind with 30 goals, a team-high 23 assists and 53 points. Jake Starkey has won 55.5 percent of his draws at the face-off “X” this season to go along with 62 ground balls. Aidan Crane has 57 ground balls to go along with 18 caused turnovers, while Josh Knapp has 17 caused turnovers. Andrew Tittmann has appeared in al 16 games for the Knights between the pipes this season. He leads the E8 with a .691 save percentage in league play.
Hartwick is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fourth straight season and ninth time in program history. The Hawks, who finished 6-3 in league play, are hosting an E8 Tournament game for the first time since 2005, whey they defeated RIT, 9-8 in a semifinal contest to advance to the title game. Colin August leads Hartwick in scoring this season with 40 goals and 44 points, while Garrett Frost has 26 goals and 36 points and Taharihwakoe Lazore leads the team with 23 assists. Liam Downey has team-high totals of 92 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers. Jakob Day has also caused 22 turnovers. Kaiden Johnson has a .535 save percentage in league play this season.
No. 5 SUNY Brockport is in the E8 Tournament in its first season as a league member, having finished 5-4 in league play. Nate Askin leads the team in scoring with 41 points on 25 goals and 16 assists, while Carson Colucci has a team-high 28 goals. Tim Hubbard leads the team defensively with 20 caused turnovers, while AJ Thomas has 15. In goal, Jack Acker has made 210 saves, second most in the league and is also second with a .575 save percentage. He has set Brockport’s single-season record for saves.
Alfred is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fourth straight season and fifth time in program history. The Saxons enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed with a 6-8 overall record. Cole Loewke leads the Saxons in scoring with 34 goals and 46 points, while Kevin Matson is right behind with 33 goals and 43 points and Mike Halsey has a team-high 24 assists. Face-off specialist Hunter Cupp leads the league with a .724 winning percentage at the faceoff “X” the “X” and has a team-high 109 ground balls. Benjamin Cunningham leads the Saxons with 23 caused turnovers. Quinn Sullivan has a .523 save percentage in net this season.
First round opponents SUNY Geneseo and Alfred met on April 23, with the Knights earning a 15-5 win on the road. Hartwick and Brockport played in Brockport on March 29, with Hartwick pulling out an 11-9 road victory. Looking ahead to semifinal action, top-seed St. John Fisher defeated potential opponents Hartwick, 28-4 on April 26 and Brockport by a 25-4 score on April 16. Nazareth hung on for a 10-9 win over potential semifinal opponent SUNY Geneseo on April 12 and earned a 19-8 victory over possible semifinal opponent Alfred on April 16.
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
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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