Women's Lacrosse | 5/4/2025 8:54:16 PM
Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher University earned five major individual awards, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2025 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference awards on Monday, May 5. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
St. John Fisher University senior Sydney Carpenter earned her third major honor in four seasons, as she was named was named the 2025 E8 Midfielder of the Year, while classmate Hanna Kumpf earned Offensive Player of the Year, and junior Maddie Lowney was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. The St. John Fisher coach staff, led by head coach Linda Michele was named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Kaylee Gadol of St. John Fisher and Allie Klestinec of Nazareth University shared Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year honors, while SUNY Brockport attack Karaline McCarthy was named Rookie of the Year.
Carpenter, who was previously the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2024 and Rookie of the Year in 2022, is in the midst of another tremendous season for the Cardinals, appearing in 15 games for the E8 Champions in 2024, recording 74 points on 38 goals and 36 assists to go along with 77 draw controls, 33 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. She enters the NCAA Tournament with 300 career points on 174 goals and 126 assists and is the Empire 8 all-time leader with 503 draw controls.
Kumpf enters the NCAA Tournament with 59 points on 42 goals and 17 assists in 18 games to go along with 48 draw controls. She had 18 goals and 25 points in nine E8 conference games. She has scored at least 38 goals in all three seasons she has played at Fisher and has 120 goals and 165 points in 54 career games.
Lowney, who was previously the 2023 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, has enjoyed a tremendous junior season for the Cardinals with 48 ground balls, 63 draw controls and 38 caused turnovers. She is a key component of the St. John Fisher defensive unit that allowed just 29 goals in nine Empire 8 regular season contests. Lowney is the third Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year from St. John Fisher since the award was implemented in 2019.
Gadol has recorded a 4.92 goals against average and a .483 save percentage, while winning 16 games in net for the Cardinals. Klestinec went 11-8 between the pipes with a .469 save percentage and 174 saves. She was 7-3 in league play with 70 saves.
McCarthy appeared in all 18 games for the Golden Eagles this season, finishing with recorded 65 points on 34 goals and 31 assists to go along with 93 draw controls. She had 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) and 49 draw controls in nine league games. McCarthy recorded at least four points in a game 10 times in 2025.
Michele and her staff of assistant coaches Mark Michele, Alexis Bower land Courtney O’Dea led the Cardinals to a 9-0 record in regular season league play and their 13th straight Empire 8 title in 2025. It is the fifth straight season that Michele and her staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors and Fisher’s sixth overall honor. Under Michele’s tutelage, the Cardinals have now won 65 consecutive games against Empire 8 opponents dating back to 2018. St. John Fisher is 18-0 overall this season entering NCAA Tournament play, ranked seventh in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse National Percentage Index (NPI).
Six different teams had student-athletes earn first team accolades. St. John Fisher led the way with six selections on the first team and a league-best 10 all-conference selections in total. Eight of the 12 E8 first team members were repeat selections. Carpenter and Kristen Vaccarelli of Hartwick, who broke the Empire 8 career record with 228 goals, both garnered their fourth All-E8 first team honor. Lowney, Kumpf, and Grace Stuhlman of Utica University earned All-E8 first team accolades for the third straight season.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse 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.
2025 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Hanna Kumpf, Sr., A, St. John Fisher
Midfielder of the Year: Sydney Carpenter, Sr., M, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Maddie Lowney, Jr., D, St. John Fisher
Co-Goalkeeper of the Year: Kaylee Gadol, So., GK, St. John Fisher
Co-Goalkeeper of the Year: Allie Klestinec, Sr., GK, Nazareth
Rookie of the Year: Karaline McCarthy, Fr., A, SUNY Brockport
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by Head Coach Linda Michele
Empire 8 First Team
Karaline McCarthy, Fr., A, SUNY Brockport (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville)
Maddie Brown, Gr., A, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta)
Sophia Scialdone, Sr., A, Nazareth (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee)
Emma Biel, Sr., A, St. John Fisher (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa)
Hanna Kumpf, Sr., A, St. John Fisher (Victor, NY/Victor)
Grace Stuhlman, Jr., A, Utica (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro)
Alayna Foos, Sr., M, SUNY Brockport (Auburn, NY/Auburn)
Kristen Vaccarelli, Sr., M, Hartwick (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West)
Sydney Carpenter, Sr., M, St. John Fisher (Rochester, NY/Hilton)
Christine Ross, So., D, SUNY Brockport (Waterloo, NY/Waterloo)
Grace Geary, So, D, SUNY Geneseo (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool)
Sarah Ginnane, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Buffalo, NY/Mt. St. Mary)
Brianna Liebro, Jr., D, Hartwick (Castleton, NY/Columbia)
Maddie Lowney, Jr., D, St. John Fisher (Baldwin, MD/McDonogh)
Ella Stewart, Sr., D, St. John Fisher (Selkirk, NY/Bethlehem)
Kaylee Gadol, So., GK, St. John Fisher (Otisville, NY/Minisink Valley)
Allie Klestinec, Jr., GK, Nazareth (Geneva, NY/Geneva)
Empire 8 Second Team
Amelia Booth, Sr., A, Alfred (Staatsburg, NY/FDR)
Natalie Long, So., A, SUNY Geneseo (Auburn, NY/Auburn)
Rosemary Mahoney, Fr., A, SUNY Geneseo (Syracuse, NY/Westhill)
Kara Anderson, Sr., A, Hartwick (Collingwood, Ontario/Lorne Park Secondary)
Katrina Marten, Sr., A, Hartwick (Middlesex, NY/Marcus Whitman)
Mary Fiorentino, Sr., A, St. John Fisher (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)
Sophie Lyko, Sr., M, SUNY Geneseo (Macedon, NY/Palmyra Macedon)
Katherine McPeak, Sr., M, Nazareth (Syracuse, NY/Westhill)
Maria Stuhlman, So., M, Utica (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro)
Kaley Griffin, Jr., M, St. John Fisher (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy)
Violet Piccinini., So., D, SUNY Geneseo (Bethlehem, NY/Bethlehem)
Elizabeth Smith, Sr., D, Nazareth (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima)
Paige Miller, Jr., D, St. John Fisher (Altamont, NY/Guilderland)
Empire 8 Third Team
Hailey Lewkovich, Sr., A, SUNY Brockport (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River)
Alaina Reina, Sr., A, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili)
Liddie Hoare, Gr., A, Nazareth (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima)
Makenna Misiurewicz, Jr., A, Nazareth (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia)
Sarah Kilburn, Sr., M, SUNY Brockport (Watertown, NY/Watertown)
Katie Rajkowski, So., M, SUNY Geneseo (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia)
Brooke Bonetti, Sr., M, Keuka (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy)
Journey Naab, Jr., D, SUNY Brockport (Buffalo, NY/Clarence)
Katie Deatherage, Jr., D, Keuka (Canandaigua, NY/Marcus Whitman)
Marisa Rosati, Jr., D, Nazareth (Syracuse, NY/Westhill)
Kayla Schatz, Jr., D, St. John Fisher (Westminster, MD/Notre Dame Preparatory)
Arianna Reed, So., GK, SUNY Brockport (LaFayette, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa)
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Cassidy Primrose, So., D, Alfred (Baldwinsville, NY/CW Baker)
Brookelyn Vicaretti, Fr., A, SUNY Brockport (Hamburg, NY/Frontier)
Lila Warner, So., M, SUNY Geneseo (Victor, NY/Victor)
Hanna Goodreau, Sr., A, Hartwick (North Reading, MA/Bishop Frenwick)
Brooke Bonetti, Sr., M, Keuka (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy)
Grace Seither, Sr., M, Nazareth (Palmyra, NY/Palmyra-Macedon)
Katelynn Truax, Jr., M, SUNY Poly (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)
Maddison Walter, Sr., A, Russell Sage (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls)
Mary Fiorentino, Sr., A, John Fisher (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)
Alexis Alteri, Sr., M, Utica (Clinton, NY/Clinton)
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
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