Women's Tennis | 10/27/2026 11:00:00 AM
Hartwick College senior
Samantha Lantzy was named Empire 8 Player of the Year, while the SUNY Geneseo duo of
Rachel Molloy and
Samantha Rava earned Doubles Team of the Year honors, as the league announced its 2026 Women’s Tennis All-Conference awards on Tuesday, October 27. The SUNY Geneseo coaching staff, led by head coach
Alan Heverly was named Coaching Staff of the Year, while
Lily Brady of Nazareth University earned Rookie of the Year honors. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Lantzy went undefeated in league play for Hartwick, finishing 8-0 overall, while helping lead the Hawks to a 6-2 mark in Empire 8 regular season play. Playing at first singles, Lantzy, an All-E8 first team selection for the third straight season, was the only student-athlete to take a point of league champion SUNY Geneseo throughout the entire season.
Molloy and Rava, named the E8 Doubles Team of the Year, finished 8-0 in league play and 13-0 overall at second doubles while also garnering All-E8 first team honors for the second straight season. The duo also earned All-Empire 8 first team honors individually in singles play.
Brady enjoyed a tremendous debut for Nazareth, leading her team to an E8 Tournament and berth in the league semifinals. Playing at first singles, Brady finished 7-4 overall and teamed with Anna Spencer to go 6-2 in E8 play at first doubles. Brady earned All-Empire 8 second team honors in singles and first team doubles accolades.
Heverley and assistant coach Riley Damerell was named 2026 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year after leading Geneseo to its first Empire 8 Championship. The Knights dominated throughtout the season, finishing 13-0 overall during the 2026 fall season, including a 8-0 mark in league play, before defeating Nazareth University and Alfred University in the Empire 8 Tournament to claim the title and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship, which takes place in May, 2027. Six SUNY Geneseo student-athletes earned All-Empire 8 accolades in 2026, including four first teams singles and a pair of first team doubles spots. The Knights dropped just one game in 10 total matches against Empire 8 foes, regular season and postseason in 2026.
For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, please see below. Empire 8 Champion SUNY Geneseo led the way with four student-athletes who earned first team accolades, while Lantzy, Brady and Spencer in addition to Adriana Colafranceschi of St. John Fisher were honored. Lantzy, Rava and Natalie Pipes of Geneseo garnered All-E8 first team honor in singles for the third straight season. Pipes and teammate JoAnn Catalano earned All-E8 first team doubles accolades for the second straight year.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2026 Women's Tennis Tomorrow’s Leaders Team. This team honors a student-athlete who has emerged as a leader not only on the field of play, but in the classroom and in the community. In addition, they “compete with honor and integrity” and have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2026 Empire 8 Women’s Tennis All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Samantha Lantzy, Sr., Hartwick
Doubles Team of the Year: Rachel Malloy, Sr./Samantha Rava, Sr., SUNY Geneseo
Rookie of the Year: Lily Brady, Fr., Nazareth
Coaching Staff of the Year: SUNY Geneseo, led by head coach Alan Heverly
Empire 8 First Team – Singles
JoAnn Catalano, Sr., SUNY Geneseo (Williamson, NY/Williamson)
Natalie Pipes, Sr., SUNY Geneseo (Victor, NY/Victor)
Samantha Rava, Sr., SUNY Geneseo (Fairport, NY/Fairport)
Rachel Molloy, Sr., SUNY Geneseo (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia)
Samantha Lantzy, Sr., Hartwick (Valatie, NY/Ichabod Crane)
Adriana Colafranceschi, So., St. John Fisher (Clarence Center, NY/Clarence)
Empire 8 First Team – Doubles
Natalie Pipes, Sr./JoAnn Catalano, Sr., SUNY Geneseo
Rachel Molloy, Sr./Samantha Rava, Sr., SUNY Geneseo
Anna Spencer, Sr./Lily Brady, Fr., Nazareth
Empire 8 Second Team – Singles
Gianna Masker, So., SUNY Brockport (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island)
Katie Tabor, So., SUNY Brockport (Scottsville, NY/Wheatland-Chili)
Lauren Levatino, So., SUNY Geneseo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro)
Talia Wutz, Jr., SUNY Geneseo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central)
Sage Brinckerhoff, So., Houghton (Savona, NY/Campbell-Savona)
Lily Brady, Fr., Nazareth (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley)
Isabella Busch, Sr., St. John Fisher (Elmira, NY/Elmira Notre Dame)
Empire 8 Second Team – Doubles
Mackenzie King, Fr./Samantha Basovsky, Fr., SUNY Brockport
Lauren Levatino, So./Talia Wutz, Sr., SUNY Geneseo
Paige Masrouri, Sr./Lia Ferro, Fr., Nazareth
Isabella Busch, Sr./Adriana Colafranceschi, So., St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Third Team – Singles
Becca Epping, Jr., Alfred (Mitchell, IN/Bedford North Lawrence)
Elise Beauharnois, So., Hartwick (Peru, NY/Peru)
Victoria Cioni, Sr., Nazareth (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford)
Paige Masrouri, Sr., Nazareth (Mexico, NY/Mexico)
Anna Spencer, Gr., Nazareth (Bridgeport, NY/Chittenango)
Lily Miller, Jr., St. John Fisher (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles)
Empire 8 Third Team – Doubles
Alyssa Seegert, Sr./Becca Epping, Jr., Alfred
Victoria Martinez, Jr./Abigail Lloyd, Sr., Houghton
Empire 8 Tomorrow’s Leaders Team
Allison Windisch, Sr., Alfred (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland)
Cara Vasile, Jr., SUNY Brockport (Auburn, NY/Auburn)
Samantha Rava, Sr., SUNY Geneseo (Fairport, NY/Fairport)
Autumn Millington, Sr., Hartwick (Rome, NY/Westmoreland)
Prashansa Chakrapani, Sr., Houghton (New Delhi, India)
Anna Spencer, Gr., Nazareth (Bridgeport, NY/Chittenango)
Katie Snell, Sr., Russell Sage (Valley Falls, NY/Greenwich)
Isabella Busch, Sr., St. John Fisher (Elmira, NY/Elmira Notre Dame)
Hannah Slater, Sr., Utica (Schenectady, NY/Colonie)