St. John Fisher's Alea Steigerwald Tabbed Empire 8 Player & Rookie of the Year as Year-End Awards are Announced

11/6/2018 1:42:10 PM

St. John Fisher's outstanding freshman Alea Steigerwald earned a pair of the Empire 8 Conference's most prestigious awards as the league announced the 2018 Women's Volleyball All-Conference and Major Award winners today. Steigerwald was named both the conference's Player of the Year and the league's Rookie of the Year. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.

Stevens, which won the regular season title, had a pair of award winners as well. Elizabeth Chu was selected as the conference's Libero / Defensive Player of the Year, while their coaching staff earned the distinction of E8 Staff of the Year. Annie McShea is the Ducks' head coach. She is assisted by Jenna Lara, Michael Kucza, Abbey Curry, Jessica Cervini, and Niko Lambert.

For a complete list of all-conference members and award winners, please see below. Nazareth and Stevens each had five student-athletes named all-conference selections, with the Ducks having four named First Team honoree.

CLOSER LOOK
Steigerwald capped off a terrific first year for the Cardinals as she led the conference in both points and kills. She was also among the league leaders in digs and hitting percentage in helping lead St. John Fisher's attack. Chu was the league's leaders in digs per set as the Ducks libero currently averages 5.39 per set. McShea and her staff once again led Stevens to another E8 regular season title as they finished with a perfect 8-0 mark in league play.

One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2018 Women's Volleyball 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.

Player & Rookie of the Year - Alea Steigerwald, St. John Fisher
Libero / Defensive Specialist of the Year - Elizabeth Chu, Stevens
Coaching Staff of the Year - Stevens, led by head coach Annie McShea

1st Team
Amber Smith, Alfred
Alea Steigerwald, St. John Fisher
Elizabeth Chu, Stevens
Sara Hain, Stevens
Taleen Mitchell, Stevens
Shelby Stewart, Stevens

2nd Team
Maria Sorriento, Hartwick
Amber Edwards, Houghton
Kelsey Milligan, Nazareth
Melissa Newcomb, Nazareth
Rebecca Hay, St. John Fisher
Brianna Perez, Stevens

Honorable Mention
Amanda Burns, Alfred
Jessica Barry, Nazareth
Savannah Bothner, Nazareth
Carmen Sapp, Nazareth
Elise Kreuz, St. John Fisher
Nicole Herringshaw, Utica

Sportswoman of the Year
Elizabeth Estep, Alfred
Rachel Katzenberger, Elmira
Andrea Debboli, Hartwick
Anna Zirilli, Houghton
Donovan Enriquez, Nazareth
Emma Parkington, Sage
Victoria Laratonda, St. John Fisher
Abbie Clark, Stevens
Nicole Herringshaw, Utica

(listed alphabetically by school)

About the Empire 8 Conference
The members of the Empire 8 are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and aspire to be regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership seeks to distinguish 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 Empire 8.