General | 2/4/2026 10:57:42 AM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its President’s List for the 2025 Fall semester on Wednesday, Feb. 4. An Empire 8 record 1,773 student-athletes from the league's membership were recognized for their excellence in the classroom this past semester with President’s List distinction, one of the most prestigious honors that the Empire 8 recognizes.
Recipients of this honor must earn a 3.75 grade-point average or higher during the semester, while participating in an NCAA-sponsored sport. In addition, the student-athlete must display positive conduct on and off campus and be enrolled full-time at the member institution. The conference states, “Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the Empire 8 Conference.”
To see all those that were recognized, please
click here for a detailed list with all of the recipients.
CLOSER LOOK
The Empire 8’s 12 full-time members sponsored 5,776 student-athletes who combined for a conference-wide fall grade point average of 3.28. Overall, nearly 31 percent of all Empire 8 student-athletes received this impressive distinction.
Additionally, a league record 194 teams were acknowledged as Empire 8 Conference All-Academic Teams for registering a team grade point average of 3.2 or higher for the fall semester. Eight member institutions had at least 12 programs earn this honor. Nazareth University and St. John Fisher both led the way with 25 programs apiece on the All-Academic Team, while Alfred University was right behind with 23 teams honored. SUNY Geneseo (18). SUNY Brockport (17) and Russell Sage College (16) all had at least 15 teams honored. The St. John Fisher women’s basketball program led all teams with a remarkable 3.84 GPA, while the Nazareth men’s ice hockey program led all men’s teams with a 3.8 GPA. Overall, 76 different teams recorded at least a 3.5 GPA.
Student-athletes representing each of the conference's nine member institutions were among those honored in the 2025 Fall edition of the E8 President's List. Leading the way was St. John Fisher, which had an impressive 307 student-athletes earn recognition. Nazareth was second overall, as 218 student-athletes that garnered this honor, while SUNY Brockport had 173 student-athletes garner E8 President’s List accolades. Rounding out the top half within the conference were Alfred with 165, followed by SUNY Geneseo and Utica University, who both had 158 student-athletes honored.
QUICK FACTS
- 1,773 Student-Athletes earned President's List Distinction (GPA of at least 3.75)
- The average GPA among the conference's 5,776 student-athletes was 3.28
- All 12 institutions’ student-athletes posted an average GPA of greater than 3.05
- Nine institutions student-athletes recorded an average GPA of greater than 3.25
- 194 teams were recognized (3.2 team GPA or greater)
- Eleven institutions had at least 10 teams recognized; six had at least 15 teams honored