Empire 8 Athletic Conference
Men's Lacrosse | 4/29/2024 10:32:01 AM
Top-seed St. John Fisher University is looking to win its fifth straight league title, as the Cardinals, Nazareth University, Alfred University and Hartwick College will vie for the 2024 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which takes place with semifinal action on Wednesday, May 1 and the title game on Saturday, May 4, with all games played at the higher seed. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins with first round games on May 8 and second and third round action, May 11-12.
Final 2024 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Seeds
No. 1 – St. John Fisher University (6-0 E8, 10-7 Overall)
No. 2 – Nazareth University (5-1 E8, 11-6 Overall)
No. 3 – Alfred University (4-2 E8, 10-4 Overall)
No. 4 – Hartwick College (3-3 E8, 5-8 Overall)
The 2024 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).
2024 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Wednesday, May 1 - Semifinals
No. 4 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m.
No. 3 Alfred University at No. 2 Nazareth University – 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 4 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed
St. John Fisher enters the 2024 Championship with a perfect 6-0 record in league play, having won 34 straight games against league opponents since the 2019 season. The Cardinals are looking for their fifth straight league title and have out-scored opponents, 115-38 in six league games. Nine different players have at least 10 goals this season. Matthew Kemmis leads the Cardinals in scoring with 65 points on 44 goals and 21 assists. Timmy Salit has 40 points, while Brady Mason is right behind with 38 points and Jordan Leuze has 34 in just 11 games played. Logan Grom has won 56.7 percent of his face-offs taken and has a team-high 103 ground balls. The Cardinals won 62 percent of their face-offs taken in league play. Jack Cornell has a team-high 39 caused turnovers and 54 ground balls on the defensive side. In net, Ben Hammond has won 10 games this season with a .533 save percentage. He has a sensational .688 save percentage and 4.02 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 11-6 overall, 5-1 in E8 play and enter the tournament riding a three-game winning streak. Quinn McKercher, the 2023 E8 Player of the Year, leads Golden Flyers in scoring with 67 points on 41 goals and 26 assists in 17 games. Kyle Rosenberger is right behind with 39 goals and 58 points, while Matthew Farrington has 56 points on 27 goals and a team-best 26 assists. Jakob Denkenberger has 192 face-off wins overall this season, having won 61 percent of his draws in E8 play. Denkenberger also has a team-high 103 ground balls, while Sean O’Brian leads the Golden Flyers with 22 caused turnovers. McLean Ralston has played in all 17 games in net with a .540 save percentage, second best in the conference. He leads all E8 goalkeepers with 194 saves.
Alfred is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight season and fourth time in program history. The Saxons enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed with a 10-4 overall record. Four players have scored at least 20 goals for Alfred this season. Owen Zimmerman leads the Saxons in scoring with 44 goals and 61 points, while Kevin Matson and Cole Loewke each have 38 goals, 15 assists and 53 points. Justin Mosher leads Alfred with 22 assists. Face-off specialist Hunter Cupp leads the league with 229 face-off wins, a .662 winning percentage in the “X” and 149 ground balls. Benjamin Cunningham leads the Saxons with 14 caused turnovers. Quinn Sullivan and Andy Davis have split time in net this season. Sullivan has a .550 save percentage, while Davis has five wins.
Hartwick is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the third straight season and eighth time in program history. The Hawks defeated Russell Sage in a win and in scenario to earn the No. 4 seed by a score of 16-7 on April 24 and enter the tourney riding a two-game winning streak. Garrett Frost leads Hartwick in scoring this season with 44 points on 34 goals and 10 assists in 13 games, while Shayne Kerrigan has 20 goals and 17 assists and Colin August has 28 goals. Daniel Beltran has won 50.3 percent of his face-offs taken and has a team-high 84 ground balls. Cooper Francis, Nick Cacciola and Liam Downey have combined for 52 caused turnovers. Kaiden Johnson has earned the starting nod in net late in the season and has recorded a .524 save percentage.
Wednesday’s semifinal contest between St. John Fisher and Hartwick will mark the second meeting of the season between the two programs. St. John Fisher recorded an 18-13 victory at Hartwick on April 6. It is also the second meeting in less than a week between Nazareth and Alfred. The Golden Flyers defeated Alfred to wrap up the regular season, 17-9 on April 27.
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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