Men's Golf | 4/22/2024 9:58:22 AM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023-24 Men’s Golf All-Conference awards on Thursday, April 18. Sophom*ore Benjamin Fox of St. John Fisher University was named Player of the Year, Lincoln Crosby of Nazareth University earned Rookie of the Year honors, while Mike Howard of SUNY Oswego was named the E8 Coach of the Year.
The league champion Cardinals led the way with five all-conference selections, including four first team picks, while runner-up SUNY Oswego was right behind with three all-league honors. The awards were based on results from the 2023-24 Empire 8 Championship, in which the first two rounds took place on Oct. 8-9 at Cazenovia Country Club in Cazenovia, NY and final 36 holes were played April 13-14 at Hershey Country Club in Hershey, PA. St. John Fisher won its 19th Empire 8 Championship in program history and will compete at the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship, which will take place May 14-17 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, NV.
Fox trailed by two strokes after the first two rounds in the fall before taking control over the final two rounds in Hershey, finishing six strokes better than any other golfer over the last 36 holes. Overall, Fox, who was also the 2022-23 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, shot a 309 during the four rounds to win the individual title by six strokes. He is the 12th different Cardinal to win E8 Player of the Year honors.
Crosby was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year after finishing tied for third overall over the four rounds with a score of 319. Crosby shot an 81 during the first round, 77 in the second round and tie for the lowest third round score, carding a 79 before finishing with an 82 during the final round. Crosby is the fourth different Golden Flyer student-athlete to win E8 Rookie of the Year honors.
St. John Fisher senior Luke Buckley, along with juniors Joe DePasquale and RJ Juodaitis joined Fox and Crosby as top-five finishers to earn All-E8 first team accolades. Fox, DePasquale and Juodaitis all earned All-Empire 8 first team accolades for the second straight season.
Howard helped guide Oswego to runner-up honors at the 2023-24 Empire 8 Championship. The Lakers had three golfers earn All-E8 second team honors. It is the third time Howard has earned E8 Coach of the Year honors (2018-19 and 2021-22).
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023-24 Men's Golf Sportsman 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 sportsmen.
2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Golf Award Winners
Player of the Year: Benjamin Fox, So., St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Lincoln Crosby, Fr., Nazareth
Coach of the Year: Mike Howard, SUNY Oswego
2023-24 Empire 8 Men’s Golf All-Conference Selections
Empire 8 First Team
Benjamin Fox, So., St. John Fisher – 309
Luke Buckley, Sr., St. John Fisher – 315
Lincoln Crosby, Fr., Nazareth – 319
Joe DePasquale, Jr., St. John Fisher – 314
RJ Juodatis, Jr., St. John Fisher – 317
Austin Carpenter, Sr., Russell Sage – 323
Adam Woodmansee, Sr., Utica – 327
Nathan MacDonald, So., Utica – 329
Conor Tierney, Gr., SUNY Oswego – 329
Tyler Donohue, Jr., SUNY Oswego – 330
Gavin Neuland, Gr., SUNY Oswego – 330
Empire 8 Third Team
Andrew Rohrs, Jr., St. John Fisher – 334
Neil Roman, So., Utica – 336
Ryan Arp, Fr., Russell Sage – 337
Thomas McIntosh, Sr., Nazareth – 338
Jack Finnerty, Gr., Elmira
Alex Bolis, So., Nazareth
Dawson Miletich, So., Keuka
Tyler Donohue, Jr., SUNY Oswego
Elijah Waterhouse, Jr., Russell Sage
Cameron Kretzmer, So., St. John Fisher
Neil Roman, So., Utica
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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