HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana University placed 128 student-athletes on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Spring 2025 Academic Honor Roll, which was released Monday.
 
Southeastern’s contingent was among the over 1,500 student-athletes from the league’s institutions named to this semester’s list. Included on the honor roll are SLC student-athletes from the sports of baseball, basketball, golf, softball, tennis, track and field and beach volleyball with a Spring 2025 semester grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
 
A total of 35 SLU honorees earned a perfect 4.0 GPA this semester, as the Lions and Lady Lions combined for a departmental semester GPA of over 3.0 for the 14^th consecutive semester. Southeastern’s Spring 2025 honor roll members includes 20 All-Southland Conference and 12 SLC All-Academic selections.
 
The Southland Conference champion SLU baseball team led the department with 26 members on the honor roll. Southland Student-Athlete and Pitcher of the Year Brennan Stuprich highlighted a Lion contingent that included five All-SLC selections, two SLC All-Academic picks and two players with a 4.0 semester GPA.
 
The two-time reigning SLC Tournament champion Southeastern softball team led all league softball programs with 25 representatives on the Southland Honor Roll. Student-Athlete of the Year Maria Detillier, Macie LaRue and Chloe Magee represented the 50-win Lady Lions on both the all-conference and conference all-academic teams.
 
The SLU men’s track and field team followed with 22 representatives, while the women’s track and field team placed 18 on the list. All-Americans Terrell Webb and Onyah Favour were among the Lions and Lady Lions to earn spots on the honor rolls.
 
The Southeastern beach volleyball team placed 16 student-athletes – second-most among SLC beach volleyball programs – on the honor roll. Eight of the Beach Lions’ honorees earned a 4.0 GPA this spring.
 
The SLU women’s tennis team topped all conference tennis programs with 10 representatives. Of their 10 honorees, seven had a perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester. Rounding out Southeastern’s honor roll members were representatives from the men’s golf (four), men’s basketball (four) and women’s basketball (three) programs.
 
Southland Conference Spring 2025 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll – Southeastern
Name | Cl. | Sport | GPA | Major | Hometown
Victory Achakpoekri | Men’s Track and Field | 3.86 | Exercise Science | Nigeria $
Ally Alfonso | Fr. | Beach Volleyball | 3.60 | Health Sciences | Mandeville, La.
Chase Ambrose | So. | Baseball | 3.60 | Mechanical Engineering | Huntsville, Ala.
Marvellous Asemota | So. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.36 | Health Sciences | Benin, Nigeria
Daniel Atinaya | Fr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.00 | Political Science | Asaba, Nigeria
Bailey Babin | Jr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.07 | Kinesiology | Hammond, La.
Lainee Bailey | Jr. | Softball | 3.20 | General Studies | Walker, La.
Anthonate Barsai | Jr. | Women’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Nursing | Eldoret, Kenya
Bente Bierma | So. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | Marketing | Kapelle, The Netherlands
Taisia Bolsova | So. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | Communication | Palafrugell, Girona, Spain
Alaina Borg | Fr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.60 | Sociology | Ethel, La.
Cayden Boudreaux | Fr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.82 | Early Childhood Education | Albany, La.
Ryan Brome | Sr. | Baseball | 4.00 | General Studies | Katy, Texas @
Brilee Broussard | Sr. | Softball | 4.00 | Kinesiology | Tickfaw, La.
Donroy Brown | Sr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.60 | General Studies | Westmoreland, Jamaica @$
Josh-Ty Brown | Fr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.00 | Information Technology | Kingston, Jamaica
Allison Brunson | Sr. | Softball | 3.40 | General Studies | Jena, La.
Jordan Burdett | Sr. | Women’s Tennis | 3.00 | Nursing | Ponchatoula, La.
Hallie Burns | Fr. | Softball | 4.00 | Kinesiology | Booneville, Miss. @
Kallie Calvaruso | Jr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.80 | General Studies | Denham Springs, La.
Nadia Chernich | Fr. | Softball | 3.75 | Kinesiology | North Pole, Alaska
Addison Contorno | So. | Softball | 4.00 | Health Sciences | Livingston, La.
Bogi Csordas | Sr. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | English and Communication | Gyor, Hungary
Aitana Darder | Fr. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | Computer Science | Valencia, Spain
Maria Detillier | Jr. | Softball | 4.00 | Accounting | Geismar, La. @$
Ethan Dial | So. | Men’s Golf | 3.00 | Marketing | Shreveport, La.
Christian Diggs | Fr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.77 | Undeclared | Covington, La.
Claudia Di Leonardo | So. | Women’s Tennis | 3.80 | Marketing | Marseille, France
Kailey Dixon | Jr. | Softball | 3.40 | Kinesiology | Hazard, Ky.
Amanda Dos Santos | Sr. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | Biological Sciences | Covington, La.
Anna Dudnichenko | Fr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.58 | Exercise Science | Ukraine
Zoe Duggan | So. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | Health Sciences | Emerald Isle, N.C.
Landen East | So. | Men’s Golf | 3.40 | Finance | Sulphur, La.
Ryan Elzy | Gr. | Men’s Basketball | 3.34 | MBA | Hammond, La.
Ahmad Essahaty | Jr. | Men’s Basketball | 3.20 | General Studies | Wellington, N.Z.
Trey Faherty | Jr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.40 | Finance | Covington, La.
Onyah Favour | So. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.25 | Fitness and Human Performance | Asaba, Nigeria $
Anna Ferrand | Gr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.60 | Strategic Communication | Walker, La.
Breanna Fontenot | Fr. | Softball | 4.00 | Biological Sciences | Moss Bluff, La.
Brilee Ford | So. | Softball | 3.25 | Kinesiology | Albany, La.
Dedrick Gant | Sr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.40 | Finance | Patterson, La.
Porter Gibson | So. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.53 | Engineering Technology | Denham Springs, La.
Nick Gisclair | Jr. | Baseball | 3.60 | General Studies | Prairieville, La.
Ariel Gomez | Sr. | Softball | 3.00 | General Studies | Spring, Texas
Leana Gomez | So. | Women’s Tennis | 3.60 | Business Administration | Miami, Fla.
Jude Hall | Sr. | Baseball | 4.00 | Biological Sciences | Chilliwack, B.C., Canada
Lance Hamilton | Gr. | Men’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Strategic Communication | State College, Pa.
Stan Hamilton | Gr. | Men’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Counseling | State College, Pa.
Alba Hansson | Fr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.44 | Business Administration | Malmo, Sweden
Austin Harper | So. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.13 | Fitness and Human Performance | Ponchatoula, La.
Aniya Harris | Fr. | Softball | 3.93 | Kinesiology | Violet, La.
Isabelle Hebert | Fr. | Beach Volleyball | 3.71 | Microbiology | Lafayette, La.
Viggo Hed | Fr. | Men’s Golf | 3.40 | Business Administration | Halmstad, Sweden $
Olivia Henry | Fr. | Softball | 4.00 | Kinesiology | Deville, La.
Makayla Hicks | Sr. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | General Studies | Oceanside, Calif.
Sam Hines Jr. | Gr. | Men’s Basketball | 3.75 | MBA | Marietta, Ga. @$
Natalie Ioannou | Sr. | Women’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Early Childhood Education | Nicosia, Cyprus
D’Juan Joseph | Fr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.00 | Exercise Science | Belle Chasse, La.
Monique Joseph | Fr. | Women’s Basketball | 3.50 | General Studies | Lake Worth, Fla.
Miriam Kauer | So. | Women’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Physics | Rosenheim, Germany $
Colleen Kulivan | Jr. | Softball | 3.20 | General Studies | Covington, La.
Euan Lagan | Gr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.00 | Business Administration | Mullingan, Westmeath, Ireland
Celia Lamkin | Fr. | Softball | 3.82 | Health Sciences | Paris, Tenn.
Macie LaRue | Jr. | Softball | 3.60 | Sport Management | Lovelady, Texas @$
Isabella Latkovich | Fr. | Women’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Psychology | Prairieville, La.
Maddie Leal | Sr. | Softball | 3.75 | Sport Management | Houston, Texas
Dakota Lee | Sr. | Baseball | 3.50 | Sport Management | Purvis, Miss.
Britney Lewinski | Sr. | Softball | 3.50 | General Studies | Shorewood, Ill. $
Giovanni Licciardi | Jr. | Baseball | 3.84 | Finance | Metairie, La. $
Gabriel Lim | So. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.08 | Engineering Technology | Linden, Guyana $
Luke Lirette | Jr. | Baseball | 3.60 | General Studies | Houma, La.
Mo Little | Jr. | Baseball | 3.00 | General Studies | Brandon, Miss.
Blake Lobell | Jr. | Baseball | 3.60 | General Studies | Holden, La. $
Ysabella Lockwood | Gr. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | Strategic Communication | Friendswood, Texas
Alexis Logarbo | Jr. | Beach Volleyball | 3.92 | Biological Sciences | Geismar, La.
Logan Love | So. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.09 | Exercise Science | Hammond, La.
Mykail Lusco | So. | Softball | 3.47 | Kinesiology | Harahan, La.
Chloe Magee | So. | Softball | 3.47 | Kinesiology | Watson, La. @$
Leah Marshall | Sr. | Softball | 3.74 | Biological Sciences | Mississauga, Ont., Canada
Logan McCarthy | Fr. | Men’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Biochemistry | Zachary, La.
Mia McKinney | Jr. | Beach Volleyball | 3.67 | Nursing | Humble, Texas
Brant Melancon | Fr. | Baseball | 3.16 | Fitness and Human Performance | Baton Rouge, La.
Micah Miller | Jr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.50 | Business Administration | Lafayette, La. $
Shelby Morris | Fr. | Softball | 4.00 | Kinesiology | Clinton, La. @
Esther Nwanze | Sr. | Women’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Integrative Biology | Baton Rouge, La. @$
Kate Oborina | Sr. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | Communication | Perm, Russia
Olu Ogunyemi | Sr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.34 | Business Administration | Shreveport, La. $
Maggie Palva | Jr. | Beach Volleyball | 3.20 | Business Administration | Asuncion, Paraguay
Arianna Patton | Sr. | Women’s Basketball | 3.17 | Criminal Justice | Meridian, Miss.
Carley Petty | Jr. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | Elementary Education | League City, Texas
Ava Pitarro | So. | Women’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Integrative Biology | Walker, La.
Lakin Polk | Jr. | Baseball | 3.25 | General Studies | Ponchatoula, La.
Manny Portillo | So. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.75 | Fitness and Human Performance | Destrehan, La.
Carson Robb | So. | Baseball | 3.20 | Mathematics | Vancleave, Miss.
Ben Robichaux | Jr. | Baseball | 3.25 | General Studies | Plaquemine, La.
Brody Rowbury | Jr. | Men’s Basketball | Business Administration | Meridian, Idaho @
Tanner Salsman | Fr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.53 | Mechanical Engineering | Harvey, La.
Mia Sauers | So. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | Business Administration | League City, Texas
Landen Schillage | Jr. | Men’s Track and Field | 3.40 | Sport Management | Hammond, La.
Lauren Schlotzhauer | Jr. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | Health Sciences | Missouri City, Texas
Cydnee Schneider | Jr. | Softball | 3.84 | General Studies | Elkhorn, Neb.
Genevieve Schubert | Fr. | Beach Volleyball | 3.25 | Health Sciences | San Antonio, Texas
Levi Shaffer | Fr. | Baseball | 3.20 | Finance | Keller, Texas
Quinn Smith | Fr. | Baseball | 3.00 | Finance | Paulina, La.
Aspen Steele | Gr. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | MBA | Henderson, Nev.
Kennedi Steele | Sr. | Beach Volleyball | 4.00 | Management | Henderson, Nev.
Taylor Stockwell | So. | Beach Volleyball | 3.93 | Biological Sciences | Baton Rouge, La.
Brady St. Pierre | Fr. | Baseball | 3.00 | Finance | LaPlace, La. $
Brennan Stuprich | Gr. | Baseball | 3.75 | MBA | Kenner, La. @$
Panatchakorn Suanarsa | Jr. | Women’s Tennis | 4.00 | Management | Nakhonsawan, Thailand
Colby Sullivan | So. | Men’s Golf | 3.40 | Business Administration | Keizer, Ore.
Jordyn Taylor | So. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.20 | Marketing | Denham Springs, La.
Jacob Thorn | Fr. | Baseball | 3.40 | Health Sciences | Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Tony Torres | Jr. | Baseball | 3.50 | General Studies | El Paso, Texas
Chance Vaught | Sr. | Baseball | 3.00 | General Studies | Daphne, Ala.
Patrick Vienne | Jr. | Baseball | 3.50 | General Studies | Natchez, La.
Nikola Vimmerova | So. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.86 | General Studies | Pilsen, Czech Republic
Emmaleigh Vincent | So. | Beach Volleyball | 3.40 | Sports Communication | Deer Park, Texas
Harris Waghalter | Fr. | Baseball | 3.00 | Business Management | Baton Rouge, La.
Blair Walsh | So. | Softball | 4.00 | Biological Sciences | Centreville, Miss.
Logan Walters | Sr. | Baseball | 3.60 | General Studies | Petal, Miss.
Allasia Washington | Jr. | Women’s Basketball | 3.20 | General Studies | Baton Rouge, La.
Maddie Watson | Sr. | Softball | 3.94 | Biological Sciences | Baton Rouge, La.
Dane Watts | Jr. | Baseball | 3.50 | Sport Management | Hammond, La. $
Terrell Webb | Gr. | Men’s Track and Field | 4.00 | Health and Kinesiology | Cambridge, Ont., Canada @$
Laney Wilkes | Jr. | Women’s Track and Field | 3.08 | Exercise Science | Denham Springs, La.
Peyton Woods | So. | Baseball | 3.60 | Supply Chain Management | Albany, La.
 
$ – All-Southland Conference | @ – Southland Conference All-Academic
 
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It could have come down to Stanford, USC, or Texas at the end. Another run during either softball or baseball here or a slight shift during the track and field NCAA Championships in Eugene could have seen either of these schools end up on top.

For the 2024-2025 collegiate year, the Longhorns were crowned champions of the Learfield Directors’ Cup. They finished with 1255.25 points. USC edged out Stanford with 1253.75 points for second place, and the Cardinal accumulated 1251 points.

Overall, this should show how well the Trojans did throughout all sports. The Directors’ Cup Updates account on X gives the scorecards of what each of the three schools earned in terms of points for each sport.

The five sports that are taken into consideration for all programs for the final standings are baseball, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, and soccer. From there, the 14 highest-scoring sports are the ones that are taken into consideration, as the account would go on to mention in the comments. This allows for as level of an even playing field as possible, considering the size and different athletics that are and aren’t present at each institution.

For the Trojans, the indoor wins are by the men’s track and field team during the indoor and outdoor seasons, providing a total of 195 points. Had USC found a way to win the outdoor title outright, then the five points would have been enough to secure the top spot in the Directors’ Cup standings.

High-end placements throughout USC athletics

Still, it is a year that the Trojan fan base can look on with great pride. Among some of the teams that did well in the Cardinal and Gold, the women’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s beach volleyball, and women’s basketball teams finished fifth. The women’s track and field team placed third in the indoor season and second in the outdoor events that just occurred in Eugene. Both water polo squads finished second.

Considering the continued push across the board to improve, it should not surprise anyone to soon see USC take the top spot from Texas shortly. 

Ohio State was prepared for the new era of revenue sharing in college athletics. Less than a week after the House vs. NCAA settlement, Buckeye athletic director Ross Bjork announced the plan for revenue sharing at Ohio State during a 75-minute press conference on Thursday.

While athletic departments can allocate up to $20.5 million annually to their student-athletes, the Scarlet and Gray will distribute only $18 million in revenue sharing. This is because Ohio State will add 91 new scholarships, which count against that total.

Bjork confirmed that the $18 million will be divided among four sports. As expected, football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball were included. The fourth sport will be women’s volleyball.

“The key point in all of this is this is more opportunity for athletes than ever before, directly from the institution,” Bjork explained. “And so we’re not going to get into calculating how much this program gets or that program, but it’s four sports. It’s $18 million cash. And then that’ll grow by four percent a year. And then it can also have a look-in period based on new revenues that come into college athletics. So that’s how we set it up. Those are the four sports that we start with. We hope we can grow that.”

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If you were surprised by the inclusion of women’s volleyball alongside the other three sports, you weren’t alone. So why did the Buckeyes choose women’s volleyball as the fourth sport?

“Look, the sport’s really popular,” Bjork said. “The Big Ten is a leader in women’s volleyball. We want to get better.”

Since 1999, the Big Ten has won 13 national championships in women’s volleyball, including last season’s victory by Penn State. Nebraska and Wisconsin have each played in national championship games over the last seven NCAA Tournaments. The conference sent nine teams to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and they collectively achieved the most wins and the highest overall performance of any other league.

Ohio State has appeared in 25 NCAA Tournaments in the history of the program and has reached two Final Fours (1991 and 1994). Head coach Jen Flynn Oldenburg took the helm of the Buckeyes’ women’s volleyball team in 2020 and has led the Scarlet and Gray to two Sweet Sixteen appearances and an Elite Eight run in 2022. Ohio State opened the Covelli Center in 2019, and the Buckeyes’ women’s volleyball team has made the venue a comfortable home.

Columbus has hosted the women’s volleyball championship twice and will do so again in 2027. The city secured a professional women’s volleyball team, the Columbus Fury, which began play in 2024.

“Coach Jen is working on a plan to get us back on track. And so we think, with the attention that our program can receive, we think the Columbus market, volleyball is a booming sport. The Covelli Center is an amazing atmosphere. So we thought volleyball could be a sport that could drive more revenue, but also the attention that it gets within the Big Ten.”

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Björk did not want to get into specifics regarding the percentage of the $18 million that the four programs would receive, seeking to avoid another narrative about numbers. Other Big Ten teams, such as the Nittany Lions, the Cornhuskers and the Badgers, are likely to continue investing in their women’s volleyball programs. The additions of UCLA, USC and Washington have made the sport even stronger in the Big Ten.

The Scarlet and Gray will have to keep up and have elected to dedicate resources to women’s volleyball in order to do so.

SOUTHLAND COMMISSIONER’S LIST SPRING 2025

– The New Orleans Privateers had 96 student-athletes from spring sports that were named to the Southland Commissioner’s List which was released by the conference on Monday morning.
 
Student-athletes from men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, golf, baseball and beach volleyball must have been eligible to compete and must have achieved at least a 3.0 GPA for the spring semester.
 
There were 22 student-athletes who achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. The most came from track and field which had nine perfect GPAs in the spring (six from the women’s team and three from the men’s team).
 
The most total representatives came from baseball, which got 23 student-athletes on the list. Four baseball student-athletes (Alexander Saunier, Anthony Ruiz, Cole Syversen and Jahlani Rogers) all had a 4.0.
 
There were 16 student-athletes from basketball: 10 from the women’s team and six from the men’s team. Gabbi Cartagena earned a 4.0 GPA during the spring semester and six basketball student-athletes earned a 3.5 or better.
 
Men’s and women’s tennis had all 15 student-athletes (nine men and six women) represented with five 4.0 GPAs: Marc Mail, Matthew Armbruster, Julian Franzmann, Ananya Dhankhar and Iris Danne.
 
There were 12 beach volleyball representatives and eight golf representatives to make the list. Three beach volleyball student-athletes in Ivana de Carvalho Peixe, Jaedyn Newman and Mona Salgado earned a 4.0 while Gabriel Gallego from the golf team also earned a 4.0 for the semester.
 
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General | 5/29/2025 12:16:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – Seven student-athletes, the 2001 and 2002 women’s volleyball teams, and the first-ever coach of the men’s/women’s cross country and track and field programs, Scott Love, will be inducted to the Nazareth Sports Hall of Fame in 2025. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 20, 2025 in Beston Hall at Nazareth University.
 
The athletes from the class include 2016 men’s lacrosse graduates Luke Wooters and Troy Haefele, Alyssa Johnston ’13 (women’s lacrosse), Tim Zyburt ’16 (men’s volleyball), Taylor Pierson ’16 (women’s track and field), Brian Seeley ’05 (men’s golf), Ben Klempka ’05 (men’s tennis). The class is rounded out by the 2001 and 2002 women’s volleyball teams that advanced to the Elite 8 in consecutive seasons, and Scott Love who began the men’s and women’s cross country/track and field programs in 2003. The 2001 and 2002 women’s volleyball team will be inducted as “one” team.

Wooters is the all-time leader in men’s lacrosse program history with 363 points on 190 goals and 173 assists in 71 career games. Up until 2025 he was the all-time leader in goals scored before Quinn McKercher overtook the mark. The dynamic attackman was three times named a USILA All-American, including twice on the second team. The 2013 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year was named to the Empire 8 First Team three times and second team once. During his freshman campaign, he racked up 64 goals, which continues to be the best single season mark at Nazareth.

Haefele proved to be another standout on the lacrosse field for the Golden Flyers with 178 goals and 109 assists for 287 points. His 178 goals is the third best mark in school history, while both his assists (109) and points (287) rank fifth. Haefele was a four-time All-Empire 8 First Team selection and named USILA Honorable Mention two times. Haefele, along with Wooters, teamed up to win the Empire 8 Championship in 2013, while also making an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015.

 

Johnston joins the 2025 hall of fame class after excelling in the midfield for four seasons, collecting four Empire 8 All-conference selections, including three on the first team. Her 149 career draw controls (2^nd), 81 caused turnovers (3^rd), along with points at 214 (6^th) and goals 155 (6^th) all rank among the program best. She was three times named all-region, including a first team selection in 2013. For three seasons, she was Nazareth’s leading score (2011-2013), including scoring at least one goal in 58 of 64 games. During her four-year run, Nazareth made the Empire 8 playoffs each season and she was an all-tournament selection in 2013. 

2016 graduate Tim Zyburt was a monster outside hitter for the Golden Flyers. Upon graduation, Zyburt held the kills record at Nazareth with 1,411. That record held until 2025, when Owen Wickens surpassed with 1,508. He is second all-time in attack attempts (2,996), 8^th in digs (55), 10^th in total blocks with 257, sixth in sets played (428), and fifth in matches played (131). He was impressively a three-time all-american, including a first team selection as a junior and senior. The Wheaton, IL native was also a three-time First Team All-UVC honoree. The team leader in kills four years in a row, Zyburt helped the squad to a four-year mark of 105-28, with NCAA Tournament berths in 2013 and 2015.

Pierson made her mark in just three seasons for the Golden Flyers as a dynamic sprinter and long jumper, appearing in five NCAA Championships. She twice earned all-american honors after finishing 8th in the long jump at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships at 5.73 meters (18 ‘ 9.75″) and fifth in the 2014 Indoor Championships in the long jump 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2 1/2 inches). For indoor, she won the long jump at Empire 8s and was part of the 4 x 400 winning team in 2013. For outdoor she was a two-time champion at Empire 8s in the long jump (2013, 2015). She is all over the Nazareth record book for top marks for indoor and outdoor in the long jump and 200. For indoor, she is among the best in the 60-meter, the 300, and the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 relays. For outdoor she ranks among the best in the 100 and 4 x 400 relay.

2005 graduate Brian Seeley was a two-time Empire 8 Men’s Golf All-Star, including being named the Player of the Year in 2004 as a junior. He won the Empire 8 individual title in fall of 2004 with rounds of 77 and 75 to finish with an 8-over-par total of 152 at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, NY. Seeley’s season scoring averages were 81.24, 80.00, 79.52 and 81.42 for a four-year average of 80.39 for 71 rounds. For his career, he delivered six other top 10 career finishes, including a seventh-place at the Empire 8 Tournament in fall of 2002. In his senior season, he was named a recipient of Robert A. Kidera Scholar-Athlete award in 2005.

Rounding out the individual student athletes is men’s tennis star Ben Klempka who ranks as the program’s all-time wins leader with 147 total (71 singles and 76 doubles). He was a three-time First-Team singles player for the Empire 8, three-time First-Team in doubles and one-time second team. In his freshman season he won 41 matches (18 singles and 23 doubles) in 2001-02 and 39 matches (18 singles, 21 doubles) as a senior in 2004-05.

The 2001 and 2002 women’s volleyball teams were among the best-ever at Nazareth, with each team advancing to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championships. Coached by Linda Downey, Nazareth went 36-3 (7-0 in Empire 8) in 2001, falling to Wellesley in five sets in the NCAA Quarterfinals. In 2002, Nazareth was 36-6 overall (7-0 in the Empire 8), and falling to Trinity in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Nazareth.

Scott Love, who started both the men’s and women’s cross country, as well as track and field programs in 2003, completes the hall of fame class. Love coached back-to-back Empire 8 Men’s cross country runners of the year in Brendan Epstein (2007) and Nick Stenuf (2008). In 2007, Stenuf, Epstein and Jessica Brown all became Nazareth’s first qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in cross country. Stenuf returned to the cross country NCAAs in 2008, placing 19th to become the first-ever cross country all-American. Love coached the first-ever track and field all-American in 2006 with Nick Stenuf in the 800-meters.

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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