PITTSFORD, N.Y. – With the Empire 8 Championship set to begin in just over 24 hours, the conference office has announced its postseason recognition as three members of the St. John Fisher College women's basketball team were named All-Conference following the 2019-20 regular season while head coach
Melissa Kuberka and her assistants were selected as the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Sophomore
Ella Eckert was named First-Team All-Conference while
Miranda Lynch landed on the Second-Team.
Julia Mertsock was named Honorable Mention All-Conference for her efforts on the hardwood.
Kuberka, alongside
Hannah Rehbaum,
Dana Cohan,
Maggie Tabone and
Liam Lazore, were honored after leading Fisher to its second Empire 8 Regular Season Championship in the last three seasons. Under their guidance, the Cardinals finished with a 12-2 mark in the conference standings – two games ahead of the second place team.
With Kuberka on the sidelines, Fisher was atop the conference in nearly every statistical category. To date, the Cardinals lead the conference in field goal percentage (.411), 3-point field goal percentage (.335), 3-point defense (.243), rebounding margin (11.0), rebounding defense (32.5) and scoring margin (11.0). Fisher ranks second overall in the Empire 8 in scoring (69.9), scoring defense (57.9), field goal defense (.355) and rebounding (43.6).
Eckert was named All-Conference for the second straight season as the East Amherst native leads the Cardinals and ranks fourth in the Empire 8 in scoring at 14.6 points per game. The Clarence graduate is also among the top rebounders in the conference as well after hauling in 8.5 boards on average.
A force to be reckoned with on the block, Eckert has authored nine double-doubles already this year and has eclipsed the 20-point plateau four times overall including a career-high 25 points in a win over Sage on January 18th.
An Honorable Mention All-Conference selection at the conclusion of her freshman campaign, Eckert is shooting just under 47 percent from the floor and is averaging 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals over 25 games.
Lynch was named Second-Team All-Empire 8 after a career year that saw the Webster product rank in the conference's top 10 in scoring at 12.1 points per game. One of the silkiest shooters in the Empire 8 and beyond, Lynch, who has connected on at least one shot from behind the arc in all but two games this season, leads the conference with 69 triples and in 3-point field goal percentage at .418.
Earlier this month against Alfred, she nearly tied a program record after sinking seven from downtown.
Mertsock was tabbed Honorable Mention All-Conference as the sophomore forward enters the postseason averaging 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Mertsock, who has amassed five double-doubles over 23 games this year, is shooting .479 from the field to go along with 1.3 assists per game and a team-leading 1.2 steals on average.
Finally, guard
Amy Gardner was also named one of the Conference's Sportswoman of the Year as she "competes with honor and integrity," which is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves as consistently exhibiting these critical traits as outstanding sportsmen and sportswomen.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, highlights and more by downloading the official mobile app for Fisher Athletics. Just search SJFC Athletics in the App Store or on Google Play and download today for free. Follow the Cardinals on social media for more!
Instagram |
Twitter
