Empire 8 Release

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Empire 8 announced its annual conference award winners Wednesday, honoring a number of Bombers in the process. Senior Sydney Folk headlined the Ithaca selections, as she was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year. Seniors Sam Bender, Julianne Vincent and sophomore Casey Gavin joined Folk on the Empire 8 First Team, while junior Francesca Busa and freshman Jessie Fleck were honored with second team selections.

Folk led the Bombers in nearly every offensive category this season. In just 29 starts, she ranked first on the team in batting average (.393), slugging percentage (.685), on-base percentage (.465), doubles (11), RBI (32) total bases (61) and home runs (5). Folk ranked first with 13 RBI in conference play, while her six doubles ranked third in Empire 8 games. This season marks her second Empire 8 Player of the Year award, and third all-conference honor of her career. Folk is the second player in E8 history to earn the top honor twice, joining Shari McNamara of RIT (2002 & 2003).

Bender saw the majority of action in the circle for Ithaca this season. She ranked first on the team with a 1.40 ERA, as she allowed just 27 earned runs in 135.1 innings of play. Bender made 22 starts for the Bombers and compiled an impressive record of 16-5 with 17 complete games.  She was named the Empire 8 Tournament MVP after going 3-1 en route to the conference championship. This season marks her third career all-conference selection.

Vincent started all 36 games for the Bombers this season. She led Ithaca with 31 runs scored and 11 stolen bases, while her .336 batting average ranked fourth on the team. Vincent tied for the team lead with 37 hits and ranked second with three home runs on the year. She also recorded six doubles, a triple and 17 RBI. This marks the third all-conference honor of her collegiate career.

Gavin hit .379 over 34 starts at first base this season, ranking second on the team. She also ranked second in slugging percentage (.516) and on-base percentage (.439), while her 36 hits ranked third on the Bombers. Gavin recorded 10 doubles, a home run, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored on the year. She was a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. This marks Gavin's first all-conference selection.

Busa started all 36 games for the Bombers this season, playing all at shortstop. She recorded a .303 batting average, as she led the team with 122 at bats and tied for the team lead with 37 hits. Busa collected seven doubles, a triple and 15 RBI on the year. She ranked third on the team with eight stolen bases, while her 46 total bases ranked fourth. This season marks her third-straight all-conference selection.

Fleck made 35 starts for the Bombers in her rookie campaign. She ranked third on the team with a .354 batting average, while her nine stolen bases ranked second on the roster. Fleck recorded 37 hits, including two doubles. She scored 22 runs and picked up 12 RBI with 36 total bases. Fleck also maintained a perfect fielding percentage.

In addition, freshman Gabbie Litz was named Ithaca's Sportswoman of the Year. One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2014 Empire 8 Softball Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 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 sportswomen.