The landscape of the 2017 Empire 8 Conference Tournament is crystal clear for the Elmira men: win Friday's game against Utica College and they are in as the three seed. Although the Soaring Eagles still have non-conference games this week leading up to Friday's conference finale, all eyes will be fixed on the showdown with the Pioneers. Elmira is tied for fourth in the league standings with Utica, as both teams own eight conference wins this season. If the Purple and Gold are able to secure a win over the Pioneers, Elmira would take over the three spot from Stevens Institute of Technology due to EC winning the regular-season series 2-games-to-1. However, a loss on Friday would knock Elmira out of postseason contention completely.
 
  The Purple and Gold (15-14, 8-9 E8) went 3-2 last week with a pair of league losses to No. 15-ranked St. John Fisher, before edging Alfred State in a nine-inning game and sweeping a non-conference doubleheader against Medaille on the road. Elmira limited the Pioneers of Alfred State to one hit over nine innings, a new single-game program record for the Soaring Eagles, in a 4-2 victory at historic Dunn Field. EC wrapped up the week with a pair of convincing wins over Medaille by scores of 6-1 and 14-3.
 
Four players produced batting averages above .400 on the week, led by Dylan Bellinger '17 and his .467 average. The senior first baseman was 7-for-15 with three extra-base hits, including two doubles and a home run. He slugged .800 for the week and finished with six RBIs. Bryce Plante '18 and Joey Florio '20 both logged batting averages of .429 and combined for five RBIs and three runs scored. Conor Bawiec '18 went .400 at the dish with six singles, one RBI and five walks. Scott Logue '20, Nick Sampogna '18 and Joe Kidd '18 produced quality starts for the Soaring Eagles and ended the week with ERA's below 2.00. Logue allowed one run and struck out four batters over 5.0 innings against Alfred State en route to his first collegiate win. Kidd had similar numbers in a win over Medaille, as the righty hurler tossed 5.0 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. Sampogna went 6.0 innings against the Mavericks, fanning three batters with one run allowed.
  The Soaring Eagles (10-13, 4-10 E8) went 2-2 during the final week of their season, sweeping an Empire 8 doubleheader against Houghton, before dropping a pair of non-league games to Lycoming in the 2017 finale. Elmira trounced the Highlanders by an 11-2 final score in a five-inning shortened contest in game one and pushed across four unanswered runs in the final three innings of the nightcap to clinch a 6-5 comeback win. Lycoming defeated Elmira by scores of 9-2 and 5-0 in the final series of the regular season. Maddy Johnson '19 led the Purple and Gold with a .545 batting average over the four games, racking up six singles, three walks, four stolen bases, three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Emily Carlin '17 was 5-for-12 at the plate (.417) with a team-high five RBIs, all of which came in EC's nine-run win over Houghton. Carlin launched a three-run homer in that victory, which brought her four-year career total to 13 home runs, a mark that tied EC's all-time record. The senior also went 2-1 in the pitcher's circle with three strikeouts.
  Elmira's 2017 season came to a close this past week, as the Soaring Eagles (1-12, 1-7 E8) fell in a pair of conference games to No. 12-ranked Ithaca College and Utica College. EC suffered a 19-4 loss on the road to the nationally-ranked Bombers, before the Pioneers spoiled Senior Day by handing Elmira a 20-7 loss in the 2017 season finale. Nevin Olney '18 and Anthony LaRusso' 17 paced the Purple and Gold with four points apiece on six goals and two assists split evenly between the two attackers. Wyatt Katsos '17 ended his collegiate career with a hat trick against the Pioneers, scoring two of his three goals on man-up opportunities. Senior goaltender Cameron Prior '17 also had a strong conclusion to his four-year career. The Malden, Massachusetts, native racked up 26 saves – 10 alone coming in the first quarter – in the season finale against Utica. It marked the fourth time this year Prior has made 20-plus saves, while his 26 saves finished as the second-highest single-game total of his senior season.
  The Elmira women (4-11, 1-7 E8) ended the week with a pair of league losses to perennial conference power St. John Fisher and Houghton, the latter being EC's 2017 season finale. EC dropped a 20-2 decision to the Cardinals in the team's final home game of the season, before the Highlanders rallied late in Saturday's season finale to secure a 10-9 overtime victory. Hayley Baker '19 led the Elmira attack with six goals, two coming against Fisher and another four on the road at Houghton. The big story of the week though was the realization of Lindsay Wargo '17 as the program's all-time leader in saves. Wargo amassed 15 saves in the two games, including an 11-save performance against the Cardinals, to bring her four-year total to 383. Wargo's 383 saves snapped a 10-year program record, formally held by standout netminder Malorie Stockwell '07 (381).
  Elmira (8-8, 3-5 E8) began the week with hopes of clinching an Empire 8 tournament berth, but a pair of losses to Houghton and St. John Fisher knocked the Soaring Eagles out of postseason contention. EC dropped a 7-2 decision to Houghton in Elmira's home finale, as upperclassmen Patrick Tracey '18 and Chris Konow '18 earned straight-set wins in singles. Then in the 2017 season finale, Tracey was Elmira's lone winner, as the third-year standout edged Fisher's John Miller in three sets at the No. 3 singles position. With the win, Tracey improved to 12-5 in singles action and increased his total wins this season to 21. His 12 singles victories are tied for second-most in EC history, while his 21 total wins tied the single-season program record, a milestone Traecy has reached in back-to-back seasons.
  The Elmira men produced a fourth-place finish at their home spring invitational, hosted at the Elmira Country Club, before concluding the 2016-17 season with a 10th-place finish at the 11th Annual Laker Spring Invitational. Elmira carded a team score of 349 (+61) at its home invite, just 10 strokes off of Nazareth, which finished third. Charl Pretorius '19 led the Soaring Eagles with a sixth-place finish thanks to an 11-over par 83. He was closely followed by Brian Demo '17, who tied for 14th place with an 85 (+13), and Dan Gridley '18 who finished tied for 17th with a card of 86 (+14). Elmira did not fare as well at the Laker Spring Invitational, hosted by Oswego State at the Oswego Country Club, as the Purple and Gold finished 10th out of 10 teams. Pretorius once against paced the Soaring Eagles with a two-day score of 166 (+24), which included a career-low-tying round of 79 (+8) on day two of the event.
  Elmira ended the 2016-17 season on a high note with a first-place finish at the EC Spring Invitational. EC edged Keuka by 13 strokes in the two-team event –individual golfers from Nazareth and Utica also competed – for the Purple and Gold's third consecutive win at their home invite. Audrey Clarke '18 earned medalist honors with a 13-over par 85, which edged second-place finisher Megan Geariety of Keuka by two strokes. Giovanna DeLoca '17 also had a standout performance, as the fourth-year golfer finished in a tie for fourth place with a card of 92 (+20).