ROCHESTER, N.Y. (nazathletics.com) – On Thursday, the Empire 8 Conference announced its end of year women's basketball awards, with several Golden Flyers earning major recognition. Kiara Anglin headlined Nazareth's honorees, being named the Defensive Player of the Year in addition to earning Second Team All‑Conference honors. Seniors Molly Benetti and Katie MacLachlan were both selected to the First Team and the Nazareth coaching staff, led by Kelly Dunne‑Romig, earned its third Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor. In addition, Leah Fusilli was chosen as Nazareth's representative for the Tomorrow's Leaders Team.  

The Nazareth coaching staff, led by Kelly Dunne‑Romig, earned Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors. They guided the Golden Flyers to their second No. 1 overall seed in three seasons, repeating the achievement that earned them Co‑Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023-24. Nazareth finished the regular season with a dominant 15-1 conference record and a program-best 14 game win-streak, proving they are one of the most well‑balanced teams in the Empire 8.

Anglin earns her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year honor after being named Co‑Defensive Player of the Year last season. She set multiple career highs this season, averaging 3.0 steals per game for third in the Empire 8 and added 7.4 rebounds per game for ninth overall. Offensively, she delivered the best season of her career, averaging 10.0 points and 2.0 assists per game while also finishing 11th in the conference in blocks. Anglin led the Golden Flyers in minutes as well, averaging 30.2 minutes per game. This All-Conference selection marks the second of her career, having previously earned Third Team honors as a sophomore.

After two straight Second Team selections, Benetti earns her career-first First Team selection. Benetti notched her best offensive season yet, averaging 13.8 points per game, ranking seventh in the conference on 47 percent shooting. She also added a career high 2.9 assists per game for ninth overall and posted an impressive assist to turnover ratio of 1.3. Defensively, she was a factor on the glass, picking up 6.8 rebounds per game and recording 2.3 blocks per game for second in the Empire 8. Benetti also scored a career-high 27 point performance vs Rensselaer.

MacLachlan put together the best offensive season of her career, earning First Team All‑Conference honors. She averaged 13.4 points per game, ranking 11th in the Empire 8 and established herself as one of the league's top shooters, hitting 32% from three and 45% from the field. She also picked up a team-best 3.5 assists per game for fifth in the conference. Defensively, MacLachlan remained a steady presence, averaging 0.5 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. This First Team selection is the first of her career, following a Third Team honor last season and a Second Team selection as a sophomore.

Fusilli was chosen as Nazareth's representative on the 2025-26 Tomorrow's Leaders Team. One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2025-26 Women's Basketball Tomorrow's Leaders 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 players.