ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Three Houghton programs are heading to Rochester on Saturday, November 1 for Empire 8 Championship play. Men's and women's cross country, field hockey and women's soccer are all in action at St. John Fisher in their respective post-season playoffs.

Cross country gets the day underway at 11 a.m. as both the men's and women's teams look to make a mark and threaten the top teams. The men garnered its first Empire 8 Championship in 2023 and will look to improve on last season's third place finish. Senior Amos Bixler has enjoyed a strong 2025 season, earning a pair of E8 Runner of the Week honors. Bixler was a 2023 All-Empire 8 first team selection and earned All-Niagara Region accolade for the second straight year in 2024. Classmate Ben Allen is a former All-Empire 8 selection, while junior Luke Ellis, sophomore Connor Little, will look to garner All-E8 accolades. The Highlanders enter the weekend ranked eighth in the USTFCCCA Niagara Region poll.

For the women junior Noelle Linenfelser, the 2023 Empire 8 Runner of the Year, will look to lead the program to a top finish in 2025. She won the 2023 Empire 8 Individual Championship in a time of 21:38.8, garnered All-Empire 8 first team honors for the third time in 2024 and competed in her first NCAA Championship last season. Sophomore Emberlynn Nolt was 14th at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 11, while first-year Amy Collins was 16th in that same race. Aria Larson earned All-E8 third team honors in 2023 and was a top-40 finisher last season. The Highlanders enter the 2025 E8 Championship ranked eighth in the USTFCCCA Niagara Region rankings.

Follow the live action when the men's 8K race get underway at 11, followed by the women's 6K at noon. Both races are at the Murphy Field Cross Country Course. Awards will follow at 1 p.m.

Field hockey (6-4 E8, 10-5 overall) is seeded No. 5 in the six-team tournament. They will take on No. 4 St. John Fisher in first round action at noon. The Cardinals took a 3-2 overtime win over Houghton on October 4. The Highlanders advanced to the Empire 8 Championship game for the first time in program history in 2022 and is outscoring its opponents, 52-26 this season. Kylee Barshinger leads the Highlanders in scoring with 31 points on 13 goals and five assists, while Adria Hartzler is right behind with 29 points on 12 goals and five assists, and Lilyana Good has nine goals, including four game-winning tallies. Goalkeeper Annika Galen has played in all 15 games and has a 1.66 goals against average and a .747 save percentage.

Live Stats | Live Video

For those attending the game in person, tickets are $11 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students with ID, children 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online (no cash): Ticket Link

Women's soccer closes the day for the Highlanders with a 3 p.m. contest vs. No. 2 St. John Fisher. Houghton (11-4-3 overall; 5-4-2 E8) earned the No. 7 seed in the eight-team tournament. The Cardinals took a 4-0 win over the Highlanders just two weeks ago. Houghton is making its second-straight E8 tournament appearance and fourth overall since joining the conference in 2014. The team has outscored opponents 37-15 on the year and have registered 11 shutouts. Preslee Miller leads the team with nine shutouts in goal and has made 93 saves with a .88 goals against average. Offensively, freshman Hope Russell leads the team with 10 goals and 21 points. Elena Esh has tallied seven goals and three assists, while Taylor Curyto has contributed five goals and is tied with the team lead in assists with four.

Live Stats | Live Video

For those attending the game in person, tickets are $11 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students with ID, children 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online (no cash): Ticket Link