Empire 8 Announces 2009 Women's Swimming and Diving All-Conference Team
February 22, 2009
ROCHESTER, NY – Senior Lauren Botterbusch of state and conference champion Ithaca College was named Swimmer of the Meet and senior Ashley Brinkman of Hartwick College was selected Diver of the Meet at the 2009 Empire 8 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship held in conjunction with the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association meet.
Botterbusch automatically qualified for the NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship, setting school and Empire 8 championship records, by finishing first in the state in the 200-yard breaststroke on Saturday in a time of 2:20.07. She also automatically qualified for the national meet and set an Empire 8 championship record by winning Friday’s 100-yard breaststroke in 1:03.31. Botterbusch swam on the 200-yard medley relay that broke school and conference marks and qualified for the national championship in a time of 1:45.07.
Brinkman swept the one- and three-meter diving state and conference titles. It marked the third time in four years she has swept the Empire 8 diving events, giving her seven conference titles. Brinkman set an Empire 8 championship record with a score of 404.95 on the one-meter board and captured the three-meter event with a score of 431.05.
Cailin Grunewald of state and conference runner-up Stevens Institute of Technology was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Meet. She won the Empire 8 title in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:04.87 and swam on the 200-, 400-, and 800-yard freestyle relay teams that all set Empire 8 championship records. The 200 squad automatically qualified for the national meet, while the other two relays provisionally qualified.
Ithaca head coach Paula Miller repeated as Coach of the Year for leading the Bombers to their 10th consecutive Empire 8 crown.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2009 Women’s Swimming and Diving Sportswoman of the Year Team. 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.
Empire 8 2009 Honors:
Swimmer of the Meet: Lauren Botterbusch, Ithaca College
Diver of the Meet: Ashley Brinkman, Hartwick College
Rookie of the Meet: Cailin Grunewald, Stevens Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year: Paula Miller, Ithaca College
Empire 8 2009 Women's Swimming and Diving All-Conference Release