Stevens Chases Repeat of Empire 8 Men's Swimming & Diving Title
ROCHESTER, NY – Stevens Institute of Technology, which captured its first conference and state titles last year, will defend those titles as Empire 8 teams compete at the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association Championships tomorrow through Saturday at Webster Aquatic Center hosted by Nazareth College.
The Ducks, ranked ninth in the CollegeSwimming.com/CSCAA Division III Poll, return the 2009-10 Empire 8 Men’s Swimmer of the Year in junior Evan Wilson and 2009-10 Rookie of the Year John Hu.
Wilson posted top-10 finishes in last year’s NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in two events and placed in the top-20 in a third event. Hu has posted the fastest time amongst Empire 8 swimmers this season in the 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and the 200 and 400 individual medley races.
Ithaca College finished second in last year’s conference championship and posted a 15-1 mark in dual meets this season. Junior Jeff Rapp captured the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes in last year’s Empire 8 championships, while classmate Antoine Connors won the 50-yard freestyle.
Five-time conference champion Alfred University placed third in the Empire 8 meet a year ago. Senior Tyler Olsen, who swam on four all-conference relays last season, recently won three freestyle events against Ithaca for the Saxons, who posted a 5-2 record in dual meets.
Junior Michael Phillips of Hartwick College is the only swimmer from any team other than Stevens to post a season-best time in the Empire 8 with his time of 58.68 seconds in the 100 breaststroke. He set a conference championship record in winning the 200-yard breaststroke in last year’s Empire 8 meet and placed second to Hu in the 200-yard IM.
Rochester Institute of Technology recorded a 9-2 record in dual meets this season. Senior diver Evan Wendt, the runner-up in both diving events in last year’s championship, broke the school record earlier this season on the three-meter board, topping the mark set by six-time All-American Quinn Donahue.
Michael Bidwell of Nazareth College recorded two victories in a Nazareth loss to RIT in the last dual meet of the season for the Golden Flyers.
Freshman Tyler Evans of Utica College has won eight consecutive races entering the championships and set a school record in the 50-yard freestyle earlier this season.