Ithaca Women's Swimming & Diving Wins 12th Straight Empire 8 Title
Webster, N.Y. – The Ithaca women's swimming & diving team won the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association and Empire 8 championships, which concluded Saturday at the Webster Aquatic Center. Ithaca totaled 1,505 points to lead the 14 teams that participated in the meet. The Bombers scored 24 more points than second-place Stevens. It is the 12th consecutive Empire 8 title for the Bombers, the 24th state championship, and the 32nd consecutive year that Ithaca has placed among the top-three teams in the state. Ithaca also made two NCAA B qualifying standards.
The NCAA B-cuts came in the 200-yard backstroke, where junior Missy Keesler (Union-Endicott/Endicott) placed second and met the NCAA mark with a time of 2:05.46. Freshman Emily Hoskinson (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake/Scotia) also met the NCAA time and placed third in 2:06.71. Freshman Carlene Ostromecki (Boyertown/Gilbertsville, Pa.) placed fourth in the event finals with a time of 2:07.97.
Senior Julie Erhart (Mount Saint Joseph/Wilmington, Del.) placed seventh overall in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 18:22.37.
Sophomore Madi Sherry (Orchard Park/Orchard Park) was fifth in the finals of the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:29.30 and freshman Lauren Brundage (St. Elizabeth/Madison, N.J.) was sixth in 2:30.01.
Freshman Kate Sessler (Livonia/Livonia) was eighth in the finals of the 100-yard freestyle after clocking in at 54.02.
Ithaca's 400-yard freestyle relay placed fourth in the event finals as the group of sophomore Carly Jones (Liverpool/Liverpool), senior Joanna Ferreri (Niskayuna/Niskayuna), Sessler, and freshman Elizabeth Gawrys (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa) finished in 3:34.91.
Day 4 Preliminaries |
Day 4 Finals