Junior Carly Jones of conference champion Ithaca College was named Swimmer of the Meet and senior teammate Jodi Costello repeated as Diver of the Meet at the 2012 Empire 8 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship held in conjunction with the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association meet at Webster Aquatic Center.
Jones posted a time of 2:17.31 to win the state and conference titles in the 200-yard breaststroke, automatically qualifying her for the NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Her time set a school record and broke state and Empire 8 championship marks. Jones also qualified for the national meet and set records across the board in taking the 200-yard individual medley in 2:04.86. She set school and state meet records by winning the 400-yard individual medley in 4:27.71
Costello won the Empire 8 and state championships on the three-meter board with a score of 475.45, breaking school, state championship, and Empire 8 championship records. She also finished second in the state and conference to teammate Korie Fackler in the one-meter event with a score of 420.95.
Sharon Rooker of Stevens Institute of Technology was chosen as Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. She swam on the conference-winning 200-yard freestyle relay that provisionally qualified for the national championship meet with a time of 1:35.93. Rooker also swam on the 200-yard medley relay that finished first in the Empire 8 in 1:46.02.
Paula Miller of Ithaca was named Coach of the Year for leading the Bombers to their 13th consecutive Empire 8 crown, fourth consecutive state title, and 25th state title overall. The award is her fifth straight and seventh in the past 10 years.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2012 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 2012 Honors:
Swimmer of the Meet: Carly Jones, Ithaca College
Diver of the Meet: Jodi Costello, Ithaca College
Rookie of the Meet: Sharon Rooker, Stevens Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year: Paula Miller, Ithaca College
2012 Empire 8 Women's Swimming & Diving All-Conference Release