The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Swimmer, Diver, Rookie and Coaching Staff of the Year awards for the 2016-17 women’s swimming and diving season as voted on by the conference coaches.
Ithaca College swept the awards as Grace Ayer was named the Swimmer of the Year, Nickie Griesemer was selected the diver of the year, Paige Landers was voted the Rookie of the Year and the Bombers won the Coaching Staff of the Year.
Ayer, the 2013-14 Swimmer and Rookie of the Year, qualified for the Division III National Meet both as an individual and part of a relay. She was an All-American in the 200 IM placing seventh overall with a time of 2:04.03. Ayer earned two individual honorable mention All-American swims with a 16
th place finish in the 50 free (23.99) and a 16
th place swim in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.09). She was also part of two honorable mention All-American relays as the 200 medley relay placed ninth at NCAAs, setting a new school record of 1:43.38. In the 400 medley relay, Ayer led off with a 56.37 and the final of time of 3:47.48 were both school records.
For the seventh straight year the Diver of the Year is an Ithaca athlete. Griesemer was named the Female Diver of the Meet at the Upper New York State/Empire 8 Championships. She swept the diving events in the UNYSCSA/E8 competition in record style. She scored 526.85 points on the one-meter board which established a new school, Empire 8 Championship and Association record. She also had a record breaking performance; new school, pool, Empire Championship and Association record, on the three meter board having scored a total 554.90. She qualified for the NCAA Zone Meet and placed first on the 3-meter and third on the 1-meter board earning a trip to the NCAA National Championships. She earned All-American honors by placing second on the three-meter board with a 497.20 score and also scored on the one-meter with 399.25 points to place 11th.
Landers is the fifth Ithaca athlete to be named Rookie of the Year. At the E8 Championship she was awarded Rookie of the Meet, having placed in each of her individual events. She placed second in the 50 Free (24.59); third in the 100 Back (59.61) and fourth in the 200 Back (2:12.17). She also played an important role in each of her relay swims at the Championships.
Ithaca’s head coach Paula Miller and her staff guided the Bombers to a first place finish at the UNYSCSA championship and Empire 8 Championship and a team standing of 17th at the NCAA’s. At the Empire 8 Championship, the Bomber women earned 18 all conference honors including eight first team individual honorees and five second team individual honorees. The women finished first in four relays and had a B-team tie for second in one. The staff mentored four swimmers and a trio of divers to the NCAA Division III Championships, where the Bombers turned in two All-American and five honorable mention All-American performances.