Men's Swimming and Diving | 2/12/2020 5:10:21 PM
Alfred University, Hartwick College, Nazareth College and Utica will compete at the 2020 Empire 8 Championships from Wednesday, February 19 to Saturday, February 22 from the Webster Aquatic Center in Webster, NY. Hartwick will serve as meet host. Preliminary action begins each day at 10 a.m. with the finals taking place at 5:30 p.m. There will be a new league champion crowned.
In conjunction, the four Empire 8 institutions will join forces with Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference programs Penn St. Behrend, Alfred State College, Pitt-Bradford, Penn St. Altoona, Franciscan University and SUNY Delhi for the inaugural Allegheny Empire Championships. At the conclusion of the meet, an Allegheny Empire Women’s and Men’s Champion will be crowned as well as a Male and Female Swimmer and Diver of the Meet. The top three finishers in each event will also be recognized.
Live video and results will be available throughout the four-day event. For more on this year's championship - including daily video links, heat sheets, results, and updated information - please head to the
Championship Central page.
2020 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2019 Championship Finish)
Nazareth is looking for its first Empire 8 crown in 2020. Sophomore Tom Griffin is looking for even greater success after winning the 100-yard backstroke in last year’s championship on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors. He enters the meet as the fastest E8 swimmer in both the 50- and 100-yard backstroke events and is among the fastest swimmers in the sprint freestyle. Senior Mark Dunkelburg, an E8 Athlete of the Week, enters as the fastest swimmer in the 50-yard freestyle and is a top contender in all three sprint freestyle events along with teammate Matt Corona. Dylan Long and Connor McCabe are both strong contenders in the distance freestyle events. John Koch leads a deep Nazareth contingent in the butterfly. He is a two-time E8 defending champion in the 200-yard butterfly. In addition, teammate Luca Biagiotti enters with the fastest time in the 100-fly. Koch and Biagiotti are also the fastest swimmers in all three individual medley events with teammate Marco Salvatore right behind. Luke Winkelman will look to represent Nazareth in all three breaststroke events. Sidney Taylor, an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week earlier in the season, enters the championship with the best diving scorers in both the the 1- and 3-meter diving events. He will receive a strong challenge from teammate Cameron Kenealy.
Hartwick is looking for its first Empire 8 title since 2006. The Hawks won a league-high 10 dual matches in 2019-20 and boast a deep group of student-athletes. Senior Yury Chernyak is a four-time Empire 8 Athlete of the Week this season and is currently the fastest swimmer in all three breaststroke events. First-year standout Diallo Marshall, a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week, enters the championship as the fastest swimmer in the 100-yard freestyle and is among the fastest in the 50-free, along with the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke and 50- and 100-yard butterfly events. Fellow first-year Dawson Tupponce has the fastest time among all E8 swimmers in the 200-yard freestyle and enters second overall in the 200-yard butterfly. Senior Ryan McLoughlin is among the E8 leaders in several events, including the 500-yard freestyle and 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events. Issac Waide, Nic Canney and Javonte Herbert will lead the Hawks in the distance freestyle events. Brennan Walsh and James Lukasik are a strong 1-2 punch for the Hawks in the backstroke races, while Oleg Gentry and Reid Sinkinson will contribute in the butterfly. Diver Jordan Leandro will look to gain valuable points for the Hawks.
Alfred enters the 2020 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of last season’s fourth place finish. Senior Andy Edmister is a three-time E8 Athlete of the Week in 2019-20 and will look to repeat as league champion in 200-yard backstroke. He enters the championship as the fastest E8 student-athlete in the 200-yard backstroke and is second in the 100-back. Edmister, Ryan Brown and Dylan Canaveral are solid contenders in the sprint freestyle events, while Noah Koltenuk and Luke Foery will look to excel in the distance freestyle races. Koltenuk enters the championship with the fastest time among all E8 student-athletes in the 1,000-yard freestyle. Phillip Volaski will look to join Edmister at the top of the leaderboard in the backstroke events. Justin Jarmer, Colin Schultz and Volaski are Alfred’s best swimmers in the breaststroke, while Canaveral, Vincent Tamplain and Justin Chadima are strong contenders in the butterfly. Divers Logan Cross, Billy Mirenda and Max Sereno will attempt to continue in the long line of success for Alfred at that position. Cross has been among the top-three divers in the E8 all season.
Utica is looking to improve off a fifth-place finish in last year’s championship. The Pioneers won four dual matches during the regular season. Jackson Sorbello will look to lead the Pioneers in the sprint events, while Coleman Barry is Utica’s top distance swimmer. Barry, Michael Leyburn and Nick Massa will look to earn points in the backstroke events. Leyburn is also a strong contender in the breaststroke events, while Sorbello and Lucas DiLego, along with Barry and Leyburn are also standouts in the individual medley and butterfly. Matt Patton and Terrell Davis will look to contribute in diving events.
Current 2019-20 Empire 8 Top Times
50-yard freestyle – Mark Dunkelberg, Nazareth – :21.24
100-yard freestyle – Diallo Marshall, Hartwick – :47.36
200-yard freestyle – Dawson Tupponce, Hartwick – 1:46.38
500-yard freestyle – Dylan Long, Nazareth – 4:48.98
1,000-yard freestyle – Noah Koltenuk, Alfred – 10:13.66
1,650-yard freestyle – Isaac Waide, Hartwick – 16:55.09
50-yard backstroke – Tom Griffin, Nazareth – :24.07
100-yard backstroke – Tom Griffin, Nazareth – :52.55
200-yard backstroke – Andy Edmister, Alfred – 1:56.25
50-yard breaststroke – Yury Chernyak, Hartwick – :27.73
100-yard breaststroke – Yury Chernyak, Hartwick – :57.66
200-yard breaststroke – Yury Chernyak, Hartwick – 2:06.20
50-yard butterfly – John Koch, Nazareth – :24.64
100-yard butterfly – Luca Biagiotti, Nazareth – :51.88
200-yard butterfly – John Koch, Nazareth – 1:55.76
100-yard individual medley – Luca Biagiotti, Nazareth – :53.76
200-yard individual medley – John Koch, Nazareth – 1:57.47
400-yard individual medley – John Koch, Nazareth – 4:13.09
200-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 1:25.62
400-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 3:10.80
800-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 7:08.86
200-yard medley relay – Nazareth – 1:35.59
400-yard medley relay – Nazareth – 3:31.96
1-meter diving (6-dive) – Sidney Taylor, Nazareth – 294.35
3-meter diving (6-dive) – Sidney Taylor, Nazareth – 335.50
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
Ticket Information
$30 All-Session Pass
$10 All-Day Pass Adults
$5 Per-Session Pass Empire 8/AMCC Student With ID
12 & Under - Free
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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