Men's Swimming and Diving | 3/20/2020 9:58:43 AM
League champion Nazareth College earned at least a share of all four major individual accolades, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2019-20 Men’s Swimming and Diving All-Conference awards on Friday, March 20. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Junior John Koch of Nazareth was named the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Year. Koch, who was also named 2020 Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Championship Swimmer of the Meet last month, won six championship events. Koch won the 200-yard individual medley (1:53.87), 400-yard individual medley (4:08.11), 200-yard butterfly (1:53.38), and was also part of the winning 200-yard medley (1:33.07), 400-yard medley (3:26.07) and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:01.86) teams.
Nazareth junior Sidney Taylor earned Empire 8 Diver of the Year honors. Taylor, who was also named 2020 Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Diver of the Meet last month, won both championship diving events. He annexed the 3-meter title with a score of 487.30 and also won the 1-meter championship, recording 473.80 points.
Diallo Marshall of Hartwick and Dylan Long of Nazareth were named 2019-20 Empire 8 Co-Rookies of the Year.
Marshall enjoyed a tremendous debut season, earning a pair of Empire 8 Rookie of the Week honors, while winning the 50-yard (20.84 seconds) and 100-yard freestyle (46.33 seconds) events at the 2020 Empire 8/Allegheny Empire Championship. He also earned All-Empire 8 second team honors in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay events and 200- and 400-yard medley relay races.
Long exceled for the Golden Flyers in 2019-20 in the distance freestyle events. He capped off an excellent debut season by winning the 200-yard (1:44.85), 500-yard (4:41.25) and 1,650-yard (16:33.54) freestyle events, while helping lead Nazareth’s 800-yard freestyle relay team to victory in a time of 7:01.86 at the Empire 8/Allegheny Empire Championships from Feb. 19-22.
The Nazareth coaching staff, led by head coach Scott Whitbeck was named the Empire 8 Men’s Swimming and Diving Coaching Staff of the Year. The Golden Flyers won their first Empire 8 men’s championship in program history, while nine different student-athletes earned All-Conference honors.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2019-20 Men's Swimming and Diving Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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 sportsmen.
To be named an E8 All-Conference selection, a student athlete must have finished in the top two of an event at the Conference's Championship Meet. Winners of the event are named to the First Team, while the Second Team is comprised of the runner-up from each event.
2019-20 Empire 8 Men’s Swimming and Diving Award Winners
Swimmer of the Year: John Koch, Jr., Nazareth
Diver of the Year: Sidney Taylor, Jr., Nazareth
Co-Rookie of the Year: Diallo Marshall, Fr., Hartwick
Co-Rookie of the Year: Dylan Long, Fr., Nazareth
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth, led by head coach Scott Whitbeck
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Vincent Tamplain, Sr., Alfred
Zach Skelton, Sr., Hartwick
Connor McCabe, Jr., Nazareth
Michael Colocho, Fr., Utica
2019-20 Empire 8 Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship All-Conference Selections
50-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Diallo Marshall, Fr., Hartwick, :20.84
Second Team: Tom Griffin, So., Nazareth, :20.88
100-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Diallo Marshall, Fr., Hartwick, :46.33
Second Team: Tom Griffin, So., Nazareth, :46.35
200-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Dylan Long, Fr., Nazareth – 1:44.85
Second Team: Joey Knapp, So., Nazareth – 1:45.19
500-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Dylan Long, Fr., Nazareth – 4:41.25
Second Team: Noah Koltenuk, Jr., Alfred – 4:41.65
1,650-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Dylan Long, Fr., Nazareth – 16:33.54
Second Team: Nick Canney, Fr., Hartwick – 16:36.60
100-Yard Backstroke
First Team: Tom Griffin, So., Nazareth – :51.22
Second Team: Andy Edmister, Sr., Alfred – :51.51
200-Yard Backstroke
First Team: Andy Edmister, Sr., Alfred – 1:50.92
Second Team: Phil Volaski, Fr., Alfred – 1:52.12
100-Yard Breaststroke
First Team: Yury Chernyak, Sr., Hartwick – :57.18
Second Team: Ryan McLoughlin, Sr., Hartwick – :57.46
200-Yard Breaststroke
First Team: Yury Chernyak, Sr., Hartwick – 2:04.72
Second Team: Ryan McLoughlin, Sr., Hartwick – 2:09.80
100-Yard Butterfly
First Team: Luca Biagiotti, Jr., Nazareth – :51.42
Second Team: Dawson Tupponce, Fr., Hartwick – :51.63
200-Yard Butterfly
First Team: John Koch, Jr., Nazareth – 1:53.38
Second Team: Dawson Tupponce, Fr., Hartwick – 1:54.16
200-Yard Individual Medley
First Team: John Koch, Jr., Nazareth – 1:53.87
Second Team: Phil Volaski, Fr., Alfred – 1:55.36
400-Yard Individual Medley
First Team: John Koch, Jr., Nazareth – 4:08.11
Second Team: Noah Koltenuk, Jr., Alfred – 4:15.96
1-Meter Diving
First Team: Sidney Taylor., Jr., Nazareth – 473.80
Second Team: Logan Cross, Jr., Alfred – 433.20
3-Meter Diving
First Team: Sidney Taylor., Jr., Nazareth – 487.30
Second Team: Logan Cross, Jr., Alfred – 388.20
200-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Tom Griffin, So., Mark Dunkelberg, Sr., Sean Payrot, So., Matt Corona, Fr., Nazareth – 1:24.03
Second Team: Diallo Marshall, Fr., Reid Sinkinson, Fr., Zach Skelton, Sr., Ryan McLoughlin, Sr., Hartwick – 1:26.29
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Tom Griffin, So., Mark Dunkelberg, Sr., Luca Biagiotti, Jr., Matt Corona, Fr., Nazareth – 3:07.25
Second Team: Dawson Tupponce, Fr., Diallo Marshall, Fr., Reid Sinkinson, Fr., Ryan McLoughlin, Sr., Hartwick – 3:10.74
800-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Luca Biagiotti, Jr., Joey Knapp, So., John Koch, Jr., Dylan Long, Fr., Nazareth – 7:01.86
Second Team: Javonte’ Herbert, Sr., Dawson Tupponce, Fr., Zach Skelton, Sr., Ryan McLoughlin, Sr., Hartwick – 7:11.95
200-Yard Medley Relay
First Team: Tom Griffin, So., John Koch, Jr., Luca Biagiotti, Jr., Mark Dunkelberg, Sr., Nazareth – 1:33.07
Second Team: Brennan Walsh, So., Yury Chernyak, Sr., Reid Sinkinson, Fr., Diallo Marshall, Fr., Hartwick – 1:35.88
400-Yard Medley Relay
First Team: Tom Griffin, So., John Koch, Jr., Luca Biagiotti, Jr., Matt Corona, Fr.., Nazareth – 3:26.07
Second Team: Brennan Walsh, So., Ryan McLoughlin, Sr., Dawson Tupponce, Fr., Diallo Marshall, Fr., Hartwick – 3:26.37
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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