Women's Swimming and Diving | 10/13/2022 8:11:40 AM
Nazareth College will look to win its fifth consecutive Empire 8 title, as the 2022-23 women’s swimming and diving season gets underway on Oct. 15. The 2022-23 Empire 8 Championship, held in conjunction with the Allegheny Empire Championship will take place at the Webster Aquatic Center, hosted by Nazareth from Wednesday, Feb. 15-Saturday, Feb. 18, 2022.
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the
Empire 8 Network.
Players to Watch (Sorted Alphabetically by Name)
Elizabeth Baird, Hartwick, So., Freestyle, Wilton, NY/Saratoga Springs – Baird won the Empire 8 Championship in the 500-yard freestyle last season and will look to excel in the sprint freestyle events in 2022-23.
Ashton Laird, Medaille, Jr., Backstroke, Medina, NY/Medina – Laird will be expected to contend for All-Empire 8 accolades in the backstroke events.
Abigail Santos, Nazareth, Sr., Freestyle/Individual Medley, Gardner, NY/New Paltz – Santos burst onto the scene in 2019-20 after earning the E8 co-Swimmer of the Meet and Rookie of the Year accolades. Santos is a six-time individual winner and seven-time relay winner at the E8 Championships.
Bailey Simmons, Utica, Jr., Distance Freestyle, Vernon Center, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill – Simmons returns as Utica’s top swimmer in 2022-23 and will look to garner All-Empire 8 honors in the distance freestyle events.
Ivy Vallely, Alfred, Jr., Freestyle, Lancaster, NY/Lancaster – Vallely will look to contend for All-Empire 8 accolades in the distance freestyle events in addition to the 400-yard individual medley.
Team Capsules (Sorted by 2021-22 Championship Results)
Nazareth
The Golden Flyers are aiming to win their fifth straight Empire 8 Championship in 2022-23. Despite the loss of 2022 All-Americans Taylor Robey and Allie Norwood to graduation, Nazareth returns a strong group on both the swimming and diving side this season. Senior standout Abigail Santos, the 2019-20 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, is a standout in the individual medley events. She is a two-time defending Empire 8 Champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard butterfly, and 200-yard medley relay and a seven-time relay champion. Juniors Grace Cioffi and Julie Filipski are also back after winning league titles last year. Cioffi was the E8 Champion in both the 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard individual medley, while Filipski won the 200-yard breaststroke. On the diving side, Alexa Rizzo is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 1-meter board, while Elizabeth Tripp was second in that event last year and will be a strong contender on the 3-meter board as well.
Hartwick
The Hawks will attempt to earn their first Empire 8 Championship this season. Junior Joelle Ocheltree returns after a tremendous 2021-22 season in which she won the Empire 8 Championship in the 1,650-yard freestyle, while earning runner-up accolades in the 500-yard freestyle. Sophomore Bree Dy is the defending Empire 8 Champion in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events and was the runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley. Classmate Elizabeth Baird is a standout in the middle-distance freestyle events. She returns as the defending champion in the 500-yard freestyle relay. will also be counted on to play a key role for the Hawks in 2021-22. Newcomers Courtney Pierce expected to step right in and compete right away in both the individual medley and breaststroke events.
Alfred
Alfred will look to contend for the league title in 2022-23. Senior Ivy Vallely will be counted on to be one of Alfred’s top swimmers, specializing in the distance events and 400-yard individual medley. Junior Mia Spencer will look to excel in the breaststroke and freestyle events in 2022-23. Sophomore Sarah Anderson, along with juniors Macie Francisco and Erika Purdy are also expected to play a major role in Alfred’s success this season.
Utica
Utica will look to improve on its fourth place finish at the 2021-22 Empire 8 Championship. Graduate students Kira Seaman (breaststroke and individual medley) and Kelly Waryncia (butterfly) along with seniors Sara Kuiken (backstroke and freestyle), Bailey Simmons (distance freestyle, junior Kim Serio (breaststroke) and first-year student-athlete Paige Levine (freestyle) will be counted on to lead the Pioneers in and out of the pool in 2022-23.
Medaille
Medaille makes its Empire 8 debut in 2022-23. The Mavericks were formerly a member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference as they competed against E8 programs at the Allegheny Empire Championships in 2020 and 2022. The Mavericks finished 10th overall at last year’s championship and return a handful of student-athletes from last season, including senior Ashton Laird and junior Kadynce Brown. First-year student-athletes Lindsey Johnson and Rachel Vazquez will also be counted on to lead the Mavericks in 2022-23.
Final 2021-22 Empire 8 Swimming and Diving Championship Results
Nazareth – 1,154 Points – League Champions
Hartwick – 574
Alfred – 517
Utica – 320
^ Medaille joins the Empire 8 for the 2022-23 season
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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
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