Women's Swimming and Diving | 2/15/2022 11:38:00 AM
Alfred University, Hartwick College, Nazareth College and Utica College will compete at the 2022 Empire 8 Championships from Wednesday, February 16 to Saturday, February 19 from the Webster Aquatic Center in Webster, NY. Preliminary action begins the final three days at 10 a.m. with the finals taking place at 5 p.m. each evening. Nazareth is looking for its fourth straight Empire 8 Championship.
In conjunction, the four Empire 8 institutions will join forces with Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference programs Alfred State College, Medaille College, Penn St. Altoona, Penn St. Behrend, Pitt-Bradford and Wells College for the second 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. Nazareth won the inaugural championship in 2020.
The 2021 Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Championship meet was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 above.
2022 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2020 Championship Finish)
Nazareth, the three-time defending Empire 8 Champion has won six dual meets in 2021-22 and have a host of student-athletes atop the Empire 8 leaderboard in several events. Graduate student Taylor Robey, senior Allie Norwood and junior Abigail Santos are the reigning Empire 8 Swimmer, Diver and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Robey has enjoyed an incredible career in the pool, as a three-time All-American to go along with 12 Empire 8 Championships. She is looking for her fourth straight league titles in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, in addition to the 200-yard medley relay. Robey currently has NCAA “B” cut qualifying times in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Santos was the 2020 Empire 8 Champion in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley and enters the 2022 meet with the fastest time in six events this season, including all three breaststroke races. Caroline Martin enters the meet with the fastest time in the 500-freestyle and will be a strong contender in the 1,650-freestyle, while Grace Cioffi has the top time in the 200-yard butterfly. Rebecca Skelley is the current Empire 8 leader in the 50-yard backstroke and 100-yard individual medley, while Alyssa Woodford is the E8 leader in 100- and 200-yard backstroke. Norwood is the two-time defending Empire 8 Champion in the 1- and 3-meter diving events and is also a two-time All-American. Teammate Elizabeth Tripp enters the championship with the top score among all Empire 8 divers in the 1-meter event this season with Alexa Rizzo combining for a strong trio.
Hartwick is looking for its first Empire 8 title after earning runner-up honors in 2020. The Hawks have a host of swimmers who can lead them to a team title, including senior distance freestyle and individual medley specialist, who has the fastest time in the 400-yard individual medley this season. She is also the defending champion in the 200-, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events and was part of the winning 800-yard freestyle relay in 2020. Sophomore Joelle Ocheltree has the fastest time among all E8 student-athletes this season in the 1,650-yard freestyle and will also contend in sprint events. She, along with Miller were E8 Athletes of the Week earlier in 2021-22. Avyanna Chavez-Rodriguez will be a strong contender in both the sprint freestyle, backstroke and butterfly events, while Bree Dy has the second best time among all Empire 8 student-athletes in all three backstroke events and will be a strong contender in the individual medley. Paige Eaton, Jacqueline Drown and Elizabeth Baird are all expected to contribute in several events throughout the championship meet.
Alfred enters the 2022 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of a third place finish in 2020. Junior Ivy Vallely is a strong swimmer in several categories, most notably freestyle distance and breaststroke events, while Sarah Anderson is a strong sprinter and Macie Francisco will look to score points in distance freestyle events. Rachel Flaherty and Anderson will represent the Saxons in the backstroke, while Erika Purdy and Mia Spencer are contenders in the breaststroke. Caitlin Behr can excel in a handful of different events, including the butterfly, while Eden Vallely will look to contribute as well. Diver Victoria Cramp is a top contender in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events and will attempt to continue in the long line of success for Alfred at that position. She was an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week earlier in the year.
Utica is looking to improve off a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Championship. The Pioneers won seven dual matches during the regular season. Katie Delgado, along with Madison West will look to lead the Pioneers in the sprint events, while Kate Anderson is Utica’s top distance swimmer. Amelia Laible, Bailey Simmons and Sara Kuiken will look to earn points in the backstroke events. Kira Seaman is a strong contender in the breaststroke and will look to excel in the butterfly along with Kelly Waryncia. Simmons, Seaman and Kuiken are also contenders in the individual medley. Seaman was an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week earlier in the season.
Current 2021-22 Empire 8 Top Times/Scores
50-yard freestyle – Taylor Robey, Nazareth – :23.28
100-yard freestyle – Taylor Robey, Nazareth – :51.26
200-yard freestyle – Taylor Robey, Nazareth – 1:57.42
500-yard freestyle – Caroline Martin, Nazareth – 5:20.31
1,000-yard freestyle – Caroline Martin, Nazareth – 11:15.37
1,650-yard freestyle – Joelle Ocheltree, Hartwick – 18:34.17
50-yard backstroke – Rebecca Skelley, Nazareth – :27.65
100-yard backstroke – Alyssa Woodford, Nazareth – 1:00.76
200-yard backstroke – Alyssa Woodford, Nazareth – 2:12.67
50-yard breaststroke – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – :32.05
100-yard breaststroke – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – 1:07.80
200-yard breaststroke – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – 2:31.30
50-yard butterfly – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – :27.30
100-yard butterfly – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – :58.76
200-yard butterfly – Grace Cioffi, Nazareth – 2:18.63
100-yard individual medley – Rebecca Skelley, Nazareth – 1:03.91
200-yard individual medley – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – 2:14.18
400-yard individual medley – Abby Miller, Hartwick – 4:55.71
200-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 1:38.74
400-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 3:36.04
800-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 8:02.68
200-yard medley relay – Nazareth – 1:49.70
400-yard medley relay – Hartwick – 4:04.41
1-meter diving (6-dive) – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth – 441.00
3-meter diving (11-dive) – Allie Norwood, Nazareth – 426.45
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on Twitter (@Empire8).
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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