Women's Swimming and Diving | 2/13/2023 3:08:25 PM
Alfred University, Hartwick College, Medaille University, Nazareth College and Utica University will compete at the
2023 Empire 8 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships from Wednesday, February 15 to Saturday, February 18 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 fifth straight Empire 8 Championship.
In conjunction, the five Empire 8 institutions will join forces with Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference programs Alfred State College, Penn St. Altoona, Penn St. Behrend, Pitt-Bradford and Wells College for the third
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 and repeated as victors in 2022.
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.
2023 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2022 Championship Finish)
Nazareth, the four-time defending Empire 8 Champion, has won five dual meets in 2022-23 and have a host of student-athletes atop the Empire 8 leaderboard in several events. Senior Abigail Santos was the 2020 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and is a six-time individual and seven-time relay champion. She enters the 2023 meet as the two-time defending champion in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley. Julie Filipski is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 200-yard breaststroke and enters the 2023 meet with the fastest current time among E8 swimmers in that event. Grace Cioffi won both the 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard individual medley in 2022 and enters the meet with the top time in both events this season. Sophomore Elizabeth Deck enters the meet with the top times in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, while classmate Caroline Coleman has the fastest time in the 200-freestyle. Senior Rebecca Skelley is a top contender in the breaststroke, while classmate Darby McNamara is a strong contender in the butterfly. Isabella Jaskowski is the E8 leader in 50- and 100-yard backstroke. Divers Alexa Rizzo and Elizabeth Tripp form a tremendous 1-2 combo. Rizzo is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 1-meter diving event, while Tripp enters the championship with the top score among all Empire 8 divers in the 3-meter event.
Hartwick is looking for its first Empire 8 title after earning runner-up honors in both 2020 and 2022. The Hawks have a deep group of swimmers who can lead them to a team title, including sophomore Bree Dy, who was the 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and is the defending E8 Champion in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. She also has the fastest time entering the championship in the 100-yard individual medley. Junior Joelle Ocheltree is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle and enters the 2023 title meet with fastest time among all E8 student-athletes this season in the 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. She was a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week earlier in the season. Sophomore Elizabeth Baird is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 500-yard freestyle and will contend in the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. Courtney Pierce is a contender in the sprint freestyle and breaststroke events. Amanda Wilbur, who was an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week, will contend in the butterfly events. Avery Sommo and Jacqueline Drown are also set to earn valuable points for the Hawks as well.
Alfred enters the 2023 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of a third place finish in 2022. Senior Ivy Vallely is a strong swimmer in several categories, most notably freestyle distance and breaststroke events and was an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week earlier in the season. Sarah Anderson and Kamila Roman are strong sprinters, while Macie Francisco will also look to score points in distance freestyle events. Roman enters the championship having recorded the fastest times among E8 student-athletes this season in the 50- and 100-yard butterfly events. Mia Spencer has the top time in the 50-yard breaststroke and is a top contender in the individual medley. Alexandra Simmons, Maureen Derry and Anderson will represent the Saxons in the backstroke, while Eden Vallely will look to contribute in the breaststroke as well and Derry is also a contender in the butterfly.
Utica is looking to improve off a fourth-place finish at the 2020 Championship. The Pioneers won eight dual matches during the regular season. Bailey Simmons, along with Paige Levine will look to lead the Pioneers in the sprint events, while Levine is also Utica’s top distance swimmer. Sara Kuiken and Simmons will look to earn points in the backstroke events. Ainsley Vyse, Kim Serio are contenders in the breaststroke and will look to excel in the butterfly along with Kira Seaman. Levine, Simmons and Aimme Oswald are also contenders in the individual medley.
Empire 8 newcomer
Medaille will look for a strong performance in its debut season. Senior Ashton Laird, junior Kadynce Brown and first-year swimmers Lindsey Johnson and Rachel Vazquez will compete. Vazquez is a contender in the butterfly events, while Laird is Medaille’s top swimmer in the backstroke. Brown is a freestyle and butterfly contender.
Current 2022-23 Empire 8 Top Times/Scores
50-yard freestyle – Elizabeth Deck, Nazareth – :25.32
100-yard freestyle – Elizabeth Deck, Nazareth – :55.12
200-yard freestyle – Caroline Coleman, Nazareth – 2:00.56
500-yard freestyle – Joelle Ocheltree, Hartwick – 5:26.15
1,000-yard freestyle – Joelle Ocheltree, Hartwick – 11:25.61
1,650-yard freestyle – Joelle Ocheltree, Hartwick – 18:44.97
50-yard backstroke – Isabella Jaskowski, Nazareth – :28.67
100-yard backstroke – Isabella Jaskowski, Nazareth – 1:00.78
200-yard backstroke – Alyssa Woodford, Nazareth – 2:12.08
50-yard breaststroke – Mia Spencer, Alfred – :36.93
100-yard breaststroke – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – 1:09.12
200-yard breaststroke – Julie Filipski, Nazareth – 2:32.38
50-yard butterfly – Kamila Roman, Alfred – :27.81
100-yard butterfly – Kamila Roman, Alfred – :59.58
200-yard butterfly – Grace Cioffi, Nazareth – 2:18.51
100-yard individual medley – Brianna Dy, Hartwick – 1:05.34
200-yard individual medley – Abigail Santos, Nazareth – 2:15.97
400-yard individual medley – Grace Cioffi, Nazareth – 4:55.37
200-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 1:43.12
400-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 3:44.68
800-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 8:18.25
200-yard medley relay – Nazareth – 1:52.08
400-yard medley relay – Nazareth – 4:14.00
1-meter diving (11-dive) – Alexa Rizzo, Nazareth – 477.35
3-meter diving (11-dive) – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth – 417.70
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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