Men's Outdoor Track and Field | 6/5/2023 1:52:56 PM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference awards on Monday, June 5. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Sophomore Cade Eells of Nazareth University garnered his first Empire 8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honor. Eells earned United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a season-best time of 9:15.23, just missing an Empire 8 record in the event. Eells helped lead Nazareth to its first Empire 8 Outdoor Championship after winning both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5,000-meters, while earning runner-up honors in the 1,500-meters at the league championship meet on May 5-6. Eells is the fourth Golden Flyer to earn E8 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year accolades.
Utica University junior Justin Swavely was named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Swavely finished ninth overall in the javelin throw at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from St. John Fisher University, firing it 61.05 meters. Swavely, who set the Utica program record in the event several times throughout the season and earning USTFCCCA All-Region honors, won the E8 title in the javelin, placed third in the hammer throw and fourth in the shot put at the league championship meet on May 5-6. He set his personal best mark in the javelin of 61.73 meters at the Central New York Fast Chance Meet. Swavely is the first Utica student-athlete to earn E8 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year honors.
First-year standout TyJon Billinger of Utica was named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Rookie of the Year. Billinger excelled in the jumps, winning the long jump at the Empire 8 Championship with a leap of 6.96 meters, while finishing as the runner-up in the triple jump with a jump of 13.85 meters. Both were season-best performances. Billinger is the fifth Utica student-athlete to earn E8 Outdoor Rookie of the Year accolades.
Nazareth head coach James Goss and his staff was named the 2023 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Golden Flyers won their first Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship on May 5-6 at Utica. Nazareth’s depth was evident, as 16 different student-athletes earned first, second or third team All-E8 honors at the league championship.
The Empire 8 first, second and third team all-conference selections were determined at the championship meet on May 5-6 from the Laura M. Casamento Track and Field Complex, hosted by Utica.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023 Men's Outdoor Track & Field 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.
2023 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Award Winners
Track Athlete of the Year: Cade Eells, So., Nazareth
Field Athlete of the Year: Justin Swavely, Jr., Utica
Rookie of the Year: TyJon Billinger, Fr., Utica
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth, led by head coach James Goss
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Steven Jackson, Gr., Alfred
Robert Burns, Jr., Fr., Hartwick
Evan Kurtz, So., Houghton
Matt Reimann, Jr., Nazareth
Isaac Langer, So., Russell Sage
Mathieu Acquard, Sr., St. John Fisher
Ethan Kain, Sr., Utica
2023 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship All-Conference Selections
100-Meter Dash
First Team: Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica – :11.08
Second Team: Neil Peters, Sr., Alfred – :11.09
Third Team: Curtis Cuvilly, Sr., St. John Fisher – :11.10
110-Meter Hurdles
First Team: Kaleb Luton, Sr., Nazareth – :15.00
Second Team: Connor McCauslin, Sr., Nazareth – :15.39
Third Team: Trenton Wynn, Sr., St. John Fisher – :15.74
200-Meter Dash
First Team: Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica - :22.34
Second Team: Brady Bishop, So., St. John Fisher – :22.68
Third Team: Ethan Kain, Sr., Utica – :22.72
400-Meter Dash
First Team: Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica - :49.83
Second Team: Jaylen Savage, Fr., Nazareth – :50.12
Third Team: Michael Puglisi, Fr., Nazareth – :50.58
400-Meter Hurdles
First Team: John Ruggio, Jr., St. John Fisher – :56.52
Second Team: George Mecca, Sr., Alfred – :56.67
Third Team: Jonathan Simmons, Jr., Utica – :57.10
800-Meter Run
First Team: Patrick Healy, Gr., Nazareth – 1:57.65
Second Team: Gavin McAllister, Fr., Nazareth – 1:58.22
Third Team: James Eustace, So., Houghton – 1:58.24
1,500-Meter Run
First Team: Patrick Healy, Gr., Nazareth – 4:04.71
Second Team: Cade Eells, So., St. Nazareth – 4:06.93
Third Team: Nathan Bowers, Sr., Nazareth – 4:07.60
5,000-Meters
First Team: Cade Eells, So., Nazareth – 15:31.60
Second Team: Nathan Bowers, Sr., Nazareth – 15:33.58
Third Team: Caleb Kasper, Jr., Houghton – 15:35.61
10,000-Meters
First Team: Caleb Kasper, Jr., Houghton – 32:34.10
Second Team: Nathan Bowers, Sr., Nazareth – 32:41.08
Third Team: Matt Reimann, Jr., Nazareth – 32:42.15
3,000-Meter Steeplechase
First Team: Cade Eells, So., Nazareth – 9:38.37
Second Team: Michael Roberts, Jr., Utica – 9:46.33
Third Team: Antonio Benitez, Fr., Nazareth – 10:09.70
4 x 100-Meter Relay
First Team: Zuriel Wright, Sr., Andy Hadasz, Jr., Shane Tinney, Jr., Ethan Kain., Sr., Utica – :42.78
Second Team: Curtis Cuvilly, Sr., Trenton Wynn., Sr., Cole Ferris, Fr., Brady Bishop, So., St. John Fisher – :42.99
Third Team: Jaleel Joseph, Fr., Steven Jackson, Gr., John Wendt., Jr., Neil Peters, Sr., Alfred – :43.40
4 x 400-Meter Relay
First Team: Michael Puglisi, Fr., Benjamin Lewis, So., Gavin McCallister, Fr., Jaylen Savage, Fr., Nazareth – 3:23.33
Second Team: Connor Kerr, Jr., Noam Sokolovsky, So., Neil Peters, Sr., George Mecca., Sr., Alfred – 3:25.41
Third Team: Nolan Flynn, Fr., Ethan Kain., Sr., Jonathan Simmons, Jr., Andy Hadasz, Jr., Utica – 3:29.06
4 x 800-Meter Relay
First Team: Mitchell Briggs, Fr., Dylan Esquivel, So., Anthony DiRubbo, Jr., Myles Andersen, Sr., St. John Fisher – 8:10.77
Second Team: Amos Bixler, Fr., James Eustace, So., Colin Campbell, Jr., Collin Nasso, Sr., Houghton – 8:17.07
Third Team: Gavin McCallister, Fr., Ethan Kenyon., So., Nathan McNally, Sr., Lucas Sharron, Sr., Nazareth – 8:17.80
Pole Vault
First Team: Josh Pomerleau, Gr., Nazareth – 4.15 meters
Second Team: Jason Bletsko, Fr., Nazareth – 4.00 meters
Third Team: Brady Szekeres, So., Utica – 3.85 meters
High Jump
First Team: Zuriel Wright, Sr., Utica – 1.99 meters
Second Team: Sean Cochrane, Jr., St. John Fisher – 1.99 meters
Second Team: Bryant DePaull, Fr., St. John Fisher – 1.95 meters
Long Jump
First Team: TyJohn Billinger, Fr., Utica – 6.96 meters
Second Team: Zuriel Wright, Sr., Utica – 6.75 meters
Third Team: Kaleb Luton, Sr., Nazareth – 6.55 meters
Triple Jump
First Team: Ivan Lopez-Testillano, Sr., St. John Fisher – 14.46 meters
Second Team: TyJon Billinger, Fr., Utica – 13.85 meters
Third Team: Zuriel Wright, Sr., Utica – 13.29 meters
Shot Put
First Team: Hunter Logan, Jr., Utica – 15.92 meters
Second Team: John Coddington, Sr., Russell Sage – 15.26 meters
Third Team: Billie Mays III, So., Utica – 14.98 meters meters
Discus Throw
First Team: Antwan Kelly, Sr., Utica – 42.44 meters
Second Team: Nate Florian, Sr., Utica – 41.81 meters
Third Team: Michael McNeil, Jr., Utica – 39.45 meters
Hammer Throw
First Team: Antwan Kelly, Sr., Utica – 52.73 meters
Second Team: John Coddington, Sr., Russell Sage – 49.50 meters
Third Team: Justin Swavely, Jr., Utica – 48.45 meters
Javelin Throw
First Team: Justin Swavely, Jr., Utica – 58.41 meters
Second Team: Kenneth Berlin, Jr., Alfred – 49.03 meters
Third Team: Kaiden Simpson, So., Russell Sage – 47.14 meters
Dectathlon
First Team: Jack Pomykaj, Fr., Nazareth – 5,493 points
Second Team: Maxwell Blowers, Sr., St. John Fisher – 5,069 points
Third Team: Josiah Blowers, Sr., St. John Fisher – 4,524 points
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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