Men's Swimming and Diving | 2/13/2024 8:50:12 AM
Alfred University, Hartwick College and Nazareth University will compete at the 2024 Empire 8 Championships from Wednesday, February 14 to Saturday, February 17 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. Alfred is attempting to repeat as E8 Champions.
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 in 2022 before Alfred State won last season.
The 2021 Empire 8 and Allegheny Empire Championship meet was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Live video 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.
2024 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2023 Championship Finish)
Alfred won its first league title since 2009 last season and is looking to repeat as champions in 2024. The Saxons have a bevy of top student-athletes competing. Junior William LaMastus is the two-time defending league champion in the 100-yard backstroke and 2023 400-yard individual medley champ. He has the fastest time this season in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard backstroke events and 400-yard individual medley. He is a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week this season. Junior Emiliano Terrazas was the 2022 league champion in the 200-yard breaststroke and is a top contender in several events. Colby Watkins is the two-time defending champion in the 100-yard butterfly, while Phillip Volaski enters the 2024 meet as the two-time defending champion in the 200-yard backstroke. Paul Tuttle and will also be a top contender in the backstroke events. Seniors Fernando Lagos and Alessandro Lagos Canales will also be in the mix to claim E8 titles in the sprint events, along with first-year Emmanuel Drappatz. Drappatz and Wade LaMastus have earned E8 Athlete of the Week honors this season. Divers Ryan Way and Deaglan Doyle will also look to earn key points for the Saxons and contend in both diving events.
Hartwick is looking for its first Empire 8 title since 2006. The Hawks won eight dual matches in 2023-24 and boast a deep group of student-athletes. Senior Mikey Schultz is the reigning two-time Empire 8 Swimmer and 2022 Rookie of the Year. He has enjoyed another excellent season, having earned Empire 8 weekly honors four times. He enters the meet with the league’s top times in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard butterfly events in addition to the 200-yard individual medley. Schultz is the two-time defending Empire 8 Champion in both the 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley. He is also a strong contender in the backstroke. First-year standouts Hassan Abdelwahed and Cameron Drake have enjoyed excellent debut seasons to date. Abdelwahed was an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week and enters the championship meet with the top time in the 50-, 100- and 200- breaststroke events, while Drake has the fastest times in the 500- and 1,650-freestyle races. Senior Brady Haraden enters the championship meet with the second best time in both the 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle in 2023-24 and will be joined by teammate Nic Tirrell Canney to form a strong trio in the distance events. Bryce Rogers is a strong sprinter, while Owen James and Eamon Griffin will form a strong dup in the backstroke. Evan Nezat is a contender in the backstroke events, while Boden Tito will compete in the individual medley races. Senior Jack Armstrong was the 2023 Empire 8 Diver of the Year and is the defending E8 Champion in both the 1- and 3-meter events. Armstrong has the top score in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events among all E8 divers this season.
Nazareth is looking to earn its third Empire 8 Championship in four seasons in 2024. Senior Ryan Hough enters with the top time among E8 student-athletes in the 50-, 100, and 200-yard freestyle events. He is also the two-time defending E8 champion in the 100-yard freestyle and defending 50-free champion. Hough is a three-time Athlete of the Week this season. Senior Cameron Fairley was the 2022 E8 Champion in the 500-yard freestyle and was an E8 Athlete of the Week in 2023-24, while classmate Kai D’Alessandro won the Empire 8 Championship in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 2022 and is a contender in the backstroke events. Juniors Adam DelGrand and William Danaher are standouts in the butterfly, while first-years Jackson Gerbes and Gianluca Antonini will look to contend in the distance freestyle events. Carl Parsons will compete for league titles in the breaststroke and individual medley. The Golden Flyers enter with the top times in both the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays this season.
Current 2023-24 Empire 8 Top Times
50-yard freestyle – Ryan Hough, Nazareth – :21.14
100-yard freestyle – Ryan Hough, Nazareth – :46.09
200-yard freestyle – Ryan Hough, Nazareth – 1:43.86
500-yard freestyle – Cameron Drake, Hartwick – 4:53.53
1,000-yard freestyle – Cameron Drake, Hartwick – 10:14.35
1,650-yard freestyle – Cameron Drake, Hartwick – 17:00.00
50-yard backstroke – Will LaMastus, Alfred – :23.95
100-yard backstroke – Will LaMastus, Alfred – :51.83
200-yard backstroke – Will LaMastus, Alfred – 1:56.32
50-yard breaststroke – Hassan Abdelwahed, Hartwick – :27.15
100-yard breaststroke – Hassan Abdelwahed, Hartwick – :57.59
200-yard breaststroke – Hassan Abdelwahed, Hartwick – 2:09.18
50-yard butterfly – Mikey Schultz, Hartwick – :23.60
100-yard butterfly – Mikey Schultz, Hartwick – :50.50
200-yard butterfly – Mikey Schultz, Hartwick – 1:51.60
100-yard individual medley – Emiliano Terrazas, Alfred – :54.33
200-yard individual medley – Mikey Schultz, Hartwick – 1:56.12
400-yard individual medley – Will LaMastus, Alfred – 4:15.72
200-yard freestyle relay – Alfred – 1:27.82
400-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 3:13.56
800-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 7:13.11
200-yard medley relay – Alfred – 1:35.15
400-yard medley relay – Alfred – 3:29.30
1-meter diving (11-dive) – Jack Armstrong, Hartwick – 452.10
3-meter diving (11-dive) – Jack Armstrong, Hartwick – 445.15
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X (@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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