Women's Swimming and Diving | 2/13/2024 1:40:04 PM
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. Nazareth is looking for its sixth straight Empire 8 Championship.
In conjunction, the three 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 fourth 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 and 2023.
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)
Nazareth, the five-time defending Empire 8 Champion, has won four dual meets in 2023-24 and have a host of student-athletes atop the Empire 8 leaderboard in several events. Julie Filipski is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 200-yard individual medley and 2022 200-yard breaststroke champion. She enters the 2024 meet with the fastest current time among E8 swimmers in both the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-IM. Grace Cioffi is the two-time defending champion in both the 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard individual medley. Junior Elizabeth Deck is the defending 50-yard freestyle champion, while classmate Caroline Coleman is a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week this season. Isabella Jaskowski is the current E8 leader in 50- and 200-yard backstroke and defending champion in the 100-yard backstroke. Senior Alyssa Woodford is the defending E8 champ in the 200-yard backstroke. First-year standout Ellen Burroughs is the E8 leader in the 100-yard freestyle. Divers Alexa Rizzo and Elizabeth Tripp form a tremendous 1-2 combo. Tripp was the 2023 Empire 8 Diver of the Year and Allegheny Empire Diver of the Meet after winning both the 1- and 3-meter events last season. Rizzo was the 2022 Empire 8 Champion in the 1-meter diving event and enters with the top score in that event this season. 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 each of the last four championship meets. The Hawks have a deep group of swimmers who can lead them to a team title, including the last two Rookies of the Year, sophomore Courtney Pierce, also the 2023 E8 Swimmer of the Year and junior Bree Dy, who was the 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Pierce is the defending E8 Champion in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events and enters the championship with the fastest time in the 100-yard breaststroke this season. Dy won the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events in 2022 and enters the 2024 championship with the fastest time in the league in the 100-back this season. Junior Ellie Baird is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events and was also the 2022 champion in the 500-yard freestyle. She has the fastest Empire 8 time this season in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. First-year standout Min-Syun (Elaine) Chen is a three-time E8 Athlete of the Week this season and has the top time this season among E8 student-athletes in the 50-yard breaststroke and 400-yard individual medley. Fellow first-year standouts Dani DeCarlo and Cate Russo will also be counted on for key contributions. DeCarlo is the E8 leader in the 200-yard butterfly, while Russo has the top time in the 200-yard freestyle. Amanda Wilbur and Avery Sommo will look to score key points for the Hawks as well.
Alfred enters the 2024 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off of third place finishes in 2022 and 2023. Senior Mia Spencer is a strong swimmer in several categories, most notably individual medley and breaststroke events and was an Empire 8 Athlete of the Week earlier in the season. She has the top E8 time in the 100-yard individual medley this season. Kamila Roman enters the championship meet with the fastest time among all E8 student-athletes in both the 50- and 100-yard butterfly events, while Sarah Anderson is the current leader in the 50-yard freestyle. Mariam Kiragu and Maureen Derry will represent the Saxons in the backstroke, while Eden Vallely, Anna Musciatello and Erika Purdy will look to contribute in a handful of events.
Current 2023-24 Empire 8 Top Times/Scores
50-yard freestyle – Sarah Anderson, Alfred – :25.48
100-yard freestyle – Ellen Burroughs, Nazareth – :56.37
200-yard freestyle – Cate Russo, Hartwick – 1:59.57
500-yard freestyle – Ellie Baird, Hartwick – 5:21.61
1,000-yard freestyle – Cate Russo, Hartwick – 11:19.00
1,650-yard freestyle – Ellie Baird, Hartwick – 18:43.59
50-yard backstroke – Isabella Jaskowski, Nazareth – :29.28
100-yard backstroke – Bree Dy, Hartwick – 1:03.19
200-yard backstroke – Isabella Jaskowski, Nazareth – 2:17.37
50-yard breaststroke – Min-Syun Chen, Hartwick – :32.72
100-yard breaststroke – Courtney Pierce, Hartwick – 1:09.50
200-yard breaststroke – Julie Filipski, Nazareth – 2:30.69
50-yard butterfly – Kamila Roman, Alfred – :27.80
100-yard butterfly – Kamila Roman, Alfred – 1:00.83
200-yard butterfly – Dani DeCarlo, Hartwick – 2:24.25
100-yard individual medley – Mia Spencer, Alfred – 1:04.06
200-yard individual medley – Julie Filipski, Nazareth – 2:14.76
400-yard individual medley – Min-Syun Chen, Hartwick – 5:02.26
200-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 1:43.24
400-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 3:46.57
800-yard freestyle relay – Nazareth – 8:07.53
200-yard medley relay – Nazareth – 1:54.83
400-yard medley relay – Hartwick – 4:12.54
1-meter diving (11-dive) – Alexa Rizzo, Nazareth – 473.10
3-meter diving (11-dive) – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth – 467.40
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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