Women's Swimming and Diving | 4/2/2024 2:55:54 PM
Hartwick College sophomore Courtney Pierce earned her second straight Empire 8 Swimmer of the Year honor, while Nazareth University All-American Alexa Rizzo was named Diver of the Year, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023-24 Women’s Swimming & Diving All-Conference awards on Tuesday, April 2. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Pierce was named the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Championship Meet for the second straight season, held in conjunction with the Allegheny Empire Championships from Webster Aquatic Center from February 14-17. She won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:06.75 on Feb. 16 and took the 200-yard breaststroke on Feb. 17, hitting the wall first in an Allegheny Empire meet record time of 2:24.52. In addition, she was second in the 200-yard individual medley and helped Hartwick to second place finishes in the 400-yard medley relay events and 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay. Pierce is a four-time E8 individual champion and becomes the fifth student-athlete in Empire 8 history to earn multiple Swimmer of the Year honors.
Nazareth University senior Alexa Rizzo was named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Diver of Year. Rizzo earned All-American honors in the 1-meter diving at the 2024 NCAA Championships, placing third overall. It was the best finish in diving by an Empire 8 student-athlete since Nickie Griesemer of Ithaca College earned runner-up honors in the 3-meter diving in 2017. Rizzo also claimed her second Allegheny Empire and Empire 8 Championship in the 1-meter diving event earlier in the season. She is fourth straight Golden Flyer to earn Diver of the Year honors, spanning the last six seasons.
Hartwick first-year distance standout Cate Russo was named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Russo won the Empire 8 title in the grueling 1,650-yard freestyle event by 13 seconds in a time of 18:17.34 and was the E8 runner-up in both the 200- (1:58.51) and 500-yard (5:17.48) freestyle races. She was also part of the winning 200-yard medley relay and 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams that earned runner-up honors. Russo is the third straight Hartwick student-athlete to earn E8 Rookie of the Year honors and fourth overall in program history.
Nazareth head coach Chris Heckman and his staff earned Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the third consecutive season. It is the sixth straight season that Nazareth earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors, as the Golden Flyers won their sixth consecutive Empire 8 Championship. Overall, 11 different Golden Flyers earned All-Empire 8 accolades.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023-24 Women's Swimming & Diving 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 sportswomen.
To be named an E8 All-Conference selection, a student athlete must have finished in the top two of an event at the Conference's Championship Meet, which was held February 14-17 from the Webster Aquatic Center. Winners of the event are named to the First Team, while the Second Team is comprised of the runner-up from each event.
2023-24 Empire 8 Women’s Swimming & Diving Award Winners
Swimmer of the Year: Courtney Pierce, So., Hartwick
Diver of the Year: Alexa Rizzo, Sr., Nazareth
Rookie of the Year: Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth, led by head coach Chris Heckman
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Olivia Richeda, So., Alfred
Meghan Geczy, Sr., Hartwick
Alyssa Woodford, Sr., Nazareth
2023-24 Empire 8 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship All-Conference Selections
50-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Amy Barry, Jr., Nazareth – :25.46
Second Team: Sarah Anderson, Jr., Alfred – :25.54
100-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Ellen Burroughs, Fr., Nazareth – :54.56
Second Team: Sarah Anderson, Jr., Alfred – :55.32
200-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Julie Filipski, Sr., Nazareth – 1:58.02
Second Team: Cate Russo, Fr, Hartwick – 1:58.51
500-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Ellie Baird, Jr., Hartwick – 5:13.10
Second Team: Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick – 5:17.48
1,650-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick – 18:17.34
Second Team: Caroline Coleman, Jr., Nazareth – 18:30.61
100-Yard Backstroke
First Team: Isabella Jaskowski, Sr., Nazareth – 1:00.53
Second Team: Bree Dy, Jr., Hartwick – 1:00.75
200-Yard Backstroke
First Team: Isabella Jaskowski, Sr., Nazareth – 2:12.45
Second Team: Alyssa Woodford, Sr., Nazareth – 2:15.23
100-Yard Breaststroke
First Team: Courtney Pierce, So., Hartwick – 1:06.75
Second Team: Elaine Chen, Fr., Hartwick – 1:08.29
200-Yard Breaststroke
First Team: Courtney Pierce, So., Hartwick – 2:24.52
Second Team: Elaine Chen, Fr., Hartwick – 2:25.16
100-Yard Butterfly
First Team: Kamila Roman, So., Alfred – 1:01.18
Second Team: Amanda Wilbur, Jr., Hartwick – 1:01.94
200-Yard Butterfly
First Team: Dani DeCarlo, Fr., Hartwick – 2:17.19
Second Team: Grace Cioffi, Sr., Nazareth – 2:19.64
200-Yard Individual Medley
First Team: Julie Filipski, Sr., Nazareth – 2:10.26
Second Team: Courtney Pierce, Jr., Hartwick – 2:13.18
400-Yard Individual Medley
First Team: Dani DeCarlo, Fr., Hartwick – 4:47.28
Second Team: Grace Cioffi, Sr., Nazareth – 4:55.92
1-Meter Diving
First Team: Alexa Rizzo, Sr., Nazareth – 486.75
Second Team: Elizabeth Tripp, Sr., Nazareth – 451.35
3-Meter Diving
First Team: Elizabeth Tripp, Sr., Nazareth – 451.80
Second Team: Alexa Rizzo, Sr., Nazareth – 386.70
200-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Julie Filipski, Sr., Amy Barry, Jr., Ellen Burroughs, Fr., Caroline Coleman, Jr., Nazareth – 1:39.78
Second Team: Courtney Pierce, Jr., Ellie Baird, Jr., Meghan Geczy, Sr., Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick – 1:43.47
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Julie Filipski, Sr., Isabella Jaskowski, Sr., Ellen Burroughs, Fr., Caroline Coleman, Jr., Nazareth – 3:39.42
Second Team: Bree Dy, So., Elizabeth Baird, Jr., Courtney Pierce, So., Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick – 3:43.75
800-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Julie Filipski, Sr., Ally Putnam, Fr., Ellen Burroughs, Fr., Caroline Coleman, Jr., Nazareth – 7:54.79
Second Team: Elizabeth Baird, Jr., Bree Dy, Jr., Amanda Wilbur, Jr., Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick – 8:06.32
200-Yard Medley Relay
First Team: Bree Dy, Jr., Elaine Chen, Fr., Amanda Wilbur, Jr., Cate Russo, Fr., Hartwick – 1:50.22
Second Team: Mariam Kiragu, Fr., Mia Spencer, Sr., Kamila Roman, So., Sarah Anderson, Jr., Alfred – 1:52.96
400-Yard Medley Relay
First Team: Isabella Jaskowski, Sr., Julie Filipski, Sr., Grace Cioffi, Sr., Caroline Coleman, Jr., Nazareth – 4:03.93
Second Team: Bree Dy, Jr., Courtney Pierce, So., Amanda Wilbur, Jr., Elizabeth Baird, Jr., Hartwick – 4:05.19
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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