Women's Swimming and Diving | 2/17/2025 7:45:30 AM
Alfred University, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, Hartwick College, and Nazareth University will compete at the 2025 Empire 8 Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships from Wednesday, February 19 to Saturday, February 22 from the Webster Aquatic Center in Webster, NY. Preliminary swimming and diving action begins on all four days at 10 a.m. with the finals taking place at 5:30 p.m. each evening. Nazareth is looking for its seventh straight Empire 8 Championship.
At the conclusion of the meet, an Empire 8 women’s and men’s team 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.
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.
2025 Empire 8 Team Capsules (Order Based on 2024 Championship Finish)
Nazareth, the six-time defending Empire 8 Champion, has a host of student-athletes atop the Empire 8 leaderboard in several events. Amy Barry is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 50-yard freestyle, while Ellen Burroughs was the E8 Champion in the 100-yard freestyle last season. Emily LeFrois-Heath, a 2024-25 E8 Athlete of the Week, enters the meet with the fastest time among all Empire 8 student-athletes in the 400-yard individual medley. Caroline Coleman is an E8 Athlete of the Week this season and will be a top contender in the distance freestyle, while Grace Kanaley is among the E8 leaders in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke. Peyton Buell and Lauren Sanford will compete in the breaststroke events. Nazareth is the four-time defending E8 Champion in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay, three-time defending champion in the 400-yard medley relay and two-time defending champion in the 800-free relay. Diver Elizabeth Tripp, the 2023 Empire 8 Diver of the Year, is the two-time defending champion in the 3-meter event and 2023 champion in the 1-meter. She was a 2021 All-American. Olivia Spinelli and Katheryn Shoots will also vie for honors on the diving board.
Hartwick is looking for its first Empire 8 title after earning runner-up honors in each of the last five 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, Cate Russo, junior Courtney Pierce, also 2023 and 2024 E8 Swimmer of the Year and junior Bree Dy, who was the 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Pierce is the two-time defending E8 Champion in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events and enters the championship with the fastest time in the 200-yard breaststroke this season. She is also a three-time E8 Athlete of the Week. Dy won the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events in 2022. Sophomore standout Dani DeCarlo is the defending Empire 8 Champion in the 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard individual medley, while Russo was the 2024 E8 Champion in the 1,650-freestyle. Russo enters the meet third among all E8 student-athletes in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle this season. Min-Syun Chen will compete for league titles in the breaststroke and 400-yard individual medley. First-year standout Kate Gucciardi is a top contender in the backstroke. Annabelle Lindsay will look to score key points for the Hawks in the diving events as well.
Alfred enters the 2024 Empire 8 Championship looking to improve off third place finishes in each of the last three seasons. First-year standout Elizabeth Share is a two-time E8 Athlete of the Week this season and is among the top contenders in the backstroke and butterfly events. She holds the Alfred University McLane pool record in the 100-yard backstroke. Senior Sarah Anderson is a top contender in the sprint freestyle events. Maureen Derry will represent the Saxons in the individual medley, while Isobell Anderegg, Eden Vallely, Lauren Mott, and Frankie Gorres will look to contribute in a handful of events. Ruby Kavanaugh and Sarah Stolpinski will compete for the Saxons on the diving board.
SUNY Brockport makes its Empire 8 Championship debut and has won seven dual matches this season. Senior Elizabeth Sagan is one of the top sprint freestyle swimmers in the league, as she enters the meet second in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and fifth in the 200-free. Hannah Ramos, Sarah Colwell, and Hannah Pauly will compete in the distance freestyle events. Ramos and Miya Vitale are Brockport’s top backstroke swimmers, while Adrianna Martino and Lindsey Spitz are contenders in the breaststroke. Sarah Kilburn will look to earn a medal in the butterfly, along with Madeline Erhardt. Emma Connor and Jennah Bovay will compete for the Golden Eagles on the diving board.
SUNY Geneseo also makes its Empire 8 Championship debut in 2025 and enters the week ranked 21st in the CSCAA Division III national poll. The Knights won the last 16 SUNYAC Championships dating back to the 2007-08 season. The Knights have tremendous depth throughout the lineup, with five different student-athletes and all five relay teams atop the E8 leaderboards in 2024-25. Sprinter Alex Sotek is enjoying a tremendous season, as she is the current E8 leader in four individual events and has NCAA “B” cut qualifying times in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. She is a four-time Empire 8 Athlete of the Week in 2024-25. Erin Johannsen, Sarah Cooper, and Courtney Sorbello are also strong contenders in the sprint events, along with Nina Chicatelli, who is the current E8 leader in the 200-yard freestyle, 50-yard backstroke, and 200-yard backstroke. Hannah Brockman and Abby Funk are two of the top contenders in both the 200-, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. The Knights have a host of contenders in the backstroke, including Sotek, Chicatelli, Sorbello, Maya Marcyan, Sinead Devaney and Lia Edlin-Miller. Emily Thomas, Sarah Cooper, and Karly Bray lead a strong contingent in the breaststroke. Alise Hale holds a NCAA “B” cut time in the 200-yard butterfly and is also the E8 leader in the 100-fly, along with Sotek and Marianna Santabarbara. Hale, Makalya French, and Bray are top contenders in the individual medley. Lydia Benjamin, an E8 Athlete of the Week, is the current E8 leader on the 3-meter diving board, while Lauren Savage, Sophia Patterson, and Aurora Jacobson will also look to earn key points.
Current 2024-25 Empire 8 Top Times/Scores
50-yard freestyle – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo – :23.08 (NCAA “B” cut qualifying time)
100-yard freestyle – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo – :51.10 (NCAA “B” cut qualifying time)
200-yard freestyle – Nina Chicatelli, SUNY Geneseo – 1:55.73
500-yard freestyle – Abby Funk, SUNY Geneseo – 5:03.31
1,000-yard freestyle – Hannah Brockman, SUNY Geneseo – 10:34.37
1,650-yard freestyle – Hannah Brockman, SUNY Geneseo – 17:23.27
50-yard backstroke – Nina Chicatelli, SUNY Geneseo – :27.11
100-yard backstroke – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo – :57.04
200-yard backstroke – Nina Chicatelli, SUNY Geneseo – 2:07.59
50-yard breaststroke – Emily Thomas, SUNY Geneseo – :30.32
100-yard breaststroke – Emily Thomas, SUNY Geneseo – 1:05.07
200-yard breaststroke – Courtney Pierce, Hartwick – 2:25.23
50-yard butterfly – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo – :26.18
100-yard butterfly – Alise Hale, SUNY Geneseo – :56.29
200-yard butterfly – Alise Hale, SUNY Geneseo – 2:04.43 (NCAA “B” cut qualifying time)
100-yard individual medley – Alex Sotek, SUNY Geneseo – 1:03.18
200-yard individual medley – Alise Hale, SUNY Geneseo – 2:10.96
400-yard individual medley – Emily LeFrois-Heath, Nazareth – 4:35.64
200-yard freestyle relay – SUNY Geneseo – 1:36.01
400-yard freestyle relay – SUNY Geneseo – 3:29.55
800-yard freestyle relay – SUNY Geneseo – 7:52.85
200-yard medley relay – SUNY Geneseo – 1:43.87 (NCAA “B” cut qualifying time)
400-yard medley relay – SUNY Geneseo – 3:50.59
1-meter diving (11-dive) – Elizabeth Tripp, Nazareth – 460.60
3-meter diving (11-dive) – Lydia Benjamin, SUNY Geneseo – 460.55
For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@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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