Men's Swimming and Diving | 4/1/2025 2:57:09 PM
Two-time NCAA Division III National Champion diver Trent Makowiec of SUNY Geneseo headlined individual honors, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2024-25 Men’s Swimming & Diving All-Conference awards on Tuesday, April 1. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Makowiec was the NCAA Division III National Champion in the both 1- and 3-meter diving events to become the second Empire 8 national champion. In addition, Makowiec garnered Empire 8 Diver of the Championship Meet accolades after setting E8 Championship records in both events. He broke an 11-year-old Empire 8 Championship record previously held by All-American Matt Morrison in the 3-meter diving event on Feb. 19, finishing with a score of 614.80. Two days later, Makowiec claimed the 1-meter diving title, winning with a final score of 592.40. Makowiec shattered the overall league record in both events with a score of 605.50 in the 1-meter and 625.90 in the 3-meter.
SUNY Geneseo sophomore Brian Pabisch was named the 2024-25 Empire 8 Swimmer of the Year. Pabisch earned Second Team All-American honors in the 50-yard freestyle and was part of Geneseo’s 200-yard freestyle relay that also garnered All-American accolades. Pabisch was named the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Championship Meet after winning individual titles in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle and was runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle. Pabisch was also part of the winning 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams. He was a three-time E8 Athlete of the Week in 2024-25 and set league records in the 50-free (:20.15, breaking a 19-year-old league mark), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:20.34) and 400-free relay (3:00.96).
Alfred University first year Carlos Gonzalez was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Gonzalez enjoyed an excellent debut for the Saxons, finishing as the runner-up in the 400-yard individual medley (4:01.25) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:04.42), while placing fourth in the 200-yard individual medley at the 2025 Empire 8 Championships. He also led Alfred’s 400-yard medley relay team to a second-place finish in addition to third place finishes for the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams. Gonzalez was a four-time Empire 8 Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year during the 2024-25 season.
The SUNY Geneseo coaching staff, led by head coach Paul Dotterweich, diving coach Shawn Austin, and assistant coach Noah Farmer earned Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The Knights won the 2024-25 Empire 8 Championship in their first year as a league member. Fourteen different Knights earned All-Empire 8 accolades. In addition, the Knights finished 21st at the NCAA Championships, while Makowiec, Pabisch, Dylan Gallub, Jake Nielsen and Jordan Nielsen earned All-American accolades.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024-25 Men'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 sportsmen.
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 19-22 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.
2024-25 Empire 8 Men’s Swimming & Diving
Award Winners
Swimmer of the Year: Brian Pabisch, So., SUNY Geneseo
Diver of the Year: Trent Makowiec, Gr., SUNY Geneseo
Rookie of the Year: Carlos Gonzalez, Fr., Alfred
Coaching Staff of the Year: SUNY Geneseo, led by head coach Paul Dotterweich
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Keagen Winkky, Jr., Alfred (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads)
Luca Olivieri, Sr., SUNY Brockport (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua)
Connor Baird, So., SUNY Geneseo (Gansevoort, NY/Saratoga Springs)
Sebastian Knowles, Sr., Hartwick (Plano, TX/Plano West)
Adam DelGrand, Sr., Nazareth (Geneseo, NY/Livonia)
2024-25 Empire 8 Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship All-Conference Selections
50-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Jordan Nielsen, Gr., SUNY Geneseo – :20.44
Second Team: Brian Pabisch, So., SUNY Geneseo – :20.60
100-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Brian Pabisch, So., SUNY Geneseo – :44.84
Second Team: Jordan Nielsen, Gr., SUNY Geneseo – :45.53
200-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Ryan Hough, Gr., Nazareth – 1:42.22
Second Team: Casey Connors, So., SUNY Geneseo – 1:43.28
500-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Cameron Drake, So., Hartwick – 4:34.94
Second Team: Colin Babbitt, So., SUNY Geneseo – 4:40.57
1,650-Yard Freestyle
First Team: Cameron Drake, So., Hartwick – 16:02.58
Second Team: Colin Babbitt, So., SUNY Geneseo – 16:35.47
100-Yard Backstroke
First Team: Alex Trzaskowski, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – :50.88
Second Team: Will LaMastus, Sr., Alfred – :51.15
200-Yard Backstroke
First Team: Chris Varrichio, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 1:53.66
Second Team: Will LaMastus, Sr., Alfred – 1:55.03
100-Yard Breaststroke
First Team: Jake Nielsen, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – :55.26
Second Team: Alex Palmer, So., SUNY Geneseo – :55.74
200-Yard Breaststroke
First Team: Alex Palmer, So., SUNY Geneseo – 2:00.97
Second Team: Carlos Gonzalez, Fr., Alfred – 2:04.42
100-Yard Butterfly
First Team: Brian Pabisch, So., SUNY Geneseo – :49.30
Second Team: Jack Keene, So., SUNY Geneseo – :50.54
200-Yard Butterfly
First Team: Connor Baird, So., SUNY Geneseo – 1:51.67
Second Team: Erik Parkes, Fr., SUNY Brockport – 1:53.89
200-Yard Individual Medley
First Team: Griffin Merkling, Sr., SUNY Geneseo – 1:50.23 (Empire 8 Championship Record)
Second Team: Alex Palmer, So., SUNY Geneseo – 1:50.78
400-Yard Individual Medley
First Team: Connor Baird, So., SUNY Geneseo – 4:00.96
Second Team: Carlos Gonzalez, Fr., Alfred – 4:01.25
1-Meter Diving
First Team: Trent Makowiec, Gr., SUNY Geneseo – 592.40 (Empire 8 Championship Record)
Second Team: Greg Meder, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 545.80
3-Meter Diving
First Team: Trent Makowiec, Gr., SUNY Geneseo – 614.80 (Empire 8 Championship Record)
Second Team: Greg Meder, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 546.90
200-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Jordan Nielsen, Gr., Jake Nielsen, Jr., Brian Pabisch, So., Dylan Gallub, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 1:20.92 (Empire 8 Championship Record)
Second Team: Hassan Abdelwahed, So., Evan Nezat, Sr., Sebastian Knowles, Sr., Bryce Rogers, So., Hartwick – 1:26.54
400-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Jordan Nielsen, Gr., Jake Nielsen, Jr., Brian Pabisch, So., Dylan Gallub, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 3:00.96 (Empire 8 Championship Record)
Second Team: Hassan Abdelwahed, So., Evan Nezat, Sr., Cameron Drake, So., Bryce Rogers, So., Hartwick – 3:09.42
800-Yard Freestyle Relay
First Team: Jordan Nielsen, Gr., Brian Pabisch, So., Casey Connors, So., Dylan Gallub, Fr., SUNY Geneseo – 6:56.35
Second Team: Cameron Drake, So., Hassan Abdelwahed, So., Evan Nezat, Sr., Bryce Rogers, So., Hartwick –
6:56.35
200-Yard Medley Relay
First Team: Will LaMastus, Sr., Wade LaMastus, Sr., Emiliano Terrazas, Gr., Emmanuel Drappatz, So., Alfred – 1:33.81
Second Team: Owen James, So., Sebastian Knowles, Sr., Madhi Behniaye, So., Cameron Drake, So., Hartwick – 1:38.10
400-Yard Medley Relay
First Team: Griffin Merkling, Sr., Jake Nielsen, Jr., Connor Baird, So., Jordan Nielsen, Gr., SUNY Geneseo – 3:21.01 (Empire 8 Championship Record)
Second Team: Will LaMastus, Sr., Carlos Gonzalez, Fr., Emiliano Terrazas, Gr., Emmanuel Drappatz, So., Alfred – 3:27.94
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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