The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Swimmer, Diver, Rookie and Coaching Staff of the Year awards for the 2015-16 women’s swimming and diving season as voted on by the conference coaches.
Stevens Institute of Technology sophomore Sarah Jurczyk and freshman Courtney Jones have been named the Swimmer and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Ithaca College sophomore Anna Belson was voted the Diver of the Year and the Ithaca staff is the Coaching Staff of the Year.
Jurczyk, the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year, qualified for the Division III National Meet for the second straight year and capped off her season by earning All-America honors in two individual events and two relays. She placed 11th in the 100-butterfly (55.68) and 14th in the 200-butterfly (2:05.20). Jurczyk also competed in the 200-IM and swam a personal best time of 2:09.26. She swam the lead off split of 24.23 in the 200 free relay that finished 16th and the lead off split of 52.70 in the 400 free relay that placed 12th. At the Empire 8 Championships Jurczyk helped lead the Ducks to a second-place team finish. She won the 100-butterfly in a new meet record time of 55.55, won the 200 butterfly (2:07.29) and placed third in the 200 IM (2:09.66). This marks the third straight year and fifth time overall a Stevens athlete has earned Swimmer of the Year accolades.
Jones was the lone freshman in the conference to participate in the NCAA Championship and competed in four relay events. She swam a 24.05 split on the 16th place 200 free relay and a 51.92 split on the 12th place 400 free relay. She also swam on the 800 free relay and 200 medley relay. A month earlier she was named the Rookie of the Meet at the Empire 8 Championships as she led the Ducks to a second-place team finish. She finished first in the 100 free (52.51), second in the 200 free (1:54.91) and second in the 100-backstroke (58.68). Jones was also part of the winning 200 free relay, 400 free relay and 800 free relay and the second place 400 medley relay. She is the fifth Stevens athlete to be named Rookie of the Year.
For the sixth straight year the Diver of the Year is an Ithaca athlete. Belson was named the Female Diver of the Meet at the Upper New York State/Empire 8 Championships. She swept the diving events in the E8 competition and was crowed the UNYSCSA Champion on the three-meter and runner-up on the one-meter. She scored a 458.50 on the 3-meter board and a 434.25 on the 1-meter board. She qualified for the NCAA Zone Meet and placed second on the 3-meter and eighth on the 1-meter board earning a trip to the NCAA National Championships. She earned All-American honors by placing fourth on the 1-meter (424.20) and fourth on the 3-meter (448.45).
Ithaca’s head coach Paula Miller and her staff guided the Bombers to a first place finish at the UNYSCSA championship and Empire 8 Championship and a team standing of 20th at the NCAA’s. At the Empire 8 Championship, the Bomber women earned 15 all-conference honors, including six first team individual honorees and four second team individual honorees. The women finished first in two relays and second in remaining three relay events. The staff mentored two student-athletes to the NCAA Division III Championships, where one was named a two-time All-American and the other earned honorable mention.