Syracuse, N.Y. – The Ithaca women's swimming & diving team won the state championship in addition to the Empire 8 title as the Upper New York State Collegiate Swimming Association / Empire 8 Championship concluded at Nottingham High School. The Bombers scored 1,338 over the three days of competition. It was Ithaca's 10th consecutive Empire 8 title.
Senior Lauren Botterbusch (Dallastown Area/York, Pa.) was named Swimmer of the Meet after earning three NCAA A provisional qualifying times during the weekend, winning both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events in association, championship meet, and school record times as well as achieving the same records on the 200-yard medley relay team. Coach Paula Miller was named Empire 8 Coach of the Year.
During the meet, Ithaca swimmers set seven championship meet records and nine school records. A total of 12 swimmers and divers accounted for a total of 40 all-state honors and 14 Empire 8 titles.
Botterbusch finished first in the finals of the 200-yard breaststroke and met the NCAA “A” Provisional Qualifying Standard with a meet and school record time of 2:20.07. Sophomore Becca Blazak (Quaker Valley/Sewickley, Pa.) finished second with an NCAA "B" qualifying time of 2:22.53.
Sophomore Sheila Rhoades (Dryden/Dryden) won the association and conference titles in the 100-yard freestyle with an association, conference and school record time of 50.84 seconds. That time also met the NCAA A qualifying standard, sending Rhoades to the NCAA championship meet. Sophomore Joanna Ferreri (Niskayuna/Niskayuna) was sixth with a time of 53.53 seconds.
Freshman Missy Keesler (Union-Endicott/Endicott) met the B qualifying standard and finished second in the finals of the 200-yard backstroke in 2:05.27, an Ithaca record.
Freshman Kelly Murphy (Blake/Silver Spring, Md.) finished third in the finals of the 1,650-yard freestyle with a school-record time of 17:42.48, also an NCAA B cut.
The 400 free relay team of sophomore Rhoades, sophomore Maddie Kennedy (Head Royce/Alameda, Calif.), Ferreri, and Botterbusch finished third in the finals with a time of 3:32.31, which was an NCAA B cut.
Freshman Cali DeSanto (Mexico/Mexico) was eighth in the finals of the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:17.12, an NCAA B cut.
Freshman diver Jodi Costello (Framingham/Framingham, Mass.) was third in the finals of the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 374.50. She scored 391.05 in the preliminaries.
Final Team Standings – UNYSCSA Championship Meet
1. ITHACA - 1,338
2. Stevens Institute of Technology - 1,161.50
3. Union - 1,018
4. Nazareth - 880.50
5. Hartwick - 775 .50
6. Le Moyne - 716
7. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - 588
8. Rochester Institute of Technology - 447.50
9. St. Lawrence - 432
10. Vassar - 368.50
11. Clarkson - 288
12. Alfred - 265.50
13. Skidmore - 224
14. William Smith - 209
15. Utica - 201
16. Cazenovia - 137
Meet Results - Saturday Finals
Meet Results - Saturday Preliminaries