The AMCC women's swimming and diving teams will take to the starting blocks this week for the AMCC-Empire Swimming and Diving Championship Meet. The AMCC and Empire 8 conferences combined for their first joint championship in February 2020. The event will take place at the Webster Aquatic Center in Webster, NY, with the events kicking off Wednesday evening and concluding Saturday, February 18.
The Penn State Behrend women's swimming and diving team is the defending AMCC Champion and will be looking to defend their title this weekend. Junior Aliya Webster holds the second-best time in the AMCC this season in the 1000 Freestyle, with a time of 11:47.31. Sophomore Bella Nadzam has the third-best time in the 1650 Freestyle (20:11.02), while junior Emma Webster's 2:19.31 finish in the 200 Backstroke is also top three in the conference.
Despite finishing in second place behind the Lions a year ago, Alfred State College holds down the vast majority of top times in the AMCC this season. The Pioneers won their first, and only, AMCC championship in 2020 and will be looking to bring that title back to Alfred with them. Anna Ivery and Mallory O'Keefe have both had standout freshman campagins, as they have each recorded four different top times in the AMCC this season. Ivery sits at the top of the 50 Freestyle (24.62), the 100 Freestyle (54.79), the 50 Backstroke, and the 100 Backstroke (1:01.58). O'Keefe finished with the fastest time in the 500 Freestlye (5:16.56), the 1000 Freestyle (11:18.26), the 1650 Freestyle (18:22.61). Senior Mikaela Snayczuk recorded three top times on the season, including the 50 Breaststroke (32.56), the 100 Breaststroke (1:11.30), and the 200 Breaststroke (2:40.05).
Taking a third place finish a season ago was Penn State Altoona. The Lions' Grace Dangelo was the 2022 AMCC Swimmer of the Year, and once again finds herself at the top of the leaderboard this season. Dangelo has recorded the fastest time in the AMCC this year in the 50 Butterfly (27.60), the 200 Butterfly (2:23.40), the 100 Inividual Medley (1:04.25), the 200 Individual Medley (2:16.58), and the 400 Individual Medley (4:57.63). Sophomore Madison Coleman has also recorded a top time of her own with a 2:02.19 in the 200 Freestyle.
Wells college finished in fourth place in the 2022 AMCC Championship. Junior Rowan Mayette's 31.12 finish in the 50 Butterfly was ninth-best time in the conference this season. The 400 Freestyle team of Mayette, Hailey Onofre, Feleesha Jones, and Elizabeth Decker earned themselves a top-five finish with a time of 4:44.56.
Rounding out the field is Pitt-Bradford. Freshman Isabella Cercone has had a strong rookie campaign for the Panthers this season. She has had top-ten times in the conference this season, including the 50 Freestyle (10th, 26.81), the 50 Breaststroke (4th 34.90), the 100 Breaststroke (5th, 1:14.50), the 200 Breaststroke (5th, 2:44.49), and the 100 Individual Medley (1:10.21).