Seven Swimmers Earn All-Conference

The men’s and women’s swim teams competed in the SUNYAC Championships last week and finished in third place, as seven individuals earned All-Conference honors for their performances.

Junior Stephen Cozzolongo (Burlington, CT/Lewis Mills) won two events for the Hawks as he earned first team All-Conference honors. Cozzolongo captured the 100 backstroke (52.67) in a new varsity, conference and meet record time and scoring an NCAA provisional cut. He also won the 100 fly (51.74) in varsity record time.
Sophomore Dave Gardner (Chittenango) earned second-team All-Conference honors as he finished third in three individual events for the Hawks. He broke the 23-year old 50 freestyle varsity record in a time of 21.13 in the preliminary session, before finishing third in the finals (21.36). Gardner took third in the 200 freestyle (1:42.82) in an NCAA provisional time and touched third in the 100 freestyle (46.65).
First year Jesse Sweeney (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) earned second team All-Conference after he posted a second place finish in the 200 backstroke in 1:55.62, breaking a 13-year old varsity record.

A trio of women’s swimmers earned first team All-Conference honors as they took home individual titles. Senior Erica Ellis (Barnevald/Holland Patent) claimed her first individual SUNYAC and first team All-Conference honors by winning the 100 breaststroke (1:05.95) setting a new varsity and conference record, in an NCAA provisional qualifying time.
Sophomore Jessica Lester (Long Beach) won the 1650 freestyle in a time of 17:36.70, an NCAA provisional cut. Her win broke a 25-year old varsity record and a 14-year old conference record. Sophomore Christine Rieth (Penfield/Webster) won the 50 free in an NCAA provisional cut time of 24.06. It was the fifth consecutive year that New Paltz has won the 50 freestyle on the women’s side. Sophomore Marissa Morris (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) earned second-team All-Conference honors as she took second in the 500 freestyle in an NCAA provisional time of 5:05.47, crushing the old varsity record of 5:13.65 set in 1984.