The 2008-09 season was highlighted by a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships for the Hawks as sophomores Marissa Morris (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) and Christine Reith (Penfield, NY/Webster) became the third and fourth individual swimmers to qualify in this decade. On the year, the women set nine varsity records and won three individual SUNYAC titles, setting new conference and meet records in the two events.
At nationals, Morris finished as high as 23rd in the 200 free and Rieth finished 28th in the 100 free. Morris also competed in the 500 free and the 200 backstroke, while Rieth participated in the 50 and 200 freestyle.
Senior Erica Ellis (Barneveld, NY/ Holland Patent) claimed her first individual SUNYAC title 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. Ellis also took broke her own varsity record in the 100 fly (1:00.04). Sophomore Jessica Lester (Long Beach, NY/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 and her split at the 1000 free mark (10:40.38) made the record chart. Rieth successfully defended the 50 freestyle crown for New Paltz in 24.06 and was part of three record breaking relays. She teamed with Morris, Lester and Allison Wells (Shelton, CT/Shelton) to set a varsity record in the 800 free-relay (7:49.78) and in the 400 free relay (3:32.91). The 400 medley relay of Rieth, Morris, Ellis and Becky Baker (Wappingers Falls, NY/ Roy C. Ketcham) took second in record time of 3:58.63, breaking the old record by .26 seconds from 2008.
Morris 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. Senior Joelle Hopf (Vestal, NY/Vestal) took fourth in the 200 breaststroke and broke her own varsity record in 2:23.58 .
