INAUGURAL AMCC-EMPIRE SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR NEXT WEEK

The AMCC women's swimming and diving teams will take to the starting blocks this week for the Inaugural AMCC-Empire Swimming and Diving Championship Meet. The 2020 championship meet will be hosted by Hartwick College at the Webster Aquatic Center at Webster Thomas High School. The events will kick off Wednesday evening and will conclude Saturday, February 22.

Defending champion Penn State Behrend is led by sophomore Marcella Puglia, who boasts four top individual times in the conference this season, along with seven other top ten times. Her top times include the 100 freestyle (55.77), 200 freestyle (2:00.78), 500 freestyle (5:23.62), and the 1650 freestyle (18:50.07). Puglia also ranks in the top 10 in the 50 freestyle (2nd, 26.10), 1000 freestyle (2nd, 11:25.60), 100 breaststroke (5th, 1:17.82), 200 breaststroke (4th, 2:46.46), 200 butterfly (2nd, 2:35.07), 200 individual medley (7th, 2:27.82), and 400 individual medley (5:06.13).

Penn State Altoona freshman Grace Dangelo has been dominant all season for the Lady Lions, as the rookie was a seven-time AMCC Swimmer of the Week. Dangelo recorded a staggering 10 top times in the conference this season, along with three top-two times. Dangelo's conference-leading times include the 50 freestyle (25.94), 1000 freestyle (11:11.46), 100 backstroke (1:02.17), 200 backstroke (2:13.92), 50 butterfly (27:46), 100 butterfly (59.67), 200 butterfly (2:12.32), 100 individual medley (1:03.53), 200 individual medley (2:12.32), and the 400 individual medley (4:43.67). 

Alfred State College, the 2019 runner-up, has seen a very successful season from freshman Mikaela Snayczuk who racked up eight top ten times, with seven of those being in the top five. Snayczuk's top five times include the 200 freestyle (4th, 2:06.75), 50 breaststroke (1st, 34.49), 100 breaststroke (2nd, 1:12.21), 200 breaststroke (3rd, 2:43.08), 100 butterfly (2nd, 1:05.08), 100 individual medley (3rd, 1:11.47), and the 200 individual medley (5th, 2:24.90).

Franciscan University SO Colleen Farabaugh is a two-time AMCC Swimmer of the Week and earned five top-three times in the conference this season. Farabaugh's best finishes include the 500 freestyle (2nd, 5:43.95), 1000 freestyle (3rd, 11:29.99), 100 backstroke (2nd, 1:06.18), 100 individual medley (2nd, 1:06.14), and the 200 individual medley (3rd, 2:21.63). 

Pitt-Bradford freshman Adriana Gallas recorded a top-ten time in the 200 breaststroke, touching the wall in 3:24.32, for the 10th best time in the conference this season. 

Rounding out the field is affiliate member SUNY Delhi. Bronco freshman Kaitlyn Quezada recorded several strong finishes this season, including six top-ten times in the AMCC. Quezada sits in the second spot in the 50 butterfly (28.89) and 50 breaststroke (35.76), while also picking up top-ten times in the 100 breaststroke (3rd, 1:15.05), 200 individual medley (4th, 2:24.30), 200 freestyle (9th, 2:11.03), and the 500 freestyle (6:03.16).

Participating teams from the Empire 8 include Alfred University, Hartwick College, Nazareth College, and Utica College. Click here for the Empire 8 championship preview release.

Please click here for the AMCC-Empire Swimming and Diving Championship information page