Meet Results

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's swimming team wrapped up the 2011 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Swimming & Diving Championships on Saturday night at the Flickinger Aquatic Center, placing second out of nine teams with 664.5 points. Third-year head coach Scott Whitbeck was named the 2011 SUNYAC Female Coach of the Year as a result of the Hawks' outstanding three-day showing.

SUNY Geneseo took home the conference title with 771.5 points, while New Paltz finished just more than 100 points behind. SUNY Cortland took third with 573 points, while SUNY Fredonia (478), SUNY Oswego (324), SUNY Oneonta (268), Buffalo State (168), SUNY Potsdam (155) and The College at Brockport (110) rounded out the team standings.

Whitbeck becomes just the second coach in the history of the women's program to earn the Coach of the Year distinction. Former head swimming coach and current New Paltz associate director of athletics Brian Williams received the honor following the 1997-98 season.

The Hawks met five NCAA “B” standards on the third and final day of competition, while three program records fell as well. Three New Paltz swimmers were crowned as individual SUNYAC champions, while the 400 freestyle relay gave the Hawks their fourth relay victory of the meet.

Freshman Chelsea Allocco (Chatham, N.J.) had an outstanding back half in the 1650 freestyle and picked up her second individual title of the meet with an NCAA-provisional-qualifying swim of 17:29.32. That performance lowered the program record in the event (17:36.70), which senior Jessica Lester (Long Beach, N.Y.) set in 2009. Lester claimed runner-up honors, clocking a 17:33.22. She also cleared NCAA “B” qualification. At the 1,000-yard mark, Lester split a 10:37.86, which reset her program record of 10:39.77 from 2010. Freshman Niki Ghostlaw (New Windsor, N.Y.) placed ninth (18:44.57), while classmate Kelly Durma (Bridgewater, N.J.) took 15th (18:59.62).

Sophomore Yuka Suzuka (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) successfully defended her 200 backstroke crown, tapping the wall at 2:07.41. That mark just cleared the NCAA consideration standard in the event but still stands four seconds shy of the program record. Senior Marissa Morris (Toms River, N.J.) covered the 200 backstroke in a fourth-place 2:08.85 to round out the Hawks' scoring swimmers in the event.

With a swift opening 50, junior Christine Rieth (Penfield, N.Y.) sprinted her way to a blazing-fast 52.55 in the 100 freestyle, placing second to Michelle Rodriguez of Geneseo. Rieth's swim met the NCAA provisional standard in the event. Senior Allison Wells (Shelton, Conn.) came in fifth with a 54.13, while sophomore Katina Lown (Bohemia, N.Y.) clocked a 57.30 and placed 16th.

Senior Becky Baker (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) enjoyed a fast swim in the 200 breaststroke, boasting the fastest final 50 of the entire field. She placed third with a 2:29.04 and brought home her final 50 yards in 38.48. Sophomore Anna Jakubek (Harriman, N.Y.) and Durma took 15th and 16th, respectively, with times of 2:40.32 and 2:40.41.

A late surge by Cortland's Chrisanna Hickey could not top sophomore Carly Marshall (Cornwall, N.Y.) in the 200 butterfly, as the sophomore transfer took out her race in 1:00.76 and checked in a 2:10.32, which was just .04 seconds faster than Hickey's 2:10.36. Senior Lori Brown (Hauppauge, N.Y.) took seventh (2:19.18), while junior Amanda Cloer (Stony Point, N.Y.) came in 13th (2:21.76).

Finally, the 400 freestyle relay quartet of Wells, Morris, Lester and Rieth gave Geneseo's foursome everything it had in the final event of the meet. Wells led off with a 53.66 and Morris went a 52.95, as New Paltz led by two full seconds at the midway point. Jennifer Anthone of Geneseo reeled in Lester slightly, which paved the way for a Rodriguez-Rieth showdown in the anchor leg. Rieth, who entered the water two seconds ahead of Rodriguez, did enough to hold off the Female Swimmer of the Meet, recording a 51.75 to spell out the contingent's final time of 3:31.86. Geneseo took second with a 3:32.13.

That performance wiped out the former program mark of 3:32.91, which Rieth, Lester, Wells and Morris set back in 2009. In addition, the foursome's swim met NCAA provisional qualification.

New Paltz will wait in the upcoming weeks to see if its “B” qualifiers gain selection into the field for the 2011 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, which are to run from March 23-26 in Knoxville, Tenn., on the campus of the University of Tennessee. The meet is cohosted by Beloit College and the College of Wooster.