The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) released its annual conference awards with three SUNY New Paltz swimmers earning an All-SUNYAC honor, including juniors Alex Gorzula and Jack Samko and senior Antonio Vavalle.
 
To view the full 2025-26 All SUNYAC Men's Swimming/Diving team, click here.
 
Competing in their 60th overall season of swimming, the Hawks men's swimming team finished their 52-year SUNYAC run with a sixth-place finish in the 2025-26 SUNYAC championship. This season marked the end of an era of SUNYAC competition, as SUNY New Paltz will move on to the New Jersey Athletic Conference for 2026-27. 
 
In their more than half century of SUNYAC play, the Hawks have won two SUNYAC men's swimming championships, and produced 73 individual champions and 12 relay champions, as well as two Outstanding Swimmers of the Year. Long time coaches Art Stocktin and Brian Williams earned a combined six SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors between them. In addition to this season's three All-SUNYAC selections, SUNY New Paltz has had 17 first team, 42 second team, 15 third team and one Rookie of the Year pick.
 
To read more about Alex Gorzula, Antonio Vavalle and Jack Samko, continue below:

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First Team All-SUNYAC
 
Alex Gorzula (junior/breaststroke, individual medley)
Scrub Oak, NY/Lakeland High School
 
Alex Gorzula continued his upward trend in both the breaststroke and individual medley in 2025-26.
 
At the annual SUNYAC Championship meet, the Shrub Oak, NY native became the first SUNYAC individual event champion since Jared Finn in 2020. Gorzula earned gold in the 400 individual medley, also earning a silver medal (second place) in the 200 breaststroke and a bronze medal (third place) in the 200 individual medley. He won the 400IM event in a winning time of 4:11.84. He then clocked in at 2:05.02 in the 200 breaststroke and 1:54.87 in the 200IM.
 
Previously earning All-SUNYAC first team honors in 2024-25 and third team honors in 2023-24, Gorzula, swimming in eight of nine dual meets this season, posted six first place finishes, no second place finishes and three third place finishes, plus two first place and two second place relay finishes. Gorzula was also the SUNYAC Male Swimmer of the Week for the week of Dec. 18.



 
Second Team All-SUNYAC
 
Antonio Vavalle (senior/distance freestyle)
Port Jefferson Station, NY/Mt. Sinai High School
 
Antonio Vavalle closes out his suburb SUNY New Paltz career with his fourth All-SUNYAC selection, earning a trip to the All-SUNYAC Second Team. 
 
At the SUNYAC Championship meet, Vavalle earned a silver medal in the 500 freestyle and a bronze medal in the 200-freestyle. He touched the wall with a time of 4:42.37 in the 500 freestyle, nearly five second faster than his preliminary time. In the 200-freestyle, meanwhile, the Port Jefferson Station, NY native clocked in with 1:44.22 to earn his third place standing in the event.
 
Swimming in all nine dual meets this season, Vavalle scored six first places, seven second places and three third place finishes, in addition to five relay first places and one relay second place. At the SUNYAC meet, he additionally swam in the sixth-place 200 freestyle relay, anchored the fifth-place 400 freestyle relay and 200 medley-relay.
 
Vavalle's previous SUNYAC picks have been to the first team in 2025, and third team in 2024 and 2023, as he rounds out his career with his fourth-straight trip to the All-SUNYAC team.
 

Third Team All-SUNYAC
 
Jack Samko (senior/spring freestyle, freestyle)
Accord, NY/Rondout Valley High School
 
The junior captain rounded out his third season with the Hawks with his second consecutive All-SUNYAC honor this past winter, earning a trip to the third team.
 
An All-SUNYAC First Team pick a season ago, Samko at the 2026 SUNYAC Championship meet picked up two bronze  medals in the 100 and 200 yard butterfly. In the 100-yard butterfly, the Accord, NY native touched third with a time of 51.32 and in the 200-yard butterfly, finished with a time of 1:56.99.
 
A SUNYAC Male Swimmer of the Week (2/9/26), Samko competed in nine dual meets on the year and recorded six first place finishes, five second place finishes and one third place finish with six relay first places and three relay second places to help in his team's success this past season.


 
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