COLLEGE SWIMMING & DIVING: LOCALS FIND SUCCESS AT EMPIRE 8 CHAMPIONSHIPS (24 PHOTOS) (March 3, 2026)

Southern Tier Sports Report
WEBSTER — Eleven swimmers and divers from the Southern Tier, representing SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo and Alfred University competed at the Empire 8 Championships. 

Divers Lydia Benjamin and Brenden Jardin-Reed had record-breaking days.

Benjamin, a senior from Elmira who qualified at regionals this past weekend for D3 nationals in both the one and three-meter diving events, won the three-meter diving for Geneseo and was second in the one-meter. 

Jardin-Reed, a freshman for Brockport, and a Corning graduate, was second in the three-meter diving, with a new school record. He was fourth after qualifying. He was second in the one-meter event, moving up from third after qualifying.  

Both SUNY Geneseo’s men’s and women’s teams won, and both Brockport teams took second. They both made program history as it was the highest place each team had finished since joining the Empire 8. Alfred University’s men’s team came in third. 

Horseheads graduate Anna Lowe, a freshman at Horseheads, was third in the 50 free with a PR in the prelims and the finals. She was part of a 400 medley relay that took second and a 200 free relay that took second. She took second in the 100 back and broke the school record in the prelims. She also had a PR in the back and then in the 100 free she took third place, swimming against her sister Sibby in the finals. She had a PR in the prelims and finals. She was part of a 400 free relay that took second. 

Lydia Lapierre of Horseheads, a senior at Brockport, was in the B finals of the 500 free, taking 10th with a PR in the prelims and finals. She was 15th in the 200 free with a PR in both the preolims and finals and had a podium finish in the 800 free relay, with an eighth-place finish, and the 16500 free, with an eighth-place finish. 

Edison graduate Kaleb Podoliak, a freshman at Brockport, was 14th in the 200 IM in the B finals, with a PR in the prelims and final, and he was 13th in the B final in the 400 IM with a PR in the prelims. Podoliak took 11th in the 200 fly, in the B final, with a PR in the prelims and finals and he had a PR in the time trials of the 100 fly. 

Alex Davis of Horseheads had a PR in the 50 free. 

For Alfred, Keagan Winkky, a senior from Horseheads, was 11th in the 400 medley relay and he was 11th in the B final of the 100 fly with a PR in the prelims and final. In the 200 free relay he was part of a fourth-place team and in the 200 medley relay he was 11th. He was ninth in the B final of the 100 breaststroke in the prelims and finals and ninth in the 200 breaststroke in the prelims and finals, he took 11th in the 400 free relay. 

Dillan Allyn Nobles, a freshman from Edison, had a PR in the 50 free, 100 back and 200 back.

Sibby Lowe, a freshman from Horseheads, was fifth in the 50 free for Geneseo. She took ninth in the 400 medley relay and second in the 100 fly. She was part of winning 200 free, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay teams. She was fourth in the 100 free and she qualified for nationals as part of both the 200 free and 200 medley relay teams. 

Thalia Marques, a sophomore from Watkins Glen, was fourth in the 500 free for Geneseo, with PR’s in the prelims and finals. She was third in the 200 free with a PR in the finals and was part of a winning 800 free relay. She was fifth in the 1650 free. 

Ryan Clark, a senior from Waverly, had a PR in the 50 free, he swam the 100 breaststroke and had a PR in the 100 free. 
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF KIM PODOLIAK AND BROCKPORT AND GENESEO ATHLETICS. 

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