The Ithaca College men's swimming and diving program completed its 60th year during the 2024-25 season. During the program's 60 years it has posted a 560-234-2 mark for a .705 winning percentage.
One of the program's top individual performances came in 1996 when Colin Herlihy captured first place at the NCAA Division III championship in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events and became the first Ithaca swimmer to win an individual national title.
Since joining the Liberty League during the 2017-18 season, the Bombers have produced seven individual champions for a total of 15 titles, as well as numerous relay titles. In 2020, Stanley Zaneski was named Swimmer of the Year following three individual and three relay wins.
The Bombers posted top-10 finishes in the Upper New York State Swimming Association (UNYSSA) championship in 11 of 14 years through the 1979-80 season, but a schedule that included a number of upper-division opponents held the team's dual-meet mark below the .500 level.
An individual standout during that time was diver Scott Handler, a 1976 all-American in the one- and three-meter competitions. Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame member Bill Ware coached the team during its first 16 seasons. His final two seasons resulted in 7-6 and 13-3 dual-meet records and seventh- and sixth-place finishes at the state meet.
Following Ware as coach was Jim Perkins, who guided the Bombers to a 28-9 mark while going 24-7 with the women's swimming team during the same time. In his first season with Ithaca, Perkins led the team to sixth at the UNYSSA meet and completed the slate in the NCAA Division III championship, where the Bombers finished 18th. It was the first time Ithaca had placed at the NCAA meet. Freestyle specialist Don McVeigh was a star of that team, finishing with three All-American honors.
Perkins may have done his finest work in 1982-83, when he led the team to a 12-1 dual-meet record, a second-place finish at the UNYSSA meet and 20th place at the NCAA championship. Dick Comanzo, Ithaca's most successful diver, earned all-American honors in the one- and three-meter events at the national competition.
Paula Miller was next in line to coach the Bombers and set a new standard for success during her three years. The Bombers went 29-5 in dual-meet competition and placed in the top four in the UNYSSA championship all three seasons. In addition, Ithaca broke into the top 10 at the NCAA championship for the first time, placing ninth in 1985-86. Pacing the team to its best finish ever were two-event all-Americans Brian Bennett, Chris Martin, Bryan Rice, John Van Cott and Clayton York. Martin completed his career with a school-record 15 all-American finishes.
When Miller left the men's program to concentrate solely on the women's team, current coach Kevin Markwardt picked up on her success. Under Markwardt, the Bombers have placed in the top five at the state meet 15 times in 17 years and have compiled a 206-31 dual-meet record. Rob D'Alessandro posted two top-five results at the 1988 NCAA meet and graduated with 13 all-American honors. Another top performer was Jeff Ungvary, a 10-time All-American.
Ithaca posted a perfect 14-0 dual-meet record in 1990-91. Thanks in part to the efforts of Dan Guerrera, an eight-time All-American, the Bombers were state runners-up and 14th at the Division III championship that season.
In 1995-96 Ithaca went 13-0 with Herlihy and Todd Poludniak earning their fourth and fifth all-American honors, respectively. The following year the Bombers finished 10-4, placing 24th at the national championship with four athletes combining for nine All-American honors. Over the next three seasons the Bombers placed fourth, fourth and sixth, respectively, at the UNYSCSA championship, with three swimmers earning All-American honors.
In the past four seasons Ithaca has won three UNYSCSA titles and two of three Empire 8 titles. The Bombers have only lost two dual meets and have posted two undefeated seasons. Ithaca finished 13-1 during the 2000-01 season, winning the state championship for the first time in the program's history. In the 2001-02 season, Ithaca finished with a perfect 16-0 record for the third time ever, repeating as state champions and winning the program's eighth conference title.
Steve Barnes earned All-America honors, placing 15th in the 1,650-yard freestyle. In 2002-03 the Bombers compiled a 15-1 record and finished runner-up in the conference and at the UNYSCSA championship.
A year later Ithaca won its third state and conference championship and posted a perfect 15-0 dual meet record. Barnes earned All-American honors in the 1,650-yard freestyle for the second time in his career with a 12th place finish at nationals. The 800-yard freestyle relay team also earned All-America honors.
In 2011, Derek Rand earned two All-America honors after finished 13th on the three-meter board and 15th on the one-meter board at the national championship.
The following year, the Bombers had several All-America finishes. The 200 freestyle relay team of Antoine Connors, Jake Robbins, Chris Cadwell and Zack Kundel finished 13th overall to give each swimmer their first All-American honor while diver Martin Brown earned his first two All-American honors. He finished 10th on the three-meter and 11th on the one-meter.
Brown would go on to earn two more All-American honors in 2013, placing fourth in the three-meter board and seventh in the one-meter board. Following the season, Brown earned Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in the at-large category.
Also in 2013, Matt Morrison earned his first two All-American honors in diving. He finished fifth in the three-meter and 11th in the one-meter. Additionally, the 200 freestyle relay team of Peter Knight, Adam Zelehowsky, Zack Kundel and Jake Robbins finished 13th overall to garner All-American honors. It was the first such honor for both Knight and Zelehowsky, while it was second for Kundel and Robbins.
Morrison earned two more All-America honors the following year after placing 13th in the three-meter and seventh in the one-meter at NCAA Championships. He was also named CoSIDA District 3 Academic All-American. The 200 freestyle relay team of Peter Knight, Adam Zelehowsky, Chris Cadwell and Zack Kundel finished 14th overall to earn All-America status while Zelehowsky also earned an All-America honor in the 200 freestyle with a 14th place finish. The 800 freestyle relay team of Addison Hebert, John Carr, Adam Zelehowsky and Chris Cadwell finished 12th overall for another All-American finish.
In his final season at IC, Matt Morrison earned his fifth and sixth All-America honor, finished second in the three-meter and fourth in the one-meter. Lucas Zelehowsky earned his first All-America honor of his career with a seventh place finish in the 100 butterfly.
In 2018, the Bombers had several athletes win races at the Liberty League Championships. Stanley Zaneski won his first Liberty League title in the 50 freestyle while Nate Bartalo broke a 22-year-old meet record in the 100 butterfly. Andrew Mikhailichenko was also victorious in the 400 IM and Jake Hewitt broke the meet record in the 200 fly (twice in one day) while also hitting the NCAA B-cut.
Despite the cancellation of the 2019-20 national championships, Justin Moczynski was named an All-American in the one- and three-meter dives.
The 2021-22 season saw one of the program's top individual performances in program history where Jack Wadsworth finished 1st in the 100-yard backstroke setting an NCAA record in the event with a time of 46.45. He became IC's first National Champion since 1996 as he had five All-American finishes at the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championship where the Bombers finished 18th overall, their highest finishing position since 2013. Stanley Zaneski, James Collishaw and Ben Young earned All-American finishes along with Wadsworth in the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay.
The Bombers finished second for the second-straight season at the 2023 Liberty League Championships totaling 1,538.5 team points as RIT won the LL Championship totaling 1,782.5. Overall the Bombers qualified for four relay events at nationals as they were led by James Collishaw who earned his fourth career All-American finish earning a 10th place in the 100-yard freestyle. Overall, the Bomber men finished in 36th place at the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships as they set two relay and two individual program records during the season.
Collishaw ended up achieving All-American status for the third consecutive season in 2023-24 as he broke his own team record in the 100-yard freestyle with a 43.87 at the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship, which was good for seventh place and his fifth career All-American finish. Overall, the IC men's program finished in 35th place with 12 team points at NCAA's as they also were second within the Liberty League, placing behind RIT. The Bombers would again finish second at the 2025 Liberty League Swimming & Diving Championship for the sixth-straight season as the Bombers amassed 1,524 points. Ethan Godfrey represented IC at the NCAA Division III Championships and he scored his third career All-American finish when he finished 14th on the 1-meter boards after an exceptional performance.
7/22/2025
