ITHACA, N.Y. – Guided by head coach Mike Blakely-Armitage '00 and assistants Chris Griffin, Noah Beck, Paula Miller, Aubrey Syron, and Lara Mitchell, the Ithaca College men's and women's swimming & diving programs are primed and ready to embark on the 2024-25 season. Competition opens on Saturday with a dual meet at the University of Scranton.

"After the success of last season, this year brings new challenges and goals," said Blakely-Armitage. "Our diving program remains the class of the Liberty League, and both the women's and men's divers will look to contend for Liberty League championships and strong NCAA performances. On the swimming side, our women's team looks to repeat as Liberty League Champions and add NCAA berths to their list of accolades. The men's program is seeking an elusive Liberty League Championship and to retain a presence at the NCAA Championships."

During the 2023-24 season, the Ithaca women's program claimed its fifth-straight Liberty League Championship, totaling 1,512.5 points, besting the RIT Tigers (1,437.5). The Bombers saw Kailee Payne earn All-Liberty League First Team honors in both 1-meter and 3-meter diving. She was also named the Liberty League Diver of the Meet and Diver of the Year. At the NCAAs, Payne was crowned the Individual National Champion in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. She scored 515.15 in the 1-meter, winning by 62 points, and 509.50 in the 3-meter, surpassing the 2023 winning score (479.40) by over 20 points. Payne was named the CSCAA Division III Diver of the Year.

The Bombers also saw Kathleen Papiernik earn All-Liberty League First Team honors in the 100-yard butterfly, and Kerry O'Brien earned the same honor in the 1,650-yard freestyle. The roster features these key swimmers along with sophomore Samantha Bender, first-year Sydney Koehler, first-year Claire Weppler, and junior Naomi Fry. They are expected to make a major impact at dual meets and the Liberty League Championship, along with divers Kailee Payne and fellow NCAA Qualifier Angela Burke.

The men's program is looking to build off another strong season that saw them finish second in the Liberty League, behind RIT. The Bombers saw James Collishaw win three individual events, and Ryan Cooke was crowned the champion of the 500-yard freestyle. The Bombers impressed by winning three of the five relay races, including the 200-yard freestyle relay, the 800-yard freestyle relay, and the 200-yard medley relay.

"With the loss of James Collishaw and Mikey Paulos to graduation, the Bombers men will need to fill big fins. I expect Matthew Stevens, Matthew Mitros, Santiago Ludwig, and first-years Will Stanczewski, Bennett Molitor-Kirsch, and Kyle Kruppa to step up," said Blakely-Armitage.

Following the season-opening meet at Scranton, the Bombers will also hit the road for a dual at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Sunday, October 27, where they will also face Roger Williams University. Ithaca will return to Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium for three-straight home meets, hosting RPI (November 2), Cortland (November 9), and RIT (November 23). IC will then host the annual Bomber Invitational during the first weekend of December (Dec. 6-8), marking the final competition of the fall semester.

The Bombers return to action with a road dual at Hamilton College on Saturday, January 11, where they will also face RIT in a neutral pool. On January 18, the Bombers will participate in the Henry Kumpf Invitational at RPI at 12 p.m. On January 25, the Bombers will celebrate Senior Day when they host Gannon University, and a day later, they will host the Dick Comanzo Diving Invitational. The regular season will wrap up with a road dual at SUNY Geneseo on February 1, and IC will host the Geneca Diving Invitational on Saturday, February 8. The four-day Liberty League Championships begin on February 19, once again hosted by Ithaca College.

"Both teams are anxious to compete, and I am excited to see how our teams rise to the challenge against a tough meet schedule," said Blakely-Armitage.

The 2024-25 season begins with the road dual against the University of Scranton at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 19. The diving competitions will take place at nearby Marywood University at 12:30 p.m.