ITHACA, N.Y. – After the conclusion of the NCAA Championships as voted by the conference's head coaches, the Liberty League recently announced its major award winners for the 2024-25 season. The Bombers saw senior Kailee Payne named the Liberty League Diver of the Year, first year Claire Weppler earned Rookie of the Year and head coach Mike Blakely-Armitage, assistant coach Noah Beck, diving coach Chris Griffin, volunteer assistant Paula Miller and graduate assistants Aubrey Syron and Lara Mitchell were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
The Bombers went 6-4 in dual meets, finished second at RPI's Kumpf Invitational and won the Bomber Invitational in December. Ithaca claimed its sixth-straight Liberty League Swimming & Diving title totaling 1,700 points over the four-day championship and eclipsing the runner-up by 220.5. The Bombers' depth was on full display with seven individual victories, six runner-up finishes, and six that placed third. All five relays earned All-Liberty League honors and Ithaca won the 800-yard freestyle relay.
 
First year Claire Weppler earned Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors after putting up an exceptional performance at the Liberty League Championships. She won the 400-yard IM with a personal-best time of 4:33.7 and a margin of victory of nearly six seconds. She also scored the most individual points among all rookies, while also garnering All-Liberty League Third Team accolades, placing third in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:22.47) and was seventh in the 200-yard IM (2:10.05). Her regular season highlights included finishing third in the 200-yard breaststroke at the Bomber Invitational as well as winning that event in a home dual meet against Gannon.
 
Kailee Payne repeats as he Liberty League Diver of the Year for the second consecutive season. She continued to dominate, sweeping both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at the Liberty League Championship for the second straight year. On the 1-meter board, she tallied a score of 553.65, shattering her own championship record of 533.40 from 2024. On the 3-meter board, she earned a score of 558.95 to finish atop the leaderboard. Payne also swept both boards at the NCAA Region IV Diving Regional with scores of 460.60 (1-meter) and 527.30 (3-meter) to qualify for her second national championship in both events. At the championship, she repeated as the National Champion on the 1-meter board and 3-meter board. From the 1-meter, Payne totaled a score of 486.30, edging the runner-up by 15.55 points. She followed that up by breaking the NCAA Division III 3-meter record with a preliminary score of 530.95. Payne won the final by 21.15 points with a final score of 522.80. Payne was named the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division III Diver of the Year at the conclusion of the NCAA championship, and she was recognized as Liberty League Diver of the Week 13 times this season.