ITHACA, N.Y. – Following the conclusion of the NCAA Championships and as voted on by the conference's head coaches, the Liberty League announced its major award recipients on Thursday afternoon. For the first-time in program history, Ithaca had a swimmer named Liberty League Swimmer of the Year, with junior Kathleen Papiernik earning the honor following the 2025–26 season. The Bombers also earned 12 All-Liberty League First Team selections as announced by the conference office today.
 
Papiernik totaled 13 event wins during the regular season and was named Liberty League Swimmer of the Meet at the 2026 conference championship. At the championship, she recorded two individual victories and one runner-up finish. She won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:06.11 and captured the 100-yard butterfly in an NCAA B-cut time of 55.32 seconds. That mark in the 100 fly set an Ithaca program record, as well as Liberty League Championship and Association records.
 
She added a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:24.09, earning All-Liberty League Second Team honors. Papiernik also contributed to two of Ithaca's five winning relays, the 200-yard medley relay (1:43.95, NCAA B-cut) and the 400-yard medley relay (3:50.31), helping the Bombers secure their seventh straight Liberty League title. Papiernik also qualified for the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships, where she competed in three events. She finished 17th in the 100-yard butterfly (55.54), 34th in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:22.91), and 36th in the 200-yard individual medley at NCAAs.
 
The Bombers went 6-4 in dual meets, finished first at 14^th Annual Bomber Invitational in December. Ithaca claimed its seventh-straight Liberty League Swimming & Diving title totaling 1,820 points over the four-day championship and eclipsing the runner-up RPI by 389.5.
 
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM (Event Champions at Liberty League Championship)
1-Meter Diving – Gwen Petrie, RIT
3-Meter Diving – Gwen Petrie, RIT
 
100 Backstroke – Elke Beaumont, Ithaca
200 Backstroke – Madisen Pavoris, RIT
100 Breaststroke – Sydney Koehler, Ithaca
200 Breaststroke – Sydney Koehler, Ithaca
100 Butterfly – Kathleen Papiernik, Ithaca
200 Butterfly – Elizabeth Bodie, Ithaca
50 Freestyle – Taryn Hickey, RIT
100 Freestyle – Taryn Hickey, RIT
200 Freestyle – Sierra Pargett, RPI
500 Freestyle – Addie Wiener, Vassar
1650 Freestyle – Sabrina Reed, Skidmore
200 Individual Medley – Kathleen Papiernik, Ithaca
400 Individual Medley – Erika Doran, Ithaca
 
200 Freestyle Relay – Ithaca (E. Beaumont, J. Wedding, S. Bender, S. Carroll)
400 Freestyle Relay – Ithaca (E. Beaumont, N. Fry, C. Barton, S. Bender)
800 Freestyle Relay – Ithaca (N. Fry, S. Koehler, C. Barton, S. Bender)
200 Medley Relay – Ithaca (E. Beaumont, S. Koehler, K. Papiernik, S. Carroll)
400 Medley Relay – Ithaca (E. Beaumont, S. Koehler, K. Papiernik, S. Bender)
 
Note: The Liberty League also recognizes second-place finishes at the championship as All-Liberty League Second Team and third place garners All-Liberty League Third Team honors.