BUFFALO, N.Y. – Junior Justin Nelson (Jamestown/Frewsburg) set a conference record during his winning 200-yard backstroke race to highlight Cortland's final day of competition at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Cortland finished second in the team standings for the seventh consecutive season. Geneseo won its 14th straight SUNYAC title with 731 points, followed by Cortland with 690 points. The 41-point differential is the closest anyone has come to Geneseo since the Red Dragons lost by 9.5 points to the Blue Wave at the 2007 championship meet. Oneonta finished third with 415 points, followed by New Paltz (392), Fredonia (383), Oswego (303), Potsdam (233), Buffalo State (228) and Brockport (214).

Nelson's winning 200-yard backstroke time of 1:53.15 bested the previous SUNYAC conference and meet record of 1:53.62 set by Geneseo's Russell Sullivan in 2009. Nelson broke his own school record of 1:55.93 with a preliminary time of 1:53.94 before accomplishing the feat again in the finals.

Senior Danny Salvatore (Clarence) finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:08.41 (2:07.98 in prelims) and senior Travis Burke (Massapequa) posted an NCAA qualifying score of 494.35 points to finish second in three-meter diving. Senior Dylan Scheemaker (Fairport) finished third in the 200-yard butterfly (1:57.87). All individual champions at the meet earn first-team All-SUNYAC honors. Second-place and third-place individual finishers are awarded second-team all-league status.

The combination of junior Dan Maximowicz (Binghamton/Chenango Forks), junior Ben Strickland (Stanfordville/HomeSchool), senior Judd Simon (Oneida) and sophomore Luke Strothenke (New Paltz) finished in second place with a time of 3:09.63.

Maximowicz picked up a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.52 seconds (47.34 in prelims). Sophomore Matt Distler (Glens Falls) was fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:38.63), senior Dan Drew (Farmington/Victor) finished fifth in the 200-yard backstroke (1:55.24) and freshman Alex Spatzer (Kenmore/Kenmore West) was fifth in the 200-yard butterfly (2:00.11).

Simon placed seventh in the 200-yard backstroke (1:56.81) and junior Matt Blaszak (West Seneca/West Seneca East) finished seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (48.17, 47.94 in prelims). Strothenke was the “B” final winner and ninth overall in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.64 seconds.

Five other Red Dragons scored points during the final day. Freshman Mike Sutz (Orchard Park) finished in 10th place (2:14.60, 2:14.30 in prelims) and junior Dan MacQuarrie (Vestal) finished 11th (2:15.24, 2:14.88 in prelims) in the 200-yard breaststroke. Senior Mike Sorrentino (Glens Falls) placed 11th in the 200-yard butterfly (2:04.83), freshman Antrico Forbes (Brooklyn/Ralph R. McKee) was 13th in the 100-yard freestyle (48.50, 48.45 in prelims) and sophomore Kyle McManus (Oakdale/Connetquot) finished 14th in three-meter diving (309.85 points).

NOTE:  Friday's men's swimming and diving recap from Day 2 of the SUNYAC Championships inadvertently left off Cortland's scorers in the 200-yard freestyle. Matt Blaszak finished second in the event in 1:44.44, followed by Matt Distler in third place in 1:45.51. Alex Spatzer placed seventh in 1:47.57 (1:47.06 in prelims) and Luke Strothenke was ninth as the “B” final winner in 1:46.76.

Complete Men's Results

Complete Final Results - Men and Women (PDF)

Results Page

2012 SUNYAC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships

FINAL STANDINGS

1) Geneseo – 731
2) Cortland – 690
3) Oneonta - 415
4) New Paltz - 392
5) Fredonia - 383
6) Oswego – 303
7) Potsdam - 233
8) Buffalo St. - 228
9) Brockport - 214