BUFFALO, N.Y. – Ashley Zachgo (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) won the 3-meter diving title and Leah Bernhardt (Groton) finished third in the 500-yard freestyle to highlight Cortland's performance through the opening portion of competition at the 2023 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
 
Cortland is in second place out of nine schools in the team standings after the first full day of competition. Geneseo leads with 327 points, followed by Cortland with 204 and Brockport with 181. New Paltz (144), Oneonta (119), Fredonia (110), Buffalo State (94), Potsdam and Oswego (85 each) rounding out the field. Competition continues Friday and Saturday at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Center.
 
Zachgo claimed the league 3-meter crown with a score of 480.15 points. Bernhardt was third in the 500 freestyle in 5:07.19. Cortland also picked up third-place finishes in two relays. On Wednesday, Sophie Amering (Rochester/Hilton), Emily Lantry (Massena/St. Lawrence), Kaila O'Hara (East Islip) and Bernhardt finished third in the 800-yard freestyle relay in 8:03.22. On Thursday, Nicole Murphy (Saratoga Springs), Areiannah Martinez-Reyes (Queens/Benjamin Cardozo), Alayna Miller (Hilton) and Lantry placed third in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:40.57.
 
The top three finishers in each event earn All-SUNYAC honors. Winners are first team, runners-up are second team and third-place finishers are third team.
 
Also on Wednesday, the 200-yard medley relay unit of Martinez-Reyes, Emma Bogdanowicz-Wilson (Schenectady), Julia Bryce (Rochester/School of the Arts) and Miller finished in fourth place in 1:50.99.
 
Other Red Dragon top-eight finishers so far included Adriane Casey (West Islip) in sixth place on 3-meter diving (360.50 points), Bryce in seventh place in the 200-yard IM (2:15.36) and Murphy in eighth place in the 50-yard freestyle (24.94). Lantry won the "B" final in the 500-yard freestyle (5:24.20) to place ninth overall.
 
The Red Dragons earned six more scoring finishes with top-16 efforts. Mackenzie Dickman (Montgomery/Valley Central) was 10th (2:21.27, 2:19.63 prelims) and Bogdanowicz-Wilson finished 13th (2:26.21) in the 200 IM. Madi Monaghan (Chili/Gates Chili) placed 11th (25.31) and Miller was 16th (25.85, 25.39 prelims) in the 50 freestyle, while Amering finished 11th (5:28.04) and O'Hara was 12th (5:30.46) in the 500 freestyle.
 
Championship Web Page (includes links to video and live results)

2023 SUNYAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships

Team Scores after Day 1 (first full day) (Feb. 16)
 
1) Geneseo – 327
2) Cortland – 204
3) Brockport – 181
4) New Paltz – 144
5) Oneonta – 119
6) Fredonia – 110
7) Buffalo St. – 94
T8) Potsdam – 85
T8) Oswego - 85