BUFFALO, N.Y. – Led by all-conference performances from the 400-yard medley relay team and Jack-Henry Whalen (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) in the 100-yard butterfly, the Cortland men's swimming and diving team remained in second place after the second full day of competition at the 2023 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships.
 
Cortland has scored 461 points, easily ahead of third-place New Paltz (307). Geneseo leads the team standings with 697 points. Oneonta is fourth at 201 points, followed by Oswego (184), Brockport (154), Potsdam (151), Fredonia (117) and Buffalo State (16). The championship will conclude Saturday at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Center.
 
The foursome of Makiah Poli (Cortland/Home schooled), Mason Arnberg (Dix Hills/Half Hollow Hills East), Ethan Domanico (New Windsor/Newburgh Free Academy) and Whalen finished in second place with a time of 3:29.43. Whalen placed third in the 100-yard butterfly in 51.30 seconds.
 
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.
 
Three Red Dragons barely missed all-conference status with fourth-place showings. Hunter Bernhardt (Groton) was fourth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.76, missing a school record by less than seven tenths of a second. Domanico was fourth in the 100-yard butterfly in 51.51 seconds and Poli finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke in 52.44 seconds.
 
Cortland had six other performances in Friday's "A" finals. Arnberg was fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke (58.03) and Sean Zupko (Montgomery/Valley Central) was fifth in the 100-yard backstroke (53.14, 52.96 prelims). Kellen Dickman (Montgomery/Valley Central) placed sixth (4:21.23), Jack Pagel (Cortlandt Manor/Walter Panas) was seventh (4:22.82) and Dylan Monaco (Lynbrook) finished eighth (4:24.90) in the 400-yard IM, and Mason Rowlands (Campbell Hall/Washingtonville) finished eighth in the 200 freestyle (1:47.42, 1:45.22 prelims). Two Red Dragons won "B" finals to officially finish ninth in their events - Jake Bogen (Poughkeepsie/Spackenkill) in the 100-yard butterfly (53.31) and Hunter Sugrue-Neuendorf (Valley Cottage/Nyack) in the 100-yard breaststroke (59.43).
 
Cortland also rang up seven other top-16 scoring efforts. Lucas Gannon (Schenectady/Mohonasen) was 11th in the 400 IM (4:32.38), Sam Zani (Irondequoit) was 11th in the 100 butterfly (53.85, 53.68 prelims) and Nick Dambra (Brockport) finished 11th in the 200 freestyle (1:47.10, 1:46.69 prelims). Pagel placed 12th (57.03, 56.88 prelims) and Bogen was 14th (58.94) in the 100 backstroke, Patrick Kivlehan (Highland Mills/Monroe-Woodbury) finished 15th in the 200 freestyle (1:50.20), and Ryan Lerner (Washingtonville) ended up 15th in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.39, 1:00.92 prelims).

Championship Web Page (includes links to video and live results)
 
2023 SUNYAC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships

Team Scores after Day 2 (second full day) (Feb. 17):
1) Geneseo - 697
2) Cortland - 461
3) New Paltz - 307
4) Oneonta - 201
5) Oswego - 184
6) Brockport - 154
7) Potsdam - 151
8) Fredonia - 117
9) Buffalo St. - 16