BUFFALO, N.Y. – Hunter Bernhardt (Groton) set a pair of school records during his second-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, and Cortland also earned all-league honors in two other events, during the final day of competition at the 2023 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet was held Feb. 15-18 at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Center.
 
Cortland finished in second place for the fourth time in the last five conference meets, and the Red Dragons have been a top-four finisher in each of the last 19 SUNYAC championships. Geneseo won its ninth straight league title with 1,058 points, followed by Cortland solidly in second with 691 points. New Paltz ranked third with 455 points, followed by Oneonta (294), Oswego (273), Brockport (234), Potsdam (209), Fredonia (170) and Buffalo State (33) in the nine-team field.
 
Bernhardt placed second in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:05.80, breaking the previous school mark of 16:16.24 set by Corey Ryon in 1998. Bernhardt also broke the school record for the 1,000-yard freestyle during the race with a time of 9:42.56, eclipsing the record of 9:45.54 held by Andrew Cremer from 2013.
 
Sean Zupko (Montgomery/Valley Central) finished third in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:53.09, while the combination of Bernhardt, Mason Rowlands (Campbell Hall/Washingtonville), Sam Zani (Irondequoit) and Jack-Henry Whalen (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) was third in 3:10.11.
 
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.
 
Cortland posted numerous top-eight finishes during Saturday's competition. Lucas Gannon (Schenectady/Mohonasen) placed fourth in the 1,650 freestyle (17:04.45), with Patrick Kivlehan (Highland Mills/Monroe-Woodbury) in sixth (17:26.32). Makiah Poli (Cortland/Home schooled) finished fourth (2:08.35) and Mason Arnberg (Dix Hills/Half Hollow Hills East) was fifth (2:08.54) in the 200-yard breaststroke, while Ethan Domanico (New Windsor/Newburgh Free Academy) was fifth (1:57.66) and Dylan Monaco (Lynbrook) finished seventh (1:58.77) in the 200-yard butterfly.
 
Whalen placed sixth (47.73, 47.60 prelims) and Zani was eighth (48.32, 47.82 prelims) in the 100-yard freestyle. In 3-meter diving, Lance Meeson (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) finished fifth with 437.45 points (448.20 prelim score) and Alex Hilldale (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) placed seventh with 430.15 points.
 
Rowlands won the "B" final in the 100-yard freestyle in 48.20 seconds to finish ninth overall. Five other Red Dragons scored points with top-16 finishes: Jack Pagel (Cortlandt Manor/Walter Panas) was 11th in the 200 backstroke (2:02.54, 2:02.47 prelims); Kellen Dickman (Montgomery/Valley Central) finished 12th (2:14.36) and Hunter Sugrue-Neuendorf (Valley Cottage/Nyack) was 13th (2:14.64, 2:13.90 prelims) in the 200 breaststroke; Nick Dambra (Brockport) placed 13th in the 100 freestyle (48.67, 48.46 prelims); and Jake Bogen (Poughkeepsie/Spackenkill) was 13th in the 200 butterfly (2:13.76, 2:13.13 prelims).

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

FINAL TEAM SCORES:
 
1) Geneseo – 1,058
2) Cortland - 691
3) New Paltz - 455
4) Oneonta - 294
5) Oswego - 273
6) Brockport - 234
7) Potsdam - 209
8) Fredonia - 170
9) Buffalo St. - 33