The Liberty League is celebrating its 25th anniversary during the 2019-2020 academic year. Originally founded as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) in 1995, the conference was renamed the Liberty League during the summer of 2004. Each Thursday throughout the year, the Liberty League will be celebrating its silver anniversary by recognizing outstanding teams and individuals from its rich 25-year history.
While only a Liberty League student-athlete for one year, Ithaca College diver Nickie Griesemer distinguished herself as the top diver in the league’s 25-year history.
Ithaca College became a Liberty League full member during the 2017-18 year, Griesemer’s final season with the Bomber women’s swimming and diving team. During that season, the graduate student captured NCAA Division III national titles in both the one- and three-meter diving events, earning College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Diver of the Year honors in the process. Griesemer is the lone Ithaca swimming and diving student-athlete to win more than one national title.
The 2017-18 Liberty League Diver of the Year, Griesemer won both events at the league championship. She set a meet record on the one-meter board with a score of 505.70 as the Bombers took the top five spots in the event. On the three-meter board, Griesemer broke the meet record by more than 65 points as she posted a winning score of 540.15. She then proceeded to win both events at the NCAA Diving Regionals prior to capturing national titles.
At the 2017 NCAA Division III Championship, Griesemer was the national runner-up in the three-meter with a score of 497.20, earning First Team All-America honors. She earned honorable mention All-America recognition in the one-meter. Griesemer was victorious on both boards at the Upper New York State College Swimming Association (UNYSCSA) Championship while breaking meet and pool records in both events. Her performance earned her UNYSCSA Diver of the Meet accolades.
Over the course of her career, Griesemer won conference championships in seven of the eight events in which she competed at the UNYSCSA or Liberty League meets, winning the three-meter board four times and the one-meter board three times.
Griesemer earned All-America honors a total of seven times in her career – three-meter (first team) and one-meter (honorable mention) in 2014; three-meter (first team) in 2015; three-meter (first team) and one-meter (honorable mention) in 2017; and three-meter (first team) and one-meter (first team) in 2018, capped by national championships in both events.
25th Anniversary Spotlight Series:
10/24/2019 - 1999 St. Lawrence University Men's Soccer
10/31/2019 - Sara Artus, Clarkson University, Volleyball (2008-2011)
11/7/2019 - Ali Marpet, Hobart College, Football (2011-2015)
11/14/2019 - 1997 William Smith College Field Hockey
11/21/2019 - Grant O'Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cross Country/Track & Field (2015-2019)
11/28/2019 - Andrew Franks, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Football (2011-2015)
12/5/2019 - 2013 William Smith College Women's Soccer
12/12/2019 - John Coleman, Clarkson University, Basketball and Baseball (2011-2015)