ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University men's outdoor track & field team brought in 24 separate All-Empire 8 honors with 14 athletes earning All-Conference nods, as announced by the league on Monday. 
 
Justin Swavely (Rome, NY/RFA) and Tyjon Billinger (Amityville, NY/Amityville Memorial) earned top honors as Swavely was named the Empire 8 Field Athlete of the Year and Billinger was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. 
 
Along with earning Field Athlete of the Year honors, Swavely was named First Team Javelin and Third Team Hammer Throw. The junior finished ninth overall in the javelin throw at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a mark of 61.05m. Swavely set the program record in the event several times throughout the season and earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors. He won the E8 title in the javelin (58.41m) and placed third in the hammer throw (48.45m). He set his personal best mark, as well as program record mark, in the javelin of 61.73 meters at the Central New York Fast Chance Meet. Swavely is the first Utica student-athlete to earn E8 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year honors.
 
Billinger also earned First Team Long Jump and Second Team Triple Jump honors to go with Rookie of the Year. He won the long jump at the Empire 8 Championship with a leap of 6.96m, while finishing as the runner-up in the triple jump with a jump of 13.85m. Both were season-best performances. In being named the Rookie of the year, Billinger became the fifth Utica student-athlete to earn E8 Outdoor Rookie of the Year accolades.
 
Andy Hadasz (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) earned a team-high five All-Empire 8 honors as he was named First Team in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and the 4x100m relay team. He was also part of the Third Team 4x400m relay team. Hadasz was crowned the Empire 8 100m champion after beating out Neil Peters of Alfred by 0.01 seconds as he finished with a time of 11.08. He then went on to win the 200m with a time of 22.34 seconds, the 400m with a time of 49.83 while he, along with Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial), Shane Tinney (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) and Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), won the 4x100m relay with a time of 42.78 seconds. The 4x400m relay team consisting of Hadasz, Kain, Jonathan Simmons (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) and Nolan Flynn (Bethel, CT/Bethel) finished third at the Empire 8 Championships with a time of 3:29.06. His time of 49.83 seconds in the 400m was his personal best. Hadasz was also named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship Track Athlete of the Meet 
 
Zuriel Wright (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) added to his First Team 4x100 honor with First Team High Jump honors, Second Team Long Jump honors, and Third Team Triple Jump honors. He was named the E8 high jump champion with his best outdoor mark of the season of 1.99m. In the long jump he placed second with a mark of 6.75m before going on to take third in the triple jump with a mark of 13.29m. Wright was also named the 2023 Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship Field Athlete of the Meet.
 
Along with being a part of the First Team 4x100 Relay squad, Ethan Kain (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) earned Third Team 200m honors, Third Team 4x400 Relay honors, and was Utica's recipient of the Sportsman of the Year award. Kain finished third in the 200m at the Empire 8 Championships with a time of 22.72 seconds while the 4x400 relay unit placed third with a time of 3:29.06. One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
 
Antwan Kelly (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) earned two All-Empire 8 honors as he was named First Team Hammer Throw and First Team Discus Throw. The senior became a two-time Empire 8 champion this outdoor season thanks to his personal best mark of 52.73m in the hammer and 42.44m in the discus. 
 
National qualifier Hunter Logan (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) earned First Team Shot Put honors as he was crowned the Empire 8 champion with a mark of 15.92m. Logan went on to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors before placing 13th at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. It was Logan's second-straight trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after being named an All-American at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 
 
Jonathan Simmons (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) earned a pair of All-Empire 8 awards with Third Team 400m Hurdle honors and Third Team 4x400m Relay honors. Simmons set a personal best with a time of 57.10 seconds in the 400m hurdles at the Empire 8 Championships while the 4x400m relay team also placed third with a time of 3:29.06. 
 
Nate Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Herkimer College) picked up Second Team Discus honors as he placed second behind Kelly at the Empire 8 Outdoor Championships with a mark of 41.81m. Teammate Michael McNeil (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) also earned All-E8 honors in the discus as he was named a Third Team honoree. He placed third at the Empire 8 Outdoor Championships with a mark of 39.45m. 
 
USTFCCCA All-Region honoree Billie Mays III (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) earned All-E8 Third Team Shot Put honors with a mark of 14.98m at the Empire 8 Outdoor Championships. At the time, that toss was his personal best before he surpassed it with a mark of 15.30m the following week at the CNY Fast Chance Meet. 
 
Brady Szekeres (Accord, NY/Rondout Valley) garnered Third Team Pole Vault honors thanks to his personal best mark of 3.85m at the Empire 8 Outdoor Championships.