WINTHROP, Mass. - The Norwich University men's swimming & diving team opened the 2025-26 season in familiar fashion with more conference recognition, as junior Kristian Adlianitski (Cheshire, Conn.) and sophomore Gabe Wettig (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) earned GNAC Swimmer of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, as announced by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) on Monday afternoon.

The Cadets returned to the pool on Saturday for their season debut at the Keene State Sprint Pentathlon, a distinctive meet structure that compiled results from five sprint-distance rances, including the 50-yard butterfly, 50-yard backstroke, 50-yard breaststroke, 50-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard IM, into one combined time per athlete.  The day also included 200-yard medley and freestyle relays.

Adlianitski picked up right where he left off last season, defending his individual title at the pentathlon with a winning composite time of 2:37.89.  He claimed first place in three of the five events, including the 50-yard breaststroke (27.54), 50-yard freestyle (22.04), and 100-yard IM (56.56), while also placing third in the 50-yard butterfly (24.89) and fourth in the 50-yard backstroke (26.86).  The reigning GNAC Swimmer of the Year shaved nearly three seconds off his 2024 winning total to kick off his junior campaign.

The weekly honor is the fifth of Adlianitski's career after a four-award haul during the 2024-25 season.  As a freshman, he also earned four GNAC Rookie of the Week selections.

Wettig impressed in his collegiate debut, finishing 10th overall in the 50-plus athlete field with a total time of 2:54.15.  He logged finishes of 11th in the butterfly (26.50), 10th in the backstroke (29.19), 14th in the breaststroke (32.00), ninth in the freestyle (24.33), and 10th in the IM (1:02.13).  Wettig also contributed to a pair of relay squads, leading off Norwich's 200-yard medley relay team that finished fourth overall, and anchoring the third-place 200-yard freestyle relay.

His Rookie of the Week honor is the first of his career and keeps Norwich's streak of recognition in the category alive after Drew Bylow (Monroe, Mich.) notched seven GNAC Rookie of the Week awards in 2024-25.

Norwich will make its home debut on Saturday, Oct. 25, when the Cadets welcome GNAC opponent Regis College to Goodyear Pool for an 11:00 a.m. meet.  The clash marks the start of a three-meet homestand that includes Husson University on Nov. 1 and Maine Maritime Academy on Nov. 8.