WINTHROP, Mass. - The Norwich University women's swimming & diving team opened the 2025-26 campaign right where it left off, among the best in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), as senior Reilly Laitala (Sterling, Mass.) and freshman Delaney Allen (Gibsonia, Pa.) earned GNAC Diver of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors, respectively, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.

The Cadets made a strong statement in their season opener at the Keene State Sprint Pentathlon on Saturday, delivering several impressive performances across a unique format that combined times from five sprint events, including the 50-yard butterfly, 50-yard backstroke, 50-yard breaststroke, 50-yard freestyle, and 100-yard IM, into a cumulative total for each swimmer.  The meet also featured 200-yard medley and freestyle relays, along with 1-meter diving competition.

Allen dazzled in her collegiate debut, placing fourth overall among a 50-plus athlete field with a composite time of 3:07.82.  She finished third in the 50-yard butterfly (28.68), 11th in the 50-yard backstroke (32.37), fourth in the breaststroke (34.43), second in the freestyle (26.57), and third in the IM (1:05.77).  She also anchored both of Norwich's top relay squads, which claimed third-place finishes in the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.

Her Rookie of the Week nod is the first of her career, and marks the program's first rookie recognition since Anna Gosselin (Lisbon, Conn.) earned the honor on Nov. 20, 2023.

Laitala, the reigning two-time GNAC Women's Diver of the Year, began her senior campaign in dominant fashion with a first-place finish on the 1-meter board, recording a meet-best score of 215.65.  The result was more than 30 points clear of the next closest competitor in the field of four.

The weekly award is Laitala's 12th overall as a Cadet, following a six-award season in 2024-25 that continued to help cement her as one of the most decorated divers in league history.

Norwich will return to the pool on Saturday, Oct. 25, when it opens its home slate against GNAC rival Regis College at 11:00 a.m. inside Goodyear Pool.  The meet marks the start of a three-meet homestand that includes visits from Husson University on Nov. 1 and Maine Maritime Academy on Nov. 8.