WINTHROP, Mass. - The Norwich University men's and women's swimming & diving teams are set to take to the pool next weekend for the 2025-26 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6 through Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sports and Recreation Center in Worcester, Mass.

Each day of the championship will feature a morning and evening session, with preliminary heats beginning at 10:00 a.m. daily.  Diving events will follow preliminaries, with finals scheduled to begin around 6:00 p.m., shifting to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Five teams will compete in the men's championship field, with Norwich aiming to defend its title for a fourth consecutive season while pursuing the program's seventh conference championship.  The Cadets were selected to remain atop the standings in the league's pre-championship poll, earning all five first-place votes for a total of 25 points.  The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) was tabbed second with 20 points, followed by Regis College, last season's runner-up, with 15 points.  Elms College and Albertus Magnus College rounded out the poll with 10 and five points, respectively.

On the women's side, seven teams will contend for the conference crown, with the Cadets seeking to match the men's pursuit of a four-peat while also chasing the program's seventh GNAC championship.  Norwich was selected second in the pre-championship poll with 43 points and two first-place votes, trailing reigning runner-up Simmons University, which totaled 45 points and five first-place selections.  Regis College and the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) finished tied for third, followed by Elms College, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, and Albertus Magnus College to complete the projected order.

Both Norwich squads enter the GNAC Championships carrying winning records in dual-meet competition.  The Cadet men posted a dominant 6-1 mark, while the women finished the regular season at 4-3 overall.  Both teams secured decisive Senior Day victories over Plymouth State University on Jan. 17 to close out the home slate before traveling to Eastern Connecticut State University on Jan. 24, where the men earned a 150-112 victory while the women fell, 170-92, to conclude the regular season.

Norwich athletes have also maintained a strong presence in GNAC weekly honors throughout the 2025-26 campaign, with 14 different individuals receiving conference recognition.  On the men's side, three swimmers have earned GNAC Swimmer of the Week accolades, led by Drew Bylow's (Monroe, Mich.) four selections.  Kristian Adlianitski (Cheshire, Conn.) has earned three honors, while Andrew Clark (Acworth, Ga.) has received one.  Rookie of the Week honors have largely been split between Gabe Wettig (Ballston Spa, N.Y.), who has earned four, and Max Ansell (Red Bank, N.J.), who has received three.  Adlianitski, Wettig, Bylow, Clark, Adrian Riendeau (Ridgecrest, Calif.), and John Connor Hallstrom (Bethany, Conn.) have all earned GNAC Honor Roll recognition.

On the women's side, senior Reilly Laitala (Sterling, Mass.) continues to add to a historic career, recently capturing her 17th career Diver of the Week award and sixth of the season.  Freshman Delaney Allen (Gibsonia, Pa.) has compiled four Rookie of the Week honors during a standout first collegiate campaign, while Ava LePage (Palmyra, Maine) earned her first career Diver of the Week recognition in mid-January.  Five different Cadets have also earned Honor Roll distinction this season, with Allen and Burgan Danger (Wadsworth, Ohio) each receiving two selections, while Brandy Lewis (Strafford, Vt.), Anna Gosselin (Lisbon, Conn.), and Alannah Kelliher (Middleboro, Mass.) have each been recognized once.

For fans unable to attend the championship meet in person, the GNAC has partnered with Abreu Media Productions to provide live streaming coverage of each session.  The broadcast will be available through the GNAC YouTube channel.

The GNAC has sponsored a men's swimming & diving championship since the 2016-17 season, during which Norwich has claimed six of the seven titles contested.  The conference has sponsored a women's swimming & diving championship since 1998-99, when Norwich captured the league's first three titles before winning each of the last three championships entering this season.

At last year's championship meet, the Norwich men captured the team title with 472 points, finishing ahead of Regis College (186) and the University of Saint Joseph (180).  On the women's side, Norwich held off a strong challenge from Simmons University to win with 917 points, while Simmons finished second with 810 points and Regis College placed third with 500 points.

For the complete poll results, please see below.  A portion of this release courtesy of the GNAC.
 

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GNAC PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL RESULTS:
Men's Swimming & Diving
1. Norwich - 25 (5)
2. Saint Joseph (Conn.) - 20
3. Regis (Mass.) - 15
4. Elms - 10
5. Albertus Magnus - 5

Women's Swimming & Diving
1. Simmons - 45 (5)
2. Norwich - 43 (2)
T-3. Regis (Mass.) - 33
T-3. Saint Joseph (Conn.) - 33
5. Elms - 17
6. Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 15
7. Albertus Magnus - 10

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The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region.  Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.