LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Swimming & Diving will head up to West Point, New York, to challenge Army on Friday at Crandall Pool.
The Keydets will open the 2025-26 campaign at a fellow military institute in Army West Point. VMI splashes into the new season starting at 3:45 p.m. for diving, with races starting at 5:15 p.m.
VMI returns a plethora of young talent from both sides, including
Jack Mills and
Mackenzie Byrne. Mills broke 16 records between Rat, team, and relay in the regular season, including one at the 2024 US Open in December, before helping the Keydets' relay squad earn a bronze finish at the America East Championships. Byrne was a key component of the Keydets Free and Fly, and holds four individual records in the 50 & 100 Freestyles and five relay records in the 400 Freestyle, 200 Medley, and 400 Medley relays.
Sam Castle and
Matthew Picard are leading upperclassmen with more to build off of after a successful 2024-25 campaign. Castle was VMI's top swimmer in the backstroke, earning first place six times, and was in the top three in every race. He also nabbed silver in the 100 Back and played a key role in the 800 Free Relay squad that earned bronze at the America East Championships. Picard scored bronze in the 100 Free at the America East Championships, shattering the VMI record, and played a crucial role in the 800 Free Relay bronze squad.
On the boards,
Isabelle Haer was a shining star for VMI. She led the Keydets with six first-place dives and became the first female Rat diver to place in the top 10 at a conference championship in team history, while also being the first female VMI diver to place in the top 16 in both one- and three-meter diving events as a freshman.
The Keydets welcome a large freshman class, with the women adding eight athletes and the men signing 12 more.
In his fourth season, head coach
Scott Thacker has grown these two programs from the ground up. In 2024-25, Thacker led the VMI men to a 5-3 record, their first winning season since 2021 and most wins since 2020, with three conference medals, while helping the women achieve a 2-8 record, tied for the most wins in a season, and claim their first DI victory since 2014.
Both Knights squads have made a splash already, with the men earning a win over Marist and the women tallying three dominating wins over Marist, Connecticut, and Central Connecticut State last weekend.
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