WEST POINT, N.Y. – VMI Men's Swimming & Diving kicked off the 2025-26 campaign against Army at Crandall Pool Friday evening.
 
"I am very impressed with our early-season performances," says VMI Swimming Head Coach Scott Thacker. "Four new team records and sixteen program top-10 times in early October are incredible for us. This was a great way to start the season, and we are looking forward to the next few weeks of racing."



 
Despite the 148-57 loss, the Keydets had several positive outcomes, including a broken record and four top-10 program times.
 
Junior Matthew Picard led the way by breaking the 100 Butterfly varsity record with a time of 49.12 en route to third place. Picard would land on the podium again, earning second place in the 50 Freestyle (20.85).
 
Making an impact in his first collegiate meet was freshman Ian Lutz, who took home second in the 100 Freestyle (45.73), which puts him in the top 10 all-time.
 
Sophomore Stephen Russell produced a top-10 time for VMI in the 1,000 Freestyle (9:28.99) to earn second, with sophomore Aubrey Struder also joining the list (9:58.37). Russell would also land second in the 200 IM (1:53.38).
 
Returning to his familiar ways was sophomore Jack Mills, tallying a third-place mark in the 200 Freestyle (1:41.06). Junior Sam Castle and sophomore Joshua Wolf went second (50.68) and third (52.87), respectively, in the 100 Backstroke.
 
The Keydets' 200 Freestyle Relay squad, consisting of Picard, Lutz, Russell, and Mills, brought home the gold by less than two-tenths of a second (1:22.32).
 
On the boards, junior Ryder Creal earned points for VMI with a third-place result in the one-meter (249.67).
 
In total, VMI posted 11 podium marks with one first-place finish.
 
Next Up
The Keydets head to Emmitsburg, Maryland, for a dual against Mount St. Mary's on Saturday, October 11, starting at 1 p.m.
 
For more information, visit VMIKeydets.com or follow us on social media at VMI Athletics.