LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Swimming & Diving prepares for the 2026 America East Championships starting Wednesday and ending Saturday at Goodall Pool in the VMI Aquatic Center.
Day one will begin with diving prelims at 12:15 p.m., and conclude with finals at 5:30 p.m. Days two through four will start with prelims at 10 a.m., and finish with finals at 5:30 p.m. For diving, prelims will continue on day two at 1:50 p.m. and on day three at 2:05 p.m.
Last year's championship meet marked several achievements, including three medals, 11 top-five marks, and 26 records broken.
Matthew Picard earned bronze in the 100 freestyle,
Sam Castle nabbed silver in the 100 backstroke, and the men's 800 freestyle relay team took home bronze.
VMI is set to bring the heat at all levels.
Noelle Tong has had her best season yet, holding the team's top times in the 50 & 100 Free and 100 Back. Her 100 Free time at the Keydet Invite is a top-10 America East mark and the program's fastest.
Also performing well for the women is this year's freshman class.
Avery Shuping holds the 12th-fastest 1,000 Free time in the league and holds four team records.
Lacy Delzell has been swift in the 200 Free, setting two records, while
Carissa Witte has led the pack in the 500 Free and 400 IM, breaking four records.
On the men's side,
Ian Lutz has taken the league by storm, being named an America East Championship Swimmer to Watch this week. The freshman has five records to his name and has the second-fastest 50 Fly, third-fastest 50 Free, and top-10 100 Free and 100 Fly times in the conference.
Sam Castle looks to repeat as a medalist, as he enters the championship meet with the third fastest mark in the 100 Back, a top-five finish in the 50 Back, and a top-10 time in the 200 Back.
Two names that return to the championship meet that narrowly missed out on individual medals in 2025 are
Stephen Russell and
Jack Mills. Russell has been performing at his peak with notable times in the 1,000 Free and 400 IM. Mills is ready to strike again, boasting top-10 times in the 100 & 200 Free and 200 & 400 IM.
Keydet divers have been steadily improving each meet.
Isabelle Haer is set to be a top performer after ending the regular season with some of the best one- and three-meter scores in the league.
Lane Jones and
Hudson Weinhagen are in the mix to make it to the final dive. Weinhagen broke the one-meter and platform Rat diving records, and currently has the highest team one-meter score this season, while Jones has the best three-meter score among his peers.
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