LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Men's Swimming & Diving will have 10 Keydets swim in the 2026 CSCAA National Invitational Championship on March 12-14 at the FAST Facility in Ocala, Florida.
 
The Keydets will be highly represented in this year's CSCAA national meet, with freshman Ian Lutz competing in the 50 & 100 Free and 100 Fly. Lutz's 100 Fly mark (47.71) earned him bronze in the America East Championship and set new Rat and team records.
 
The dynamic junior duo of Sam Castle and Matthew Picard qualified for three events apiece. Castle, who will compete in the 50, 100, & 200 Back, and Picard, who will compete in the 50 & 100 Free and 100 Fly, tallied four medals apiece during the America East Championships.
 
Jack Mills and Layne Tucker will also compete in three events. Mills qualified for the 200 IM, 200 Fly, and 200 Free, while Tucker set qualifying marks in the 50, 100, & 200 Breast. Mills had a top-10 finish in all three events, while Tucker was top 10 in the 100 & 200 Breast at the conference championship meet.
 
Austin Reeder, who was top 10 in the 100 Breast at the league championships, qualified for the national invite for his marks in the 50 & 100 Breast. Joining and qualifying in one event are Kayleb Eldridge (200 Fly), Aubrey Struder (1650 Free), Caleb Wolf (800 Free Relay), and Will Loftin (400 Medley Relay).
 
2026 CSCAA National Invitational Championship Qualifiers
Sam Castle: 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back
Kayleb Eldridge: 200 Fly
Ian Lutz: 50 Free, 100 Fly, 100 Free
Jack Mills: 200 IM, 200 Free, 200 Fly
Matthew Picard: 50 Free, 100 Fly, 100 Free
Austin Reeder: 50 Breast, 100 Breast
Layne Tucker: 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Aubrey Struder: 1650 Free
Caleb Wolf: 800 Free Relay
Will Loftin: 400 Medley Relay
 
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