Swimming & Diving

Iona Men and Marist Women Lead After the Opening Day of the 2026 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships Powered by Northeast Beef

GENEVA, OH (Feb. 11, 2026) – The 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships opened tonight at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. On the team leaderboards, Iona University led the men’s side with a score of 118 and Marist University topped the women’s standings with a score of 207.
 
The night began with Fairfield women’s 200 Medley Relay winning the MAAC title for the third consecutive year, clocking in at 1:41.22. The Stags gold medalist team featured Holly Rahurahu (back), Tone Sandsjoe (breast), Allie Bashor (fly), and Rylie Bauman (free). Sandsjoe was the only member of this year’s quartet that was also a member the previous two championship relay teams for Fairfield in 2024 and 2025. In the men's 200 Medley Relay, Iona University became back-to-back champions, pacing the field with a top time of 1:26.89. The Gaels first place relay team consisted of Kieran Egan (back), Max Buchen (breast), Wyatt Julian (fly), and Nick Patino (free). Both Egan and Patino also swam on the 2025 medley relay championship unit.
 
The lone diving event of the opening session featured the women’s 1-Meter Dive, in which Sacred Heart University’s Sinclair Yadao won her second straight championship on the board, scoring a 259.60.
 
For the second straight year, Niagara’s women’s 800 Freestyle Relay team of Natalie Killion, Megan Jackson, Claire Gorton, and Mary Carl set the new MAAC standard, touching the wall in a record time of 7:21.72. The exact same quartet set the record last season in a time of 7:23.19. The final race of the night was the Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay, which was captured by Fairfield’s relay unit of Tim Regan, Jochi Nolla, Balazs Ament, and Aidan Schnapf. The group finished the race with a finishing time of 6:30.60.
 
Team Standings
Men Women
Place School Points Place School Points
1 Iona 118 1 Marist 207
2 Fairfield 116 2 Sacred Heart 204
3 Rider 106 3 Rider 149
4 Marist 104 4 Fairfield 141
5 Niagara 102 5 Niagara 120
6 Mount St. Mary's 98 6 Iona 111
7 Canisius 94 7 Mount St. Mary's 104
8 Saint Peter's 90 8 Canisius 103
9 Manhattan 80 9 Siena 102
10 Merrimack 95
11 Saint Peter's 66
12 Manhattan 60
 
Day 1 Event Results
Event Name Institution Time/Score
Women's 200 Medley Relay Holly Rahurahu, Tone Sandsjoe, Allie Bashor, Rylie Bauman Fairfield 1:41.22
Men's 200 Medley Relay
Kieran Egan, Max Buchen, Wyatt Julian, Nick Patino
Iona 1:26.89
Women's 1-Meter Dive Sinclair Yadao Sacred Heart 259.60
Women's 800 Freestyle Relay Natalie Killion, Megan Jackson, Claire Gorton, Mary Carl Niagara* 7:21.72*
Men's 800 Freestyle Relay Tim Regan, Jochi Nolla, Balazs Ament, Aidan Schnapf Fairfield 6:30.60
 
MAAC Championship Record*
 
The 2026 MAAC Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championships resume tomorrow, Thursday, February 12 at 9:30 a.m. All action throughout the entire championship will be streamed live via ESPN+.
 
Tickets for all sessions of the championships can be purchased here.
 
For all information regarding the 2026 MAAC Men's & Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships, please visit maacsports.com/swim.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
 
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