GENEVA, OH (Feb. 12, 2026) – The 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships continued Thursday at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, with Marist University women’s team extending its lead with 457 points, while Fairfield University men’s squad ascended from second place into first place with a score of 473.5.
To begin the night, Niagara’s Natalie Killion took gold in the women's 500 Freestyle, finishing with a time of 4:49.75, winning gold for the second straight year in the event. In the men’s 500 Freestyle, Marist’s Oscar Bjering passed Fairfield’s Aidan Schnapf on the final lap, winning in a photo finishing time of 4:26.17, just eight tenths of a second faster than Schnapf, to take gold.
Niagara’s Alaina Pitton continued her reign in the women's 200 IM, winning her third consecutive gold medal in the race in record setting time. This year, she set the MAAC record, clocking in at 2:00.99, which broke the previous record of 2:01.60 that was set back in 2009 by Priscilla Modrov of Rider. Niagara freshman, Vilem Mikula, was a gold medalist in the men’s 200 IM, touching the wall in 1:47.73.
Marist freshman, Anna Kirby rounded out the individual gold medalists on the women’s side with a victory in the women’s 50 Freestyle, with a winning time of 23.27. On the men’s side in the 50 Freestyle, Nick Patino of Iona came in first place by way of a 20.02 time, edging Rider’s Billy Ruddy by two tenths of a second.
The meet’s solo diving event of the night featured the men’s 3-Meter Dive, in which Stavros Xantheas from Rider scored a 308.90 to become a repeat champion on the board.
To cap off the night, Niagara’s women's 200 Freestyle Relay continued its tear in the race, going back-to-back-to-back, winning the title for the third consecutive year and fourth time since 2022. The quartet of Megan Jackson, Claire Gorton, My-Ky Vo, and Pitton, won the race in a time of 1:33.39. The trio of Jackson, Gorton, and Pitton have been members of the championship winning relay unit during the past three years. Closing out the evening with gold medals were Mount St. Mary’s men's 200 Freestyle Relay team of Adam Jozsa, Lucas Hancock, Austin Toland, and Parker Koenig. The foursome clocked in at 1:19.72 to earn the top spot on the podium.
Despite claiming no gold medals on the night, Fairfield was able to move into the top spot on the men’s side by winning a trio of silver medals in the 500 Freestyle (Schnapf), the 200 IM (Bobby Regan), and the 3-Meter Dive (Andrew Cataldo), while coming in fourth place in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
| Team Standings |
| Men |
Women |
| Place |
School |
Points |
Place |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Fairfield |
473.5 |
1 |
Marist |
457 |
| T2 |
Marist |
397 |
2 |
Niagara |
412 |
| T2 |
Niagara |
397 |
3 |
Sacred Heart |
366 |
| 4 |
Iona |
342 |
4 |
Fairfield |
358 |
| 5 |
Rider |
310.5 |
T5 |
Rider |
248 |
| 6 |
Mount St. Mary's |
379 |
T5 |
Mount St. Mary's |
248 |
| 7 |
Canisius |
207 |
7 |
Iona |
246 |
| 8 |
Saint Peter's |
165 |
8 |
Canisius |
192 |
| 9 |
Manhattan |
126 |
9 |
Siena |
180 |
|
|
|
10 |
Merrimack |
160 |
|
|
|
11 |
Saint Peter's |
126 |
|
|
|
12 |
Manhattan |
105 |
| Day 2 Event Results |
| Event |
Name |
Institution |
Time/Score |
| Women's 500 Free |
Natalie Killion |
Niagara |
4:49.75 |
| Men's 500 Free |
Oscar Bjering |
Marist |
4:26.17 |
| Women's 200 IM |
Alaina Pitton |
Niagara |
2:00.99* |
| Men’s 200 IM |
Vilem Mikula |
Niagara |
1:47.73 |
| Women's 50 Free |
Anna Kirby |
Marist |
23.27 |
| Men's 50 Free |
Nick Patino |
Iona |
20.02 |
| Men's 3-Meter Dive |
Stavros Xantheas |
Rider |
308.90 |
| Women's 200 Free Relay |
Megan Jackson, Claire Gorton, My-Ky Vo, Alaina Pitton |
Niagara |
1:33.39 |
| Men's 200 Free Relay |
Adam Jozsa, Lucas Hancock, Austin Toland, Parker Koenig |
Mount St. Mary’s |
1:19.72 |
MAAC Championship Record*
The 2026 MAAC Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championships resume tomorrow, Friday, February 13 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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