VMI Swim & Dive travels to West Point for season opener

LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI Swimming & Diving will head as much as West Point, New York, to problem Army on Friday at Crandall Pool.
 
The Keydets will open the 2025-26 marketing campaign at a fellow navy institute in Army West Point. VMI splashes into the brand new season beginning at 3:45 p.m. for diving, with races beginning at 5:15 p.m.
 
VMI returns a plethora of younger expertise from each side, together with Jack Mills and Mackenzie Byrne. Mills broke 16 data between Rat, group, and relay within the common season, together with one on the 2024 US Open in December, earlier than serving to the Keydets’ relay squad earn a bronze end on the America East Championships. Byrne was a key element of the Keydets Free and Fly, and holds 4 particular person data within the 50 & 100 Freestyles and 5 relay data within the 400 Freestyle, 200 Medley, and 400 Medley relays.
 
Sam Castle and Matthew Picard are main upperclassmen with extra to construct off of after a profitable 2024-25 marketing campaign. Castle was VMI’s high swimmer within the backstroke, incomes first place six instances, and was within the high three in each race. He additionally nabbed silver within the 100 Back and performed a key position within the 800 Free Relay squad that earned bronze on the America East Championships. Picard scored bronze within the 100 Free on the America East Championships, shattering the VMI report, and performed an important position within the 800 Free Relay bronze squad.
 
On the boards, Isabelle Haer was a shining star for VMI. She led the Keydets with six first-place dives and have become the primary feminine Rat diver to position within the high 10 at a convention championship in group historical past, whereas additionally being the primary feminine VMI diver to position within the high 16 in each one- and three-meter diving occasions as a freshman.
 
The Keydets welcome a big freshman class, with the ladies including eight athletes and the lads signing 12 extra.
 
In his fourth season, head coach Scott Thacker has grown these two packages from the bottom up. In 2024-25, Thacker led the VMI males to a 5-3 report, their first successful season since 2021 and most wins since 2020, with three convention medals, whereas serving to the ladies obtain a 2-8 report, tied for essentially the most wins in a season, and declare their first DI victory since 2014.
 
Both Knights squads have made a splash already, with the lads incomes a win over Marist and the ladies tallying three dominating wins over Marist, Connecticut, and Central Connecticut State final weekend.
 
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