Men’s Swimming 2025-26 Season Preview

LANCASTER, Pa. – Ben Delia returns as interim head coach for the 2025-26 Franklin & Marshall males’s swimming marketing campaign, as he begins his twelfth yr main the Diplomats. Franklin & Marshall begins the season by internet hosting No. 20 Swarthmore, Ursinus, and Dickinson in a quad meet on Saturday, October 25. 

2024-25 Recap 

The Diplomats went 5-5 general and 3-3 within the Centennial Conference within the twin meet season. In the convention, they earned wins over Ursinus, Washington College, and McDaniel, whereas the workforce’s non-conference wins got here towards Mary Washington and Kutztown. F&M claimed a fourth-place end from 12 competing groups on the Franklin & Marshall Invitational. 

The Diplomats earned third place at Centennial Conference Championships, totaling 5 medals. Sam Kamdin, John Devaney, Ben Lockey, and Thomas Smolinski positioned second within the 200 freestyle relay, whereas Kamdin, Henry Tavens, Lockey, and Devaney earned silver within the 400 freestyle. Tavens went on to earn second place within the 200 freestyle after setting this system’s second-best time earlier within the season. The Diplomats additionally earned bronze in two relay occasions, as Kamdin, Patrick Rooney, Evan Willertz, and Devaney have been third within the 400 medley relay and Kamdin, Devaney, Tavens, and Willertz positioned third within the 800 freestyle relay.

Swimmers to Watch

Free/Back – Sam Kamdin – Sr.

Free/Breast/Fly/IM – Ben Lockey – Sr.

Breast – Patrick Rooney – Sr. 

Free – Matthew Tilghman – Jr.

Kamdin performed a job in all 4 relay medals gained by the Diplomats eventually yr’s Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, incomes silver within the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay with bronze within the 400 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay. Individually, he was an A Finalist within the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 100 backstroke. Kamdin, this system’s 100 backstroke file holder, moved up the efficiency checklist in a number of classes, logging this system’s fourth-best 100 freestyle time, seventh-best 50 butterfly cut up, and ninth-best 100 butterfly time.

Lockey performed a component in F&M incomes silver within the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay on the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, whereas he earned an A Final spot within the 50 freestyle and was a B Finalist within the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. 

Rooney earned a bronze medal within the 400 medley relay on the 2025 Centennial Conference Swimming Championship whereas incomes a spot in three particular person finals. He was an A Finalist within the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke whereas he earned a B Finals spot within the 400 IM. Last yr, Rooney set this system’s third-best 100 breaststroke time, fourth-quickest 200 breaststroke time, and sixth-best 50 breaststroke cut up.

Tilghman competed in three particular person finals on the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, as he earned an A Finals spot within the 500 freestyle and 1650 freestyle and was a B Finalist within the 200 butterfly. 

The Road Ahead

The Diplomats open the marketing campaign by internet hosting Dickinson, No. 20 Swarthmore, and Ursinus in a quad meet on Saturday, October 25. One week later, they journey to Gettysburg on Friday, October 31 forward of internet hosting Mary Washington on Saturday, November 1. F&M then faces Division II Kutztown on the impartial web site of Millersville University. The Diplomats wrap up the 2025 portion of the calendar by internet hosting the annual Franklin & Marshall Invitational from Friday, November 21, by Sunday, November 23. 

2026 begins with journeys to Washington College on Friday, January 16 and No. 22 Salisbury on Saturday, January 17. The Franklin & Marshall Spring Invitational on Saturday, February 7, is the ultimate competitors forward of the 2026 Centennial Conference Swimming Championship.

The Kunkel Aquatic Center will but once more play host to the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship from Thursday, February 19, by Sunday, February 22. 

The 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship will probably be hosted on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis from Thursday, March 18, by Sunday, March 21. 

In the Polls

With 30 factors, F&M was chosen to complete fourth within the Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll, behind No. 12 Johns Hopkins of their inaugural Centennial Conference swimming season, defending convention championships No. 20 Swarthmore, and Gettysburg. The Blue Jays earned 49 factors and 7 first-place votes, and so they be part of the convention following a close to decade-long spell as an impartial swimming program. Swarthmore garnered 43 factors and one first-place vote, whereas Gettysburg in third earned 37 factors. The 4 groups behind the Diplomats within the ballot embody Dickinson (24), Ursinus (19), Washington College (15), and McDaniel (7). You can view the whole Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll here.