Defending Champion Cardinals Picked First in Landmark Poll

TOWSON, Md. – The Catholic males’s swimming and diving staff has been picked first within the Landmark Conference Championship Poll, it was introduced at this time. The Cardinals obtained 76 factors within the ballot, together with 5 first-place votes.

Drew and Scranton took second and third within the ballot, with Drew receiving 72 factors and Scranton shut behind with 71. The Rangers completed third on the 2025 championship and can return a number of medalists to compete for the title, whereas Scranton positioned second and brings again an skilled line up for this 12 months’s competitors.

After capturing their ninth straight convention title in 2025, Catholic as soon as once more appears to defend the crown, this time with Chris Paynter on the helm. Last season, they defeated their convention opponents by greater than 100 factors, recording 874.5 factors on the meet.

Charles Connolly III returns because the reigning Landmark Diver of the Year and can compete within the 1-Meter and 3-Meter diving occasions. At the 2025 Championship, Connolly claimed first place within the 3-meter diving occasion with 326.65 factors and adopted with a win within the 1-meter occasion with 337.90 factors.

Sean Kelty returns as a key contributor in distance occasions. Kelty was a four-time medalist on the 2025 championship, incomes two gold and two silver medals. He secured a spot within the Landmark report books with a first-place end within the 1650 Freestyle, clocking a time of 16:05.36. Kelty additionally claimed first within the 400 IM and second in each the 200 IM and the 800 Freestyle Relay alongside John Holler, Shawn Mashburn and Daniel Green.

Teddy Tsakumis has been a constant chief within the pool for Catholic, recording a number of podium finishes all through the 2025-26 season. At final 12 months’s championship, Tsakumis earned three medals, inserting first within the 100 and 200 Backstroke, and taking silver within the 400 Medley Relay with Holler, Jackson Hicks, and Jack Thompson.

The 2026 Landmark Championships will start on Thursday, February 12 on the Mangione Aquatic Center in Baltimore, Md., with occasions concluding on Sunday, February 15.