2026 #AESD Championship Begins on Wednesday

BOSTON – The 2026 America East Swimming & Diving Championship begins Wednesday, with groups touring south to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) to compete within the four-day occasion. 

VMI is an affiliate convention member within the sport, and this 12 months’s championship will mark the third time since 2013 that the #AESD Championship shall be held on a member’s campus with followers in attendance. 

For data on tickets and VMI’s clear bag coverage, in addition to hyperlinks to reside stats and video, go to #AESD Championship Central. 

 

LAST TIME OUT 

Last 12 months, the New Hampshire Wildcat girls claimed their fifth #AESD Championship within the final six years, whereas Binghamton received its second straight title to cap an exhilarating championship held at Goodall Pool on the campus of the Virginia Military Institute. 

New Hampshire completed with 782 factors to say its league-record twelfth convention crown. Bryant was second with 686 factors, whereas Vermont took third with 637 factors. UMBC was fourth with 405 factors, adopted by Binghamton (393), Maine (356), and VMI (112). 

On the boys’s aspect, the Bearcats entered the ultimate night main by simply 1.5 factors (553–551.5), however because of a formidable Saturday efficiency, they concluded with a 52.5-point victory over UMBC, 775–722.5. Bryant positioned third with 575.5 factors. NJIT was fourth with 417, adopted by VMI (378) and Maine (344). 

THE GOLDEN TICKET

Any swimmer who wins a convention title and meets the national qualifying time standard will earn an computerized berth the 2026 NCAA Championship Meet. an athlete should swim the NCAA qualifying time within the convention ultimate to obtain an computerized Championship bid.

 

WOMEN’S ATHLETES TO WATCH 

Grace Blume, New Hampshire 

Blume, the 2025 1-meter diving champion and Diver of the Meet, enters the competitors with the highest mark within the 1-meter dive and the second-best mark within the 3-meter. The junior diver is seeking to defend her 1-meter title and improve final 12 months’s 3-meter silver medal to gold. 

Lydia Hart, New Hampshire 

Hart was named the 2025 Most Outstanding Swimmer and Rookie of the Meet after profitable the 200 free, 500 free, and 1650 free. Now a sophomore, she was essential in New Hampshire’s twelfth title run, and the Wildcats will look to her to make one other influence as they pursue their thirteenth championship. 

Julia Iwanow, Binghamton 

The freshman from Binghamton has already made her mark as a Bearcat, incomes America East Rookie of the Week honors a conference-best seven occasions this season. She leads the league within the 200 breast (2:13.53) and ranks second within the 100 breast (1:02.53). 

Alice Marini, UMBC 

Marini, a graduate scholar, will make her #AESD debut after spending the vast majority of her collegiate swimming profession at Texas A&M. The newcomer owns the highest occasions within the 200 again (1:59.38), 200 IM (2:02.27), and 400 IM (4:22.96). 

Natalie Schick, Vermont 

Schick, a graduate scholar who spent her undergraduate profession at Rutgers, may even make her #AESD debut. The backstroke specialist leads the convention within the 100 again (54.67) as the one swimmer underneath 55 seconds, and she or he ranks second within the 200 again (1:59.59) as one in every of simply two swimmers underneath the two-minute mark. 

Ruby Tonelli-Smith, Bryant 

Tonelli-Smith, the previous School Sports Australia National Championship runner-up within the 100 fly and the 2025 #AESD 100 Fly Champion, seems to be to proceed her success. The sophomore enters the championship meet with the highest time in each the 100 fly (53.12) and the 200 fly (1:57.68), whereas rating second within the 200 IM (2:03.72). 

 

MEN’S ATHLETES TO WATCH 

 

Yonatan Ahdut, NJIT 

Ahdut, a rookie from NJIT, will compete in his first #AESD Championship meet. The freshman is not any stranger to large competitors, having been a member of the Israel National Team. He enters the meet with the highest occasions within the 1000 free (9:17.39) and 1650 free (15:29.90) and holds the fourth-fastest time within the 500 free (4:30.77). 

 

Chris Buonocore, Bryant 

The senior diver from Bryant swept each diving occasions on the 2024 Championship meet and can look to do the identical this 12 months after ending second within the 1-meter and third within the 3-meter in 2025. The seasoned diver heads into the meet with the highest mark on each boards. 

 

Ian Lutz, VMI 

The first-year swimmer from VMI is making his #AESD debut and can achieve this in entrance of the house crowd. He enters the meet with the third-fastest time within the 50 free (20.21) and top-eight marks within the 100 fly, 100 again, and 100 free. 

 

Quinn Marchionini, UMBC 

Marchionini, a freshman from UMBC, is seeking to make a right away influence for the Retrievers. He enters the #AESD meet with the highest time within the 100 again (47.86), the second-best time within the 200 IM (1:48.88), and the third-fastest time within the 200 again (1:48.07). 

 

Evan Peters, Binghamton 

Peters, the 2025 #AESD 200 free champion and runner-up within the 200 again and 500 free, helped lead the Bearcats to their second straight title final 12 months and might want to play a essential function in the event that they need to repeat their success. The sophomore leads the league within the 200 free (1:37.43) and owns the second-best occasions within the 200 again (1:48.05) and 500 free (4:29.32). 

 

Joey Stauss, Maine 

The 2025 runner-up within the 200 IM and bronze medalist within the 100 fly is seeking to improve his medals at this 12 months’s championship. He enters the meet as the favourite within the 100 fly with a conference-leading time of 47.15, ranks second within the 200 fly (1:48.80), and is one in every of 4 swimmers who’ve gone quicker than 1:50 within the 200 IM (1:49.53). 

The four-day occasion shall be streamed reside on ESPN+ beginning Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. with the ladies’s one-meter and males’s three-meter diving prelims. The night session begins at 5:30 p.m. For the complete schedule, reside streaming hyperlinks, and extra go to #AESD Championship Central. Follow @AmericaEast on X to get the real-time championship updates. Use #AESD to affix the dialog.