CSP swim and dive chosen fourth in NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul girls’s swimming and diving is about to kick off the 2025-26 season on the street this Friday on the NSU Relays in Aberdeen, S.D. 

Action will happen at 6 p.m. on Friday and proceed on Saturday in a double-dual in opposition to each Northern State and UMary. Both days motion shall be held on the Aberdeen YMCA. 

WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK

All Golden Bear NSIC swimming and diving shall be accessible to look at on-line, freed from cost, powered by the NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology. Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop computer or desktop laptop, obtain the NSIC Network app in your cell machine or watch in your supported OTT supplier akin to Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search “NSIC Network” and obtain the app for the league’s full sport and staff lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Fans can obtain the CSP Bears fan app, freed from cost and accessible within the App Store or on Google Play. The app comprises rosters, schedules, scores, stats, information, social media and extra! Customize your choices to get notifications to your favourite groups, as nicely. Search “CSP Bears” within the app retailer to remain up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.

NSIC PRESEASON POLL

The Golden Bears had been picked to complete fourth within the 2025 NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, marking the very best ballot placement in program historical past. 

The Navy and Gold earned 51 factors within the ballot, coming in behind St. Cloud State with 68 factors. Minnesota State tops the ballot after a twenty third place end on the 2025 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships. 

Head coach Rachel Busch on the rating, “It is one of our team goals to finish fourth place or above in the conference championship, this puts a little bit of a target on our back and a little bit of extra pressure to do so. I have no doubt that our team will rise to the occasion and put in the work necessary in order to fight for that fourth place or better finish.”

Junior Sophie Leo returns for Concordia and is that this 12 months’s Swimmer to Watch. Leo is coming off a season wherein she recorded two fourth-place finishes on the 2024-25 NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships whereas tallying 43 factors for the staff. Leo was additionally named a CSCAA Scholar All-American Second-Team and a CSC Academic All-District Team member. 

Busch on Leo, “Sophie enters her third season at CSP, coming off a strong showing at the 2025 NSIC Championships. She has shown continual improvement since joining us in the Fall of 2023, now holding 8 school records. At the 2025 NSIC Championships, Sophie had three Top-8 and one Top-16 individual finishes, also scoring points on three A relays. Sophie also earned a B-cut in the 100 Back. We are grateful for her leadership on the team, both in and out of the pool.”

Sophomore Chloe Jones is again for 12 months two on the diving board and is that this 12 months’s Diver to Watch. Jones is coming off a season wherein she made finals on the 2024-25 NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships, taking an eighth place end whereas amassing seven top-three finishes over the course of the season. 

Aaron Carlson, diving coach on Jones, “The Coaches at CSP are excited for a strong sophomore season for Chloe. With a fantastic freshman year claiming multiple top 3 finishes, a dual meet win, and a Top 8 finish at the Conference Championships, Chloe has already experienced what it takes to perform and succeed in the NSIC. Chloe developed strong fundamentals throughout last year and we are looking forward to continuing our progress with skills and dives to compete strong through her second year. Bigger dives and strong skills are sure to come as we progress in the early stages of the season, and we look forward to some top finishes with her skill set.”

PRESEASON

With a spirited set of preseason practices within the e-book, the Golden Bears look to make use of their largest roster in class historical past to perform a memory-filled season. 

When requested about preseason, Busch said, “The team has been incredible and we are off to a very strong start. It has been a lot of energy, enthusiasm, camaraderie and this overall sense of joy and excitement to work hard throughout our team!”

NORTHERN SUN INTERCOLLEGIATE CONFERENCE

This 12 months the NSIC will include 10 groups after including the University of Jamestown this previous July. The Jimmies made the transfer to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and NCAA Division II after leaving the North Star Athletic Association as a part of the NAIA.

Busch on the NSIC, “We are really excited to welcome Jamestown, we have competed against them in the past so it almost seems normal that we will see them throughout the year. The stronger our conference can be, the better it is for all the individual teams and our recruiting.” 

Busch added, “Iron sharpens iron. The stronger each team can be, the stronger our conference can be. We are proud to be in the NSIC as one of the strongest conferences in the nation for Division II.”

The NSIC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships will happen February 11-14 on the Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo, North Dakota.  Swimming prelims will happen every day at 10 a.m. and finals at 5:00 p.m. Diving will happen on Thursday and Saturday with prelims at 10 a.m., the B-final happening half-hour after prelims conclude, and the A-final in the course of the night occasions. 

NSIC All-Conference Performers shall include the highest three place finishers in every occasion and the members of the highest two relay groups. The swimmer scoring essentially the most factors shall be named Swimmer of the Meet. The diver scoring essentially the most factors shall be named Diver of the Meet.   The staff scoring essentially the most factors shall be named convention champion.  

LOOKING AHEAD AT THE SCHEDULE

The Golden Bears will compete in 10 regular-season meets earlier than the season will culminate on the 2025-26 NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships. 

CSP will compete regionally in St. Paul this season twice, taking part within the St. Kate’s Pentathlon in October and the WildBear Invite in November. Both meets will happen on the campus of St. Kate’s. 

As a program, the Navy and Gold will host a pair of meets on the Two Rivers Aquatic Center in Mendota Heights, Minn., the house pool of CSP Swimming and Diving. The first one shall be a double-dual in opposition to Minnesota State and Southwest Minnesota State on Oct. 18 after which a twin versus the Marauders of UMary in late January. 

THIS SEASON’S TEAM

The Golden Bears are composed of 19 returners, eight freshmen and one switch this season. With 28 student-athletes on the roster, the staff is made up of twenty-two swimmers and 6 divers to as soon as once more mark the biggest roster in program historical past. 

Busch on the staff, “This is the first season we have more returners than newcomers which has really helped move our culture forward at an even faster pace because we have so many great leaders and people to set an example both in their words and their actions.” 

Busch added, “That actually helps to get our newcomers up to the mark and all our returners have been extremely welcoming and useful to people who are new and that has helped us develop into a cohesive unit.

FINAL WORDS FROM COACH BUSCH

“I really love my job and the opportunity to work with these women and our coaching staff. I am really excited for the season to continue and to see us in action this weekend for the first time, it will be a great launching pad for what’s to be a really awesome season ahead!”