BOSTON – The 2026 America East Swimming & Diving Championship begins Wednesday, with teams traveling south to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) to compete in the four-day event.
VMI is an associate conference member in the sport, and this year’s championship will mark the third time since 2013 that the #AESD Championship will be held on a member’s campus with fans in attendance.
For information on tickets and VMI’s clear bag policy, as well as links to live stats and video, visit #AESD Championship Central.
LAST TIME OUT
Last year, the New Hampshire Wildcat women claimed their fifth #AESD Championship in the last six years, while Binghamton won its second straight title to cap a thrilling championship held at Goodall Pool on the campus of the Virginia Military Institute.
New Hampshire finished with 782 points to claim its league-record 12th conference crown. Bryant was second with 686 points, while Vermont took third with 637 points. UMBC was fourth with 405 points, followed by Binghamton (393), Maine (356), and VMI (112).
On the men’s side, the Bearcats entered the final evening leading by just 1.5 points (553–551.5), but thanks to an impressive Saturday performance, they concluded with a 52.5-point victory over UMBC, 775–722.5. Bryant placed third with 575.5 points. NJIT was fourth with 417, followed by VMI (378) and Maine (344).
THE GOLDEN TICKET
Any swimmer who wins a conference title and meets the national qualifying time standard will earn an automatic berth the 2026 NCAA Championship Meet. an athlete must swim the NCAA qualifying time in the conference final to receive an automatic 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 competition with the top mark in the 1-meter dive and the second-best mark in the 3-meter. The junior diver is looking to defend her 1-meter title and upgrade last year’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 winning the 200 free, 500 free, and 1650 free. Now a sophomore, she was crucial in New Hampshire’s 12th title run, and the Wildcats will look to her to make another impact as they pursue their 13th championship.
Julia Iwanow, Binghamton
The freshman from Binghamton has already made her mark as a Bearcat, earning America East Rookie of the Week honors a conference-best seven times this season. She leads the league in the 200 breast (2:13.53) and ranks second in the 100 breast (1:02.53).
Alice Marini, UMBC
Marini, a graduate student, will make her #AESD debut after spending the majority of her collegiate swimming career at Texas A&M. The newcomer owns the top times in the 200 back (1:59.38), 200 IM (2:02.27), and 400 IM (4:22.96).
Natalie Schick, Vermont
Schick, a graduate student who spent her undergraduate career at Rutgers, will also make her #AESD debut. The backstroke specialist leads the conference in the 100 back (54.67) as the only swimmer under 55 seconds, and she ranks second in the 200 back (1:59.59) as one of just two swimmers under the two-minute mark.
Ruby Tonelli-Smith, Bryant
Tonelli-Smith, the former School Sports Australia National Championship runner-up in the 100 fly and the 2025 #AESD 100 Fly Champion, looks to continue her success. The sophomore enters the championship meet with the top time in both the 100 fly (53.12) and the 200 fly (1:57.68), while ranking second in 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 no stranger to big competition, having been a member of the Israel National Team. He enters the meet with the top times in the 1000 free (9:17.39) and 1650 free (15:29.90) and holds the fourth-fastest time in the 500 free (4:30.77).
Chris Buonocore, Bryant
The senior diver from Bryant swept both diving events at the 2024 Championship meet and will look to do the same this year after finishing second in the 1-meter and third in the 3-meter in 2025. The seasoned diver heads into the meet with the top mark on both boards.
Ian Lutz, VMI
The first-year swimmer from VMI is making his #AESD debut and will do so in front of the home crowd. He enters the meet with the third-fastest time in the 50 free (20.21) and top-eight marks in the 100 fly, 100 back, and 100 free.
Quinn Marchionini, UMBC
Marchionini, a freshman from UMBC, is looking to make an immediate impact for the Retrievers. He enters the #AESD meet with the top time in the 100 back (47.86), the second-best time in the 200 IM (1:48.88), and the third-fastest time in the 200 back (1:48.07).
Evan Peters, Binghamton
Peters, the 2025 #AESD 200 free champion and runner-up in the 200 back and 500 free, helped lead the Bearcats to their second straight title last year and will need to play a critical role if they want to repeat their success. The sophomore leads the league in the 200 free (1:37.43) and owns the second-best times in the 200 back (1:48.05) and 500 free (4:29.32).
Joey Stauss, Maine
The 2025 runner-up in the 200 IM and bronze medalist in the 100 fly is looking to upgrade his medals at this year’s championship. He enters the meet as the favorite in the 100 fly with a conference-leading time of 47.15, ranks second in the 200 fly (1:48.80), and is one of four swimmers who have gone faster than 1:50 in the 200 IM (1:49.53).
The four-day event will be streamed live on ESPN+ starting Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. with the women's one-meter and men's three-meter diving prelims. The evening session starts at 5:30 p.m. For the full schedule, live streaming links, and more visit #AESD Championship Central. Follow @AmericaEast on X to get the real-time championship updates. Use #AESD to join the conversation.