LEXINGTON, VA. – The UMBC men and Bryant women led wire-to-wire as the Bulldogs earned the program’s first-ever conference title, while the Retrievers secured their conference-leading 15th crown on Saturday night on the campus of VMI.
Bryant led at the end of every evening and finished with 775 total points over the four-day event, blowing past defending conference champion New Hampshire which had 660 points. Vermont took third with 613 points, while UMBC was fourth with 446 and Binghamton placed fifth with 403.
UMBC was on a mission in 2026 and held off a deep Binghamton squad, buoyed by taking the top four spots, and 6 of the top 9, in the 100 free on Saturday night. The Retrievers finished with 805.5 points, while two-time defending champion Binghamton was second with 748 points. Bryant placed third with 572.5, while VMI placed fourth with 423.
COMPLETE RESULTS | SATURDAY RESULTS
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Joey Stauss, Maine
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Evan Peters, Binghamton
Most Outstanding Diver: Chrisopher Buonocore, Bryant
Most Outstanding Rookie: Braden Weise, UMBC
David Alexander Coaches' Award: Liam Preston, Binghamton
Most Outstanding Coaching Staff: UMBC
Elite 18 Award: Sean Neals, UMBC (4.0 GPA, financial economics)
Most Outstanding Swimmer: Ruby Tonelli-Smith, Bryant
Most Outstanding Diver: Megan Beasley, Bryant
Most Outstanding Rookie: Julia Iwanow, Binghamton
David Alexander Coaches' Award: Audrey Mahoney, New Hampshire
Most Outstanding Coaching Staff: Bryant
Elite 18 Award: Auerilie Honsberger, Bryant (4.0 GPA, major: applied economics)
Need to Know:
- Bryant’s Ruby Tonelli and New Hampshire's Lydia Hart were the only two athletes at the meet to win three individual gold medals. Tonelli touched the wall first in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 IM while Hart defended her titles in the 200 free, 500 free and 1650 free.
- UMBC’s Braden Weise set a new conference record in the 100 free with his time of 43.58 seconds, as the Retrievers took the top four spots in the event.
- The UMBC men took first in all five relay events, winning the 200 medley, 200 free, 400 medley, 400 free and 800 free relays.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise –