Men's Swimming 2/19/2026 11:52:59 AM

Swimming Championship Preview

The 31st annual Centennial Conference swimming championships are set for Thursday through Sunday at Franklin & Marshall's McGinness Pool inside the Kunkel Aquatic Center. The four-day meet begins with a pair of relays - the 200 medley and 800 freestyle - on Thursday night at 6 p.m. and continues through Sunday. Prelims will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday through Sunday, with finals slated for 6 p.m. each evening.

Swarthmore will aim to continue its CC winning streaks as the four-time defending champion on both the men's and women's sides. A new addition to the conference this winter will not make that task easy, however, as Johns Hopkins will be participating in the Centennial championship for the first time after previously competing as an independent. The Blue Jay men are ranked ninth in the most recent College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) national rankings, the lone CC men's team that is ranked nationally. On the women's side, Swarthmore is ranked 15th, followed closely by Hopkins (16th) and Gettysburg (18th).

The Hopkins men went 4-0 in duals against CC opponents this winter, including a 178-83 victory over defending champion Swarthmore on January 16. The Swarthmore women went 5-0 against CC opponents, including a nail-biting 134-128 victory over Hopkins on January 16.

On the men's side, Gettysburg owns the most conference titles (15) in CC history, followed by F&M (9) and Swarthmore (6). Those three squads have combined for each Centennial title since the championship began in 1994. On the women's side, Gettysburg has the same number of CC titles (15) as all of the other teams combined. Ursinus (6), Swarthmore (6), and F&M (3) each have multiple conference crowns.

Fourteen individual champions are back at this year's championship. On the women's side, Swarthmore's Quinn Weygandt leads the way as the two-time reigning Most Outstanding Performer of the meet. Weygandt is the three-time defending champion in the 200 IM and 400 IM and the two-time defending champion in the 200 butterfly. Swarthmore's Genine Collins is the two-time defending champion in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly and 2025 champion in the 100 freestyle. Other returning champions on the women's side include Swarthmore's Elle Anthony (2023 50 free, 2023 100 free), Gettysburg's Mia Morreale (2024 100 back, 2025 200 back), Gettysburg's Ava Craig (2025 500 free), and Gettysburg's Ava Berry (2025 1650 free).

On the men's side, Swarthmore's Danny Castle is the returning Most Outstanding Performer of the meet after touching first in the 200 IM, 200 freestyle, and 100 freestyle last year. Teammate Cami Wilson is a three-time gold medalist (2025 50 free, 2023 & 2025 100 fly). Swarthmore's Sam Peterson is the two-time defending champion in the 200 fly, while Dylan Herink has two golds to his name (2024 400 IM, 2024 200 back) for the Garnet. Gettysburg's Evan Graham (2025 400 IM, 2025 100 back), Connor Mangan (2025 200 back), and Sam Nelson (2024 1650 free) will also vie for more golds this weekend.

Five CC men's records were established during the regular season. Graham set four conference records this season - the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 IM, and 400 IM - with all four records occurring in late November or early December. JHU's Avery Clapp set a new CC standard in the 200 butterfly on December 5. Wilson remains the CC record-holder in the 100 butterfly that he set at last year's NCAA meet.

Three women's conference records were set during the regular season. Collins broke her own CC record in the 50 freestyle on November 21, while JHU's Ken Lee set new marks in the 100 and 200 backstroke. Weygandt remains the CC record-holder in the 200 IM and 400 IM, which she set in previous seasons.