ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley College men's and women's swimming teams are ready to begin the 2025-26 season with their sights set on another successful year. Both teams have eight competitions on their schedule before the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships, including three home events at the Arnold Sports Center. 

Head Coach Mary Gardner expressed that she is excited for the upcoming season and believes the teams are poised for a productive year. 

"We've got some really good swimmers, and my goal for them is that they can keep the love of the sport while they're still developing their endurance and yen for winning," Gardner said. "But I don't want them to ever lose the love of the sport, because that's why they're there."

Lebanon Valley's women's swimming team posted a 6-3 overall record with a 2-1 mark against MAC opponents last season.

This year's roster features 14 returning swimmers and 13 newcomers. Six swimmers competed in last season's MAC Championships, including sophomores Lilly McNutt, Marina Weidman, and Jana Shoffner, juniors Noryan Mitchell and Karly Kile, and senior Natalie Bourne. Mitchell and Weidman swam on the 400-yard freestyle relay "A" team and the 200-yard freestyle relay "A" team, which both landed on the podium with eighth-place finishes at the MAC Championships.

Lebanon Valley will also look to sophomores Lydia Miller and Laura Nye to make an impact, along with seniors Courtney Smith and Madison Hoerner. Additionally, Gardner said she believes the leadership of Bourne, Kile, and Mitchell will play an integral role in the underclassmen succeeding both in the pool and the classroom. 

LVC's men's swimming team will also look to build on a solid 2024-25 campaign, in which the squad went 4-3 overall and 2-1 against conference opponents.

The men's team returns seven swimmers from last season, while eight student-athletes are joining the program this year. Five returnees qualified for the 2024-25 MAC Championships, including seniors Brian Dym, Roman Schelhorn, and Caleb Sikalis, and sophomores Owen Fastrich and Edward McClain. At the MAC Championships, Dym competed on the 200-yard freestyle "A" team that finished ninth, and the 200-yard medley relay "A" team that placed 10th. He also swam on the 400-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay "A" teams that finished 10th. Additionally, McClain and Sikalis competed on the 800-yard freestyle relay squad that placed 10th. 

The Dutchmen will also look to juniors Jeffrey LaRuffa and Sean Coyle to make an impact. Additionally, Gardner expressed that the experience Dym, Sikalis, and Schelhorn bring to the table will contribute to the men's swimming squad's success this season.

"The leadership on both teams is spectacular," Gardner said. "If anybody has questions, they can ask each other. My first-years and sophomores are also helping each other."

Lebanon Valley will open the season and MAC competition on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m., when the teams will host King's College at the Arnold Sports Center. The Dutchmen will later host their final home meet of the year next month on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m., as the program will close out the first half of the campaign against FDU-Florham at the Arnold Sports Center. 

LVC will resume competition on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 1 p.m., when the squads will travel to Wilkes University for a tri-meet against the Colonels and the University of Scranton in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The Flying Dutchmen will later close out the regular season at Stevenson University's Last Chance Qualifier Time Trials on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. in Owings Mills, Md. 

Lebanon Valley will compete in the MAC Championships from Thursday, Feb. 12, to Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Graham Aquatic Center in York, Pa. Each day, there will be sessions held at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. LVC's men's swimming schedule can be found here, and the women's swimming schedule can be found here. 

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