The #25 Middlebury women's swimming and diving team rewrote two school records during the second day of the 2026 NESCAC Championship hosted by Wesleyan. Ninth-ranked Tufts grabbed the top spot in the team standings with 710.5 points through 10 events, while #9 Williams (698.5 points) and #12 Colby (533 points) sit second and third, respectively. The Panthers hold fifth with 415 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Anna McGrew continued her stellar sophomore campaign during the 50 freestyle, claiming first place with a meet and school-record time of 22.73 seconds. She also clocked the same time in the preliminary round.
• Mia Cuiffo led the pack and established a new program mark during the championship final of the 50-yard butterfly. The rookie touched the wall at 24.63 seconds to earn the top spot. Her clocking was 0.36 seconds faster than runner-up Lucy Smith from Amherst.
• Also picking up points in the consolation final were the duo of Lauren Jolley and Maddy Smith. Jolley shaved three-tenths of a second off her preliminary time for ninth at 25.26, while Smith claimed 11th at 25.56. 
• Rookie Isla Johnston secured a spot in the championship heat of the 500 free, earning eighth with a time of 5:07.91. In the secondary event, Hannah Baumgartner (5:04.61) and Holly Mattson (5:09.60) tallied 10th-place and 14th-place finishes, respectively.
• Emma Hall and Lauren Lin represented the navy and white in the consolation final of the 50 breaststroke. Hall took ninth (29.83), while Lin was 14th (30.34).
• In the 200 individual medley (IM), Olivia Schwarz secured 15th with a clocking of 2:09.68.
• Middlebury closed the second day of competition with an NCAA "B" cut time in the 400 medley relay. McGrew, Hall, Cuiffo and Grace Nadecki earned fifth by stopping the clock at 3:49.41.
• The Panthers also earned points in the 200 free relay. The "A" quartet of Cuiffo, Hannah Baumgartner, Smith and Jolley combined for a time of 1:35.41 to claim sixth place.

NOTES

• Cuiffo becomes the first Panther to win the 50 fly since Middlebury Athletics Hall of Famer Marika Ross '08, who earned the title in three consecutive championship meets from 2006-08. Her time also resets the program record of 25.29 seconds set by Megan Griffin at the 2016 NESCAC Championships hosted by Middlebury. 
• McGrew is the fourth Middlebury swimmer to take home the 50 free title and resets her school record time of 23.03 from the 2025 NCAA Championships. Her clocking also broke the meet record (22.98) clocked by Williams' Emma Waddell at the 2018 championships.

The Panthers return to the pool for day three of the NESCAC Championship on Saturday. Preliminary swims begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the finals at 5:45 p.m.