The 25th-ranked Middlebury women's swimming and diving team makes the trip to Middletown, Connecticut, for the 2026 NESCAC Championship hosted by Wesleyan. The four-day event begins on Thursday, February 12, with the 800-yard freestyle relay. 

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• The Panthers are in search of their first conference championship.
• The program has 11 top-three team finishes, with the most recent coming in 2024. 
• Middlebury placed fifth in last season's edition, amassing 996 points over the seven sessions.
• The squad has claimed dual meet victories over Bates and Connecticut College heading into the championship event.  

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Anna McGrew looks to add to her impressive campaign, highlighted by a team-high nine victories in the backstroke and freestyle disciplines. The Panther has five freestyle victories, with four coming in the 100. McGrew has claimed the 50 and 100 backstroke four combined times and comes off a gold performance in the 50 from the Middlebury Invitational. Last season, the Panther garnered runner-up honors in the 50 to claim her initial All-NESCAC nod.
• Leading the way in the breaststroke events is Emma Hall. A tri-captain, the senior has claimed seven individual triumphs this winter, including gold in the 100 three times. She comes off her first 50 breaststroke title from the Middlebury Invitational. 
• Isla Johnston and Hannah Baumgartner have a combined 10 event victories in the freestyle discipline. Johnston has excelled in her rookie campaign, garnering three 1,000 titles and two wins in the 500. She also won the 400 individual medley (IM) in the squad's final invite of the season. Baumgartner enters the championship meet sporting five individual crowns, three of which are in the 200.
• The rookie duo of Mia Cuiffo and Avery Dollard has been key contributors to the squad. Cuiffo comes into the championships with three 100 butterfly victories and the top time in the 50 free against Bates. Dollard has excelled in the butterfly, grabbing four wins across three different distances.
• Pai Easterbrook leads the Panther diving unit with four individual triumphs this season, sweeping the 1-meter and 3-meter events against Bates and Connecticut College.

THE COMPETITION

• Williams scored 1,831 points to secure its 21st conference crown. The Eph total was 29.5 ahead of runner-up Tufts, signifying the closest finish ever at the NESCAC Championship. The Jumbos and Amherst are the two other programs to win the conference championship since the initial postseason meet in 2001. Tufts earned back-to-back crowns in 2022 and 2023, while the Mammoths claimed the 2013 title. 
• The five competitors who won two or more events in last year's edition will not return. Tufts and Williams combine for five individual winners from the 2025 championships, looking to defend their titles.
• Six conference squads are ranked in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Top 25 national poll. Williams (#8), Tufts (#9), Colby (#12), Amherst (#19) and Hamilton (#23) join the Panthers on the list.

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION

• Host: Wesleyan University
• Venue: Webster Family Natatorium
• All-NESCAC: The top-three finishers in each individual event and the top-three relay event will earn All-NESCAC honors.
• Tickets: To purchase tickets, please click here.
  • Tickets for Thursday evening's session are $5 for adults and $3 for children and students. 
  • Tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $10 per session for adults and $3 per session for children and students. Standing room tickets are not available.
  • Doors will open one hour before the preliminaries and finals. 
  • Single-session tickets will be available one hour before each session.
  • All-session passes are $60.
• Daily Schedule
• Live Results
• Live Video
• NESCAC Women's Swimming and Diving Records

For more information about the championship event, please visit the championship hub.