There was no easing into the final night of competition at the 2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference / Mountain East Conference Championship
With team standings on the line inside the C.T. Branin Natatorium, the Ashland University swimming and diving teams put together a series of top-10 finishes. They also tacked on numerous conference honors and awards, with the most notable being the Elite 26 Award.
The Eagles opened the evening with an impressive showing in the women's 1-meter diving, as Riley Hunt led the charge with a first-place score of 448.25. Her mark also set a meet record. Maddi Whitticar, Macey Wade and Ella Howard followed in second, third and fourth.
In the night's individual swimming events, Colin Pham performed great, finishing in third place with a time of 1:55.42 in the men's 200-yard backstroke. Sophomore Yasmim Tomita finished in third place in the women's 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:04.30.
Jason Basile earned a podium spot, finishing fourth in the men's 1650-yard distance with a time of 16:35.01.
The Eagles also snagged placements in the men's 400-yard freestyle relay, a group consisting of Cole Huebner, Colin Pham, Robin Falk and Nick Girz. The quartet finished with a time of 3:04.03. Women's 400-yard freestyle relay, consisting of Colleen Cox, Katelyn Claugus, Hannah Yemec and Juliana Pignato, ended in fourth place with a time of 3:36.69.
Ashland also collected major conference honors, with Joey Lenczyk being named First Team All-Conference in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Hunt earned First Team All-Conference honors in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events, while Rachel Stanchek was named Great Midwest Women's Elite 26 Award recipient.
In the final team standings, the women finished third with 1,178 points and the men placed second with 1,447.5 points.
The Eagles now turn their attention to the NCAA championships, which are set to begin on Tuesday, March 10, in Evansville, Ind.
