NAPERVILLE --- The opening months of the 2025–26 campaign have provided a clear look at the competitive direction of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s swimming and diving programs. Teams across the league have posted noteworthy efforts in dual meets and multi-day invitationals, with several athletes establishing themselves among the conference’s early performers to watch.

With the winter schedule set to resume, the men’s season continues to develop through emerging relay strength, event versatility, and steady contributions throughout each roster.

Augustana Stacks CCIW Top Times Across Events
Augustana holds a 2-3 dual-meet record to open the season, highlighted by decisive wins over Loras (Oct. 11) and Monmouth (Oct. 24) and a team title at the IWU Halloween Invite on Oct. 25. The Vikings also placed third at the Luther Invitational on Nov. 21-22 with 541.5 points.
 
The Vikings have produced several of the CCIW’s top early performances. Augustana owns the league’s second-fastest times in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:24.64; Luke Rettig, Jake McCormack, Emanuel Anguelov, Bjorn Sievert) and the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:04.43; Anguelov, Matthew Meyer, Teddy McGuire, Rettig). The team also holds the CCIW’s second-fastest mark in the 400-yard medley relay (3:30.87) and the third-fastest in the 200-yard medley relay (1:34.26). Sievert currently holds the top CCIW time in the 50-yard freestyle (20.94), while Rettig stands fourth in the conference in the 100-yard butterfly (51.46). Additional strong efforts at the Luther Invitational included a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:07.45) and a 1-2 finish from Sievert (46.69) and Rettig (46.74) in the 100-yard freestyle.
 
Augie has also received contributions across the middle-distance and stroke events. Meyer owns the CCIW’s third-fastest 1650-yard freestyle time (16:57.11) and added a fourth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (4:51.43) at Luther. Anguelov recorded the league’s second-fastest early mark in the 400-yard individual medley (4:13.57) and placed third in the 200-yard freestyle at Grinnell (1:48.56). In the breaststroke events, Michael Garland posted top-five CCIW times at Luther with a 59.79 in the 100 and a 2:12.22 in the 200, following a 200-yard breaststroke victory at Grinnell/Colorado College (2:12.85). Cesar Castillo holds the CCIW’s top time in the 100-yard individual medley (53.29) after placing second at Luther (53.55). Carter Lavold added wins at St. Ambrose in the 200-yard butterfly (2:00.42) and 500-yard freestyle (4:59.36).
 
Relay Wins and Event Breakthroughs Highlight Carroll’s Start
Carroll has opened the campaign with several positive efforts in dual and invitational competition. The Pioneers earned a home win over Millikin on Nov. 1 and collected a relay victory against MSOE Oct. 4, while competing closely in meets with Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Illinois Tech. Carroll also wrapped up the semester with a series of strong swims and lifetime bests at the three-day Carthage Classic last weekend, placing sixth with 143 points.
 
The team’s early progress has been shaped by its sprint and backstroke groups. Jacob Rossi won the 200-yard freestyle against Millikin (1:56.69) and recorded a season-best 22.53 in the 50-yard freestyle, while helping guide the 200-yard freestyle relay to a win versus MSOE (1:33.27). Jonah Lotegeluaki added sprint depth with a 100-yard freestyle win against Millikin (50.28) and a runner-up finish versus MSOE (52.54). In backstroke, Thomas Rynne claimed the 100-yard event against Millikin (1:01.46), earned second in the 200-yard backstroke at UW-Oshkosh (2:11.20), and placed 11th in the 200 at Carthage (2:04.53). Rynne, Rossi, Gavin Buechel, and Lotegeluaki also combined for a 400-yard medley relay win against Millikin (3:55.59).
 
Carroll has continued to develop depth in distance and individual medley events. Freshman Mannon Stern opened the season with a 1650-yard freestyle win against Millikin (19:53.25) before posting a lifetime best of 19:09.10 at Carthage, and added a second-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle versus Illinois Tech (12:00.96). Fellow freshman Paden Moore provided a win in the 200-yard butterfly at Oshkosh (2:24.34). Buechel contributed versatility with a 200-yard individual medley victory over Millikin (2:12.42), and Ben Miles added depth with a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke in the Millikin dual.
 
Firebirds Compile Strong CCIW Rankings Through December
Carthage has positioned itself among the conference’s top programs through the first half of the season thanks to multiple leading marks in the CCIW Top Times Report. The Firebirds have been particularly strong in relay competition, holding the league’s fastest time in the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:02.96). Carthage also ranks second in the CCIW in both the 400-yard medley relay (3:26.20) and 200-yard medley relay (1:33.36), while carrying the third-fastest times in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:26.80) and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:08.89).
 
The team continues to receive notable contributions from several key performers. Breaststroke and IM specialist Tyson Politsch owns the fastest CCIW marks in the 100-yard breaststroke (55.76) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:05.77), and ranks third in the 500-yard freestyle (4:46.41). AJ Landorf leads the CCIW in the 200-yard individual medley (1:54.74) and holds second-fastest conference times in the 50-yard backstroke (23.56), 100-yard backstroke (51.21), and 100-yard butterfly (50.27).
 
Carthage’s depth is reflected across backstroke, sprint, and distance events. Trey Halas sits second in the CCIW in the 200-yard backstroke (1:56.82) and fourth in the 100-yard backstroke (53.63). Freshman Will Murray has added competitive sprint and stroke results, ranking sixth in the 100-yard freestyle (47.68) and fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke (59.69). In distance and IM competition, Jackson Morris holds the CCIW’s third-fastest times in both the 400-yard individual medley (4:20.12) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:10.75). Aidan Nord ranks fifth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.77), further demonstrating the Firebirds’ balanced performance profile.
 
Relay Leadership, Emerging Depth Shape Titans’ First-Half Results
Illinois Wesleyan opened the season with steady progress in both dual and invitational competition. The Titans placed fourth at their home Halloween Invite on Oct. 25 to begin the year and later earned a conference dual win over North Central on Nov. 8, 77-22. IWU recorded its strongest result of the fall at the Beloit Midseason Invitational on Nov. 21-22, placing third with 188 points and collecting seven event wins on the meet’s second day. The program closed its December slate at the Wheaton Invitational last week and is set to return to action on Jan. 10 against Rose-Hulman.
 
Relay strength has continued to support the Titans’ midseason form. Seniors Jay Jenkins and underclassmen Ben Huk, Jacob Nacional, and Tate Thomas posted two relay victories at the Beloit Invite, winning the 400-yard medley relay (3:41.08) and the 200-yard medley relay (1:40.83). Individually, Jenkins has contributed across the sprint and backstroke events, highlighted by a win in the 100-yard backstroke at Beloit (54.64), a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle at the Monmouth Invite (22.17), and a 25.57 backstroke split in relay competition. His 100-yard backstroke time ranks seventh among CCIW performances.
 
IWU has also received key results from its middle-distance and stroke specialists. Thomas produced wins in the 200-yard freestyle at the Halloween Invite (1:47.21) and the 500-yard freestyle at Beloit (4:54.88), with both marks placing among the CCIW’s top times (sixth in the 200, seventh in the 500). Huk secured victories in the 100-yard breaststroke at Monmouth (1:02.34) and the 200-yard breaststroke at Beloit (2:17.96), ranking 11th in the CCIW in the latter. Nacional added a 200-yard butterfly win at Beloit (2:03.48), the fourth-fastest CCIW time. Additional conference-level listings include Jenkins at 14th in the 50-yard freestyle (22.17).
 
Progress Through the Lanes: Big Blue Balance Experience and Youth
Millikin closed the fall portion of its schedule with a series of duals and invitational appearances, highlighted by a home win over North Central on Oct. 18, 94–43. The Big Blue also faced Illinois College (Oct. 18), Carroll (Nov. 1), and Monmouth (Nov. 15), and competed at both the IWU Halloween Invite (Oct. 25) and the Wheaton Invitational (Dec. 5-6).
 
Millikin has received consistent contributions from its sprint and stroke groups. Graduate student Dawsen Loafman led the team in freestyle with wins in the 100-yard event against Illinois College and North Central (50.10) and a 50-yard victory at Carroll (22.52). His season-best 22.22 in the 50 free and 50.10 in the 100 free rank among the league leaders. Senior Msanaa Bosland added two wins against Monmouth in the 50- (23.13) and 100-yard freestyle (51.30), alongside competitive efforts in the 200 free (1:56.67) and 100 butterfly (58.51). Sophomore Ridge Batchelor earned 100-yard breaststroke victories versus Carroll (1:06.50) and Monmouth (1:07.03) and recorded season-best times of 1:05.93 in the 100 breast and 2:24.51 in the 200 breast. Sophomore Gavin Dobson contributed wins in the 100 butterfly (59.01) and 500 freestyle (5:43.41) against Carroll, and holds a season-best 50.03 in the 100 free and 55.47 in the 100 fly.
 
Millikin relays hold several sixth-ranked times among CCIW marks. The 400-yard medley relay (Loafman, Tyler Brown, Dobson, Alex Tabuchi) posted a season-best 3:55.53 at Wheaton, while the 200-yard freestyle relay (Dobson, Loafman, Ahmad Fennoy, Tabuchi) recorded a 1:33.80 at the same meet. At the IWU Halloween Invite, the Big Blue added second place in the 3x100 backstroke relay (3:05.70) and third-place finishes in the 3x100 breaststroke (3:26.44) and 3x100 medley relays (3:06.59).
 
Cardinals Record Key Wins, Personal Bests Across Early-Season Slate
North Central has competed in a range of duals and invitationals throughout the first half of the campaign The Cardinals finished third at the Millikin Triangular on Oct. 18 and later produced one of their closest results at the Beloit Double Dual on Nov. 15, placing second with 401.2 points, just behind host Beloit. Additional competition included a third-place finish at the Olivet Nazarene Triangular (Nov. 8). Most recently, North Central took part in the Illinois College Tri-Meet on Dec. 6 and will return to action on Jan. 10 for a double dual at Illinois Tech and Lewis.
 
The Cardinals have been led by junior Mihir Chandra, who has provided consistent scoring in sprint and breaststroke events. Chandra won the 50-yard freestyle at the Beloit Double Dual (22.90) and added 100-yard breaststroke victories at both the Millikin Triangular (1:05.58) and the Illinois College Tri-Meet (1:04.71). His season-best 22.62 in the 50 freestyle and 1:04.23 in the 100 breaststroke were recorded at earlier invitationals, and his 50 free (22.90) and 100 free (50.20) rank among the CCIW’s listings.
 
Distance and butterfly specialist Griffin Laurin has also contributed, earning a win in the 500-yard freestyle at Illinois College (5:26.36) and posting personal-best marks in both butterfly and freestyle events. His 200-yard freestyle time of 1:58.80 ranks among the CCIW’s top performances. Junior Clark Wilson has added depth in sprint and backstroke events, recording season-best times in the 50-yard freestyle (24.99), 50-yard backstroke (31.99), and 100-yard backstroke (1:08.18). North Central also competed in the 200-yard medley relay at the Millikin Triangular, placing second in the event.
 
Wheaton Showcases Range, Relays, and Record Times Through Fall Slate
Wheaton concluded the fall portion of its schedule with a strong third-place finish at its home invitational last weekend, totaling 726.5 points in a seven-team field. The Thunder also faced a demanding dual slate, falling to Division I Milwaukee on Oct. 31 and nationally ranked Calvin on Nov. 8. Wheaton will resume competition on Jan. 17 at the Illinois–Michigan Quad Meet.
 
The Thunder have been led by several standout performances across distance, stroke, and relay events. Junior Isaac Eilmes delivered two wins on the final day of the Wheaton Invitational, taking the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:12.25) and 400-yard individual medley (4:09.78). He also posted the CCIW’s top 1,000-yard freestyle time (9:57.61) against Calvin. Eilmes holds the league’s top mark in both the 1,650 free and the 500 free, and leads the CCIW in the 400 IM. Sophomore Jed Ritchie added two first-place finishes on the opening day of the Wheaton Invite, winning the 200-yard butterfly (1:54.13) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:39.56), the latter ranking first nationally.
 
Junior Ben Coley contributed an individual win in the 200-yard freestyle at the Wheaton Invitational (1:39.88) and holds the CCIW’s top 100-yard freestyle time (45.74). His 50-yard freestyle mark of 21.23 ranks third conference-wide. Sophomore Jac Cummings has excelled in backstroke, recording a CCIW-leading 50.93 in the 100-yard event and winning the race against Calvin (52.45). Cummings added a third-place finish in the 100 back at the Wheaton Invite (51.44).
 
Wheaton also holds the fastest CCIW times in the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays (1:23.47; 3:04.17) and the 200- and 400-yard medley relays (1:32.17; 3:25.94). In diving, freshman Zachary Kohoutek led the Thunder trio on the 1-meter board at the Wheaton Invitational with a score of 264.15.