Bridgewater, NJ -- After securing back-to-back titles, Howard is favored to stampede its way to an NEC men’s swimming & diving three-peat.
 
The Bison were picked as the unanimous favorites in the preseason coaches poll for a second straight season. League newcomer VMI was predicted to follow in second.
 
Wagner and Le Moyne were selected third and fourth, respectively, while LIU and Stonehill rounded out the poll.

Under four-time NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honoree Nic Askew, Howard has established itself as a perennial contender, capturing three conference titles in the last four years. The Bison have not finished worse than second since joining the NEC and have won their three championships by an average of 82.5 points. Last year, Howard finished 71.5 points ahead of Wagner.
 
Howard’s top two individual performers from last season, Mason Green (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Kaleb James (Durham, NC), return for the 2026-27 campaign. Green enters his senior year with significant momentum after claiming gold in the 50 free, 100 fly, and the 200 and 400 medley relays at the 2026 NEC meet. The Fort Lauderdale, FL native has had an acclaimed career, tallying seven gold medals, five silvers and a pair of bronzes. James was outstanding during his rookie season, earning gold in the 200 IM and 200 medley relay. He earned a silver and bronze as well in the 200 free relay and 400 free relay, respectively. Zion Wilson (San Antonio, TX) returns for his junior season after sharing Diver of the Meet honors at the NEC Championships a season ago. Wilson won the 3-meter dive in 2026 and took third in the 1-meter. Trevor Sewell (Decatur, GA) returns as well after taking silver in both diving events last season.
 
VMI brings a number of talented swimmers into the fold in its first year in the NEC. Ian Lutz (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) returns for his sophomore season after earning bronze in the 100 fly at the 2026 America East Championships. Junior Jack Mills (Forest, VA/Jefferson Forest) took fourth in the 200 fly. Both Lutz and Mills were members of a 200 free relay team that earned bronze for the Keydets.

A number of notable swimmers from the 2026 NEC Championships return across the league.
 
Lucas Clay (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) and Louis Allison (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) return for Le Moyne after claiming victory in the 100 breast and 3-meter dive, respectively, last February. Clay set the league record in the event with a 53.58 mark.
 
LIU returns Finn Drysdale (Perth, Scotland/The Royal School Wolverhampton), Mario Rodriguez Poulsen (Oviedo, Asturias, Spain/IES La Eria) and Polat Tasbasi (Ankara, Turkey/Tarhan College). Drysdale, the two-time reigning NEC Outstanding Swimmer, and Tasbasi each set individual league records last year, with Drysdale establishing a new mark in the 1650 free and Tasbasi doing the same in the 200 breast, while Rodriguez Poulsen was named Rookie of the Meet.
 
Nikko Carrillo (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos) enters his senior season for Wagner after winning the 100 fly a season ago. Teammate Florian Schumuch (Oslip, Austria) also comes back for his junior campaign looking to build upon his 400 IM win in 2026.

Stonehill will embark on the inaugural season of its men’s swimming & diving program in 2026-27, becoming the fourth full NEC member to sponsor the sport.
 
The NEC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will take place from February 17-20 at the VMI Aquatic Center in Lexington, VA.

About the NEC
Now in its 46th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 17 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.