HAMPTON, Va. – One year ago, the Salisbury University women's swimming team went down to the wire to win its first-ever conference championship. This year, the title came in wire-to-wire fashion.
The 24th-ranked Sea Gulls capped a transcendent weekend with their second consecutive league crown at the 2026 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Swimming & Diving Championships on Sunday at the Hampton Aquaplex. SU finished the four-day meet with 1,635 points, over 600 points clear of silver medalists Mary Washington (987.5), bronze Rowan (971.5), and the rest of the field of 10 teams.
In total, Salisbury won gold medals in nine of the meet's 18 swimming events, besting its winning point total from last season (1,419) by 216 points on the way to back-to-back conference titles.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Just like in 2025, the Sea Gulls used a victory in the meet-closing 400-yard free relay as its coronation moment. The quartet of Rachel Rickabaugh, Lily Griffin, Alexa Hilty, and Rowan O'Donoghue shaved 3.72 seconds off their entry time and touched the wall first in 3:28.03, using a 50.13-second split from anchor O'Donoghue to close the gap on second-place Kean and win by seven hundredths of a second. The mark also cleared NCAA B-cut standards for the event, putting Rickabaugh, Griffin, Hilty, and O'Donoghue on track to compete at nationals.
- O'Donoghue captured one more piece of individual glory with a gold medal in the 100 free, posting a 51.09-second B-cut mark that was over a second and a quarter faster than qualifying.
- In all, O'Donoghue finished on the podium in all seven of her events across the four days, winning five gold medals (800 free relay, 500 free, 200 free, 100 free, 400 free relay) and two silver (400 medley relay, 200 free relay). The freshman's seven medals surpass the six won by Sydney McCallie in 2025 (five gold, one silver), making O'Donoghue the most decorated Sea Gull women's swimmer at a single conference championship meet in team history.
- Addi Wood started the day with a dominant performance in the 1,650 free, touching the wall in 16:54.94 to hit the B-cut and best the field by over 30 seconds. Jenna Krawlzik beat out tough opposing competition to finish second (17:26.41), while Sadie Hebert (17:44.57) and Grace Wienckowski (17:55.01) placed fifth and seventh, respectively.
- Maddie Powell completed her three-year climb to the top of the podium in the 200 breaststroke, winning in a time of 2:21.67. Powell finished third and second in the event, respectively, in 2024 and 2025. SU also took fourth-through-sixth place behind Mackenzie Gula (2:22.12), Kira Brown (2:24.08), and Samantha Watson (2:24.10).
- In another snapshot of the program's depth, Salisbury swept the podium in the 200 butterfly. Leading the way was gold medalist Olivia Polucha (2:05.11), with Griffin (2:06.26) taking silver and Libby Miyashita (2:08.52) bronze. It marks the second time this weekend SU took all three medals in an event after Friday's 500 free.
- Isabelle Salvatore narrowly missed medaling in the 200 backstroke, taking fourth in 2:05.92.
The numerous Sea Gulls whose times met national qualifying standards will conclude their seasons at the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, set to be held on Mar. 18-21 at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis. The field for the national championship meet will be announced at a later date.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 207 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
