Men's Swimming and Diving | 10/8/2025 2:00:00 PM
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - The 25-time league champion Grove City College has been voted into the top spot in this year's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Men's Swimming and Diving Preseason Coaches' Poll. The league announced the results of its balloting, as well as its annual swimmers and divers to watch list, on Wednesday.
In place since the 2014-15 season, the yearly poll is voted on by the conference's eight head coaches.
The conference expands to eight teams starting this season with Hiram College returning to the conference in all sports. The Terriers were members of the PAC from 1971-89, finished as high as second in men's swimming and diving in the conference in 1975-76 and placed fifth overall in their final year in the league in 1989.
Grove City and 24th-year head coach Dave Fritz secured seven of the eight first-place votes to total 56 points. Washington & Jefferson College placed second with 48 points, narrowly edging Saint Vincent College, who had the final first-place vote and 46 points. Westminster College scored 35 points to finish fourth in the poll, followed by Hiram in fifth (30 points), Chatham University in sixth (27), Allegheny College in seventh (24) and Bethany College (14).
Grove City made it seven straight PAC titles and 25 team crowns after amassing 1,087 points at last year's championships. The runner-up was W&J, who totaled 635 points, while Saint Vincent finished in third place with 589 points. Following the 2025 Championships, W&J won both coaching awards. Eighth-year W&J head coach Matt Rochna was named the PAC Men's Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Presidents to their highest placement since 2016, while W&J's Josh Vasko was named the PAC Diving Coach of the Year, his first men's award and second conference honor after he was the Women's Diving Coach of the Year in 2022.
This year's swimmers and divers to watch list is marked by 13 returning All-PAC selections, including eight All-PAC First Team honorees. Of the 20 events contested at last season's championships, eight individual event winners are included on this year's list.
In addition to all three major award winners returning from last year, the PAC also has two All-Americans back to compete. Saint Vincent senior Jacob Dzurica turned in a stellar junior season, as he earned PAC Swimmer of the Year after winning titles in the 50 Free, 100 Free and 100 Back, an event where he set a new PAC Championships record. He followed that performance by earning First Team All-American in the 50 Free with and eighth-place finish at NCAA Championships and then Second Team All-American in the 100 Free by placing 16th overall.
Grove City senior Caleb Einolf is also a returning two-time All-American. After he won the 100 Breast and swam on four winning relays at PAC Championships, Einolf had qualified for NCAA Championships in three events and would mirror Dzurica with one First Team and one Second Team All-American honor. His top performance was in the 100 Breast where he finished sixth for First Team laurels, the highest by a PAC men's swimmer in an individual event since Grove City's Caleb Courage won the national title in the 100 freestyle in 2009. Einolf would also add a Second Team All-American award to his credit when he placed 13th overall in the 100 Fly.
Also returning after an award-winning season is Westminster sophomore Jack Katigbak, last year's Newcomer of the Year, and W&J sophomore Zach Lloyd, the PAC Diver of the Year. Katigbak, the first Westminster men's swimmer to earn the Newcomer award, was the PAC runner-up in the 100 Back and 200 Back, placed 11th in the 50 Free and swam on the Titans' fourth-place medley relay.
Lloyd, the first President to win Diver of the Year since Theo Skoric won both diving crowns in 2017, swep the one- and three-meter diving titles in his first season. His first win came on the one-meter board with a finals score of 452.10 and then he completed his sweep by winning the three-meter event after scoring 362.25.
Also featured on the watch list is Grove City junior Owen Hancock, who won a pair of PAC individual titles when he touched first in the 100 and 200 Fly.
The swimmers and divers to watch list also includes 10 members of the PAC's 2024-25 Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes who have earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition.
Grove City is set to serve as host the PAC Championships once again at the James E. Longnecker Competition Pool, which has been the home of the PAC Championships since 1990. The four-day event will be Wednesday-Saturday, February 18-21.
The NCAA Division III Region 4 (Northeast/South) Diving Championships are slated for Friday-Saturday, February 27-28.
The Division III Championships are scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 18-21 at the IU Natatorium on the campus of Indiana University-Indianapolis. The event will be hosted by Franklin College and the Indiana Sports Corp.
2025-26 PAC Men's Swimming and Diving Preseason Coaches' Poll
(Predicted order of Championships finish) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024-25 Championships finish |
| 1. Grove City College (7) |
56 |
1st (of 7) at PAC Championships, 1087 pts. |
| 2. Washington & Jefferson College |
48 |
2nd (of 7) at PAC Championships, 635 pts. |
| 3. Saint Vincent College (1) |
46 |
3rd (of 7) at PAC Championships, 589 pts. |
| 4. Westminster College |
35 |
4th (of 7) at PAC Championships, 468 pts. |
| 5. Hiram College |
30 |
8th (of 9) at NCAC Championships, 412.5 pts. |
| 6. Chatham University |
27 |
5th (of 7) at PAC Championships, 250 pts. |
| 7. Allegheny College |
24 |
6th (of 7) at PAC Championships, 234 pts. |
| 8. Bethany College |
14 |
7th (of 7) at PAC Championships, 8 pts. |
2025-26 Men's Swimmers and Divers to Watch
| 1=2024-25 1st Team All-PAC / 2=2nd Team All-PAC / HM = Honorable Mention |
| Allegheny |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Christian Habusta |
Jr. |
Free/Breast |
Erie, Pa./Fairview |
| Sam Kohler |
So. |
Distance Free/Fly |
Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth |
| Bethany |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
|
|
|
|
| Chatham |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Cal Hockman |
So. |
Back/Free |
Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport |
| Max Rollins |
So. |
Sprint Free |
Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg |
| Caleb Trainum |
Jr. |
IM |
Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan |
| Grove City |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Nathan Beukema (1) |
Sr. |
Sprint Free |
Kensington, Md./Homeschooled |
| Caleb Einolf (1) |
Sr. |
Fly/Breast |
Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown |
| Owen Hancock (1) |
Jr. |
Fly/Free |
Brunswick, Ohio/Westside Christian Academy |
| Bryce Pope (1) |
Jr. |
Breast |
Wilmington, Del./Delaware Valley Classical School |
| George Witte |
Fr. |
Fly/Back |
Columbia, S.C./Covenant Classical Christian |
| Hiram |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Jon Hybil |
Sr. |
Free/Breast |
Aurora, Ohio/Aurora |
| Joe Krosky |
Jr. |
Fly |
Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights |
| Ethan O'Malley |
Jr. |
Free/Fly |
Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding |
| Owen Pastorius |
Sr. |
Mid/Distance |
Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills |
| David Slovenkay |
Jr. |
Back/Free |
Mentor, Ohio/Mentor |
| Saint Vincent |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Jacob Dzurica (1) |
Sr. |
Free/Back |
Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield |
| Giovanni Guido |
So. |
IM/Breast |
Columbia, S.C./Dreher |
| Alex Leskovansky (2) |
Sr. |
Free/Fly |
Houtzdale, Pa./Homeschooled |
| Liam Randolph (1) |
Jr. |
IM/Breast |
Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield |
| W&J |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Ethan Glessner (2) |
So. |
Back/Fly |
McKeesport, Pa./Elizabeth Forward |
| Dan Jeffries (2) |
Jr. |
Back/Mid-Distance |
Irwin, Pa./Hempfield |
| Zach Lloyd (1) |
So. |
Diving |
Dillsburg, Pa./Lloyd Academy (Homeschooled) |
| Liam Miller |
Fr. |
Breast/IM |
Grove City, Ohio/St. Charles Prep |
| March Yuan (2) |
So. |
Fly/IM |
Simi Valley, Calif./Oak Park |
| Westminster |
| Name |
Yr. |
Events |
Hometown/High School |
| Avery Bumbach (HM) |
So. |
IM/Free |
Ocala, Fla./Forest |
| Jack Katigbak (1) |
So. |
Back/Free |
North Canton, Ohio/Lake Center Christian |