NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - After not competing for six seasons, the Bridgeport men's swimming and diving team returned to the pool this winter and have immediately become Northeast 10 favorites. The Purple Knights were selected to win the 2026 NE10 Championship by the league's coaches in the conference prechampionship poll, announced by the league on Tuesday. Southern Connecticut State, long the top team in both the men's and women's meets, was selected as the women's favorite.
Bridgeport went undefeated in head-to-head competition against Division II competition this season, suffering only a pair of dual meet losses to DI Fairfield and Bryant. A team made up almost entirely of freshman (20 of them) is led by distance ace Sultanbek Azat along with Jurica Dragun and Christian Toussi -- both of whom appear among the national leaders on Swimcloud in the breast and backstroke.
The Purple Knights last competed in a conference meet as part of the Metropolitan Conference Championship in 2019, finishing fourth of 14 teams.
Adelphi, who finished second at the 2025 NE10 Swimming & Diving Championship, was selected to again finish second this winter. Last year's result marked the best finish in program history, led by 2x NE10 Swimmer of the Year Ryan Kakimseit. Bentley and Southern Connecticut were also selected to be in the mix. Bentley was the last non-SCSU team to win the men's title when it won back-to-back crowns in 2019 and 2020. The Falcons and Owls are the only teams to have ever won the NE10 Men's Swimming and Diving Championship.
SCSU has seen similar success on the women's side, claiming every title since Assumption won in 2019. The Owls and Hounds are the only teams to have ever won the women's conference crown. Southern was selected to win again this winter, edging Bentley, Felician and Pace in the coaches' vote.
The Owls are led by Molly Kennedy, last season's NE10 Swimmer of the Meet at the championship and the 2024 NE10 Co-Rookie of the Year. Bentley touts talent like Skyla Lang - one of DII's best in the 200 IM. Meanwhile Felician is led by Amelia Mayers and Nicolette Wright. That pair ranks nationally in the 100 Free and 100 Back. The Golden Falcons are competing at the NE10 meet for the second time after joining the league as an affiliate member in 2025.
The NE10 Swimming & Diving Championship will be broadcast LIVE on
FloCollege ($), with coverage beginning on Thursday evening and covering both the afternoon and evening sessions On Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Jeremy Abreau will be on play-by-play and will be joined by former WPI swimmer Jenny Coppolino on commentary for the weekend evening sessions.
| Place |
Men's Team |
Votes |
1st Place Votes |
Place |
Women's Team |
Votes |
1st Place Votes |
| 1 |
Bridgeport |
64 |
8 |
1 |
SCSU |
61 |
5 |
| 2 |
Adelphi |
52 |
1 |
2 |
Felician |
50 |
2 |
| T3 |
Bentley |
48 |
|
3 |
Bentley |
50 |
1 |
| T3 |
SCSU |
48 |
|
4 |
Pace |
45 |
|
| 5 |
Pace |
30 |
|
5 |
Bridgeport |
31 |
1 |
| 6 |
Saint Michael's |
29 |
|
6 |
Adelphi |
27 |
|
| 7 |
CSI |
20 |
|
7 |
CSI |
23 |
|
| 8 |
Felician |
17 |
|
8 |
Saint Michael's |
20 |
|
| 9 |
Assumption |
10 |
|
9 |
Assumption |
14 |
|
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast 10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.