Worcester, Mass. - Three one hundredths of a second.
Saturday night brought the closest bout of the 2026 Northeast 10 Swimming & Diving Championship thus far. Bridgeport rookie Christian Toussi edged reigning NE10 Swimmer of the Meet Ryan Kakimseit in the 100 Fly, finishing in 49.34 seconds, just three one hundredths of a second faster than the Adelphi junior. It wasn't the only time both men went head-to-head Saturday, their teams landing in first and second place atop the leaderboard with one day of competition to go. Bridgeport holds the leads with 692 points. Adelphi is second at 556.5 with Bentley and Southern Connecticut checking in third and fourth.
On the women's side it's SCSU's lead heading into Sunday, standing atop Bentley and Felician with 660.5 team points.
Both Toussi and Kakimseit went toe-to-toe in the backstroke twice Saturday, with the two each besting Kakimseit's previous NE10 Championship record in the 100 Yard Back from last winter. Toussi took gold in 48.9 seconds. Kakimseit touched in 49.13. The record, however, was officialy won by Toussi with a 48 seconds relay leg of the backstroke.
The pair faced off again in the 200 Medley Relay, with Kakimseit serving as the launching point for another meet record. Joined by Eric Slavin, Connor Singer and Valerii Pidhoretskyy, Kakimseit's Panthers finished in 1:29.81 to claim gold in Saturday's final event.
The backstroke showdowns carried to the women's competition as well, where Felician freshman Nicolette Wight beat 2025 NCAA qualifier Gigi Morossi from Pace by 0.1 seconds. Wight's top time was 56.58 seconds. Both will see each other again in the 200 Back on Sunday.
Adding to Sultanbek Azat's two championship records from Thursday and Friday and Toussi's record on Saturday, Bridgeport's Jurica Dragun wasn't about to be left out of the Purple Knight individual history party. The rookie swam the 100 Breat in 54.56, winning gold and snapping a 12-year-old NE10 mark.
Other notable results from Saturday inlcuded Felician's Malik Biad winning the 400 IM in 3:58.18, Assumption's Sophia Lake racing to a 100 Breast gold in 1:05.42 and Staten Island's Yubal Parra smashing the field with a 505.5 score in the 1M Dive.
The biggest movers of the day were the Adelphi women, adding 91 points to vault from ninth to sixth. Adelphi also made a significant move on the men's leaderboard, overtaking Bentley for second with one day to go.
The fourth day of the NE10 Championship begins Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. with prelims and the mile finals. The action can be followed live on
FloCollege.
SATURDAY RECORDS
Men's 100 Breast: Jurcia Dragun, Bridgeport (54.56)
Men's 100 Back: Christian Toussi, Bridgeport (48.90) - Prior record also broken by second-place Ryan Kakimseit from Adelphi
Men's 200 Medley Relay: Adelphi (1:29.59) - Prior record also broken by second-place Bridgeport
TEAM STANDINGS (MEN)
1) Bridgeport - 692
2) Adelphi - 556.5
3) Bentley.- 506
4) Southern Connecticut - 430.5
5) Saint Michael's - 242
6) Staten Island - 241
7) Pace - 183
8) Felician - 148
9) Assumption - 117
TEAM STANDINGS (WOMEN)
1) Southern Connecticut - 660.5
2) Bentley - 451
3) Felician - 427
4) Pace - 375.5
5) Bridgeport - 372.5
6) Adelphi - 191
7) Saint Michael's - 184
8) Staten Island - 172
9) Assumption - 166.5
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.