MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Conference Carolinas office released the 2026-27 Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Preseason Poll on Thursday afternoon ahead of the upcoming season.
The conference will look different this season with Catawba College, Carson-Newman University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Mars Hill University and Wingate University joining Conference Carolinas as associate members in men's and women's swimming.
On the men's side, Wingate was selected first in the preseason poll with 86 points and nine first-place votes. Catawba followed in second with 65 points, while Carson-Newman (56), Lenoir-Rhyne (53) and Emmanuel (51) rounded out the top five. Chowan was selected 10th with 10 points.
Wingate also claimed the top spot in the women's poll with 105 points and seven first-place votes. Catawba was selected second with 80 points and two first-place votes, followed by UNC Pembroke with 73 points and one first-place vote. Carson-Newman earned 72 points for fourth, while Emmanuel and Lenoir-Rhyne tied for fifth with 62 points. Chowan was selected 11th with 15 points.
The preseason polls were voted on by the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Men's Swimming & Diving Preseason Poll
|
School
|
Points (1st Place)
|
|
1
|
Wingate
|
86 (9)
|
|
2
|
Catawba
|
65
|
|
3
|
Carson-Newman
|
56
|
|
4
|
Lenoir-Rhyne
|
53
|
|
5
|
Emmanuel
|
51 (1)
|
|
6
|
Converse
|
46
|
|
7
|
King
|
39
|
|
8
|
Mars Hill
|
26
|
|
9
|
Barton
|
18
|
|
10
|
Chowan
|
10
|
Women's Swimming & Diving Preseason Poll
|
School
|
Points (1st Place)
|
|
1
|
Wingate
|
105 (7)
|
|
2
|
Catawba
|
80 (2)
|
|
3
|
UNC Pembroke
|
73 (1)
|
|
4
|
Carson-Newman
|
72
|
|
T5
|
Emmanuel
|
62
|
|
T5
|
Lenoir-Rhyne
|
62
|
|
7
|
Converse
|
44
|
|
8
|
King
|
42
|
|
9
|
Mars Hill
|
34
|
|
10
|
Barton
|
16
|
|
11
|
Chowan
|
15
|
Hawks Outlook
The Chowan men enter the season with a familiar core despite the graduation of conference performers Aleksei Belolipetski and Robert Liz Cabrera. Senior Dimitrije Markovic returns as one of the Hawks' most experienced swimmers and will be counted on to provide leadership both on the pool deck and in competition. Chowan also returns several members of last season's group while welcoming two freshmen to the roster.
The women return their core group from a season ago, giving the Hawks an experienced lineup that has already spent a year competing alongside one another. That continuity gives Chowan several familiar faces across its individual events and relays heading into the new season.
Men's Swimming & Diving Players to Watch
Senior Dimitrije Markovic headlines Chowan's men's swimmers to watch alongside senior D'Andre Blanchard and sophomore Michael Greenier. Markovic has established himself as one of Chowan's top performers in the freestyle and butterfly events and enters his final season as a two-time Third Team All-Conference Carolinas selection. Last season, the Krusevac, Serbia, native earned bronze in the 500-yard freestyle at the Conference Carolinas Championships, marking his third career podium appearance at the championship meet. He also helped Chowan earn third place in the 200-yard freestyle relay and was later named CSC Academic All-District.
Blanchard provides another veteran presence for the Hawks after joining the program from Indian River State College last season. The senior competes in the freestyle and breaststroke events and also earned Dean's List recognition during the fall semester. Greenier made an immediate contribution during his freshman campaign, competing in freestyle and breaststroke events and earning recognition as a member of Chowan's Rookie Class. He won the B final of the 100-yard breaststroke at the Conference Carolinas Championships with a time of 1:00.20 and also contributed to Chowan's freestyle relays throughout his first season
Chowan
-
Dimitrije Markovic, Sr., Krusevac, Serbia (Two-time All-Conference Carolinas third team)
-
D'andre Blanchard, Sr., St. Lucia, Florida
-
Michael Greenier, So., Miami, Florida
Barton
-
Landon Berghoff, Fr., Summerville, South Carolina
-
Chris Kafitz, Sr., Salisbury, North Carolina
-
Gavin Woolet, Fr., Goldsboro, North Carolina
Carson-Newman
-
Gabriel Morales, Sr., Orlando, Florida (2026 three-time All-South Atlantic Conference first team, 2026 South Atlantic Conference Male Swimmer of the Year, 2026 South Atlantic Conference Championships Male Swimmer of the meet, three-time NCAA Swimming & Diving All-American)
-
Samuel Valenchski, Fr., Brazil
-
Gabriel Catapano, Jr., Sao Paulo, Brazil (2026 two-time All-South Atlantic Conference second team and one third team honor)
Catawba
-
Eryk Osobka-Morawski, Fr.., Warsaw, Poland
-
Alessandro Bre, Jr., Paris, France
-
Jan Pera, Fr., Klodawa, Poland
Converse
-
Henry Stockton, Jr., Colorado Springs, Colorado (2026 Conference Carolinas Swimmer of the Year, 2026 five-time All-Conference Carolinas first team, 2026 All-Conference Carolinas third team, 2025 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, three-time 2025 All-Conference Carolinas first team, two-time second team and one third team honors)
-
Joey Lilly, Jr., Greer, South Carolina (2026 three-time All-Conference Carolinas first team and two-time third team accolades, 2025 All-Conference Carolinas first team, two-time second team and one-time third team honors)
-
Jay Owens, So., Central, South Carolina (2026 All-Conference Carolinas first team)
Emmanuel
-
Arda Hulagu, Sr., Antalya, Turkey
-
Hayden Lester, So., Titusville, Florida (2026 All-Conference Carolinas third team in the 200 yard backstroke)
-
Yagiz Ari, Sr., Ankara, Turkey
King
-
Cristobal Amiel, So., Lima, Peru (All-Conference Carolinas second team in the 200 and 400 yard freestyle as well as 800 yard freestyle relay and 200 yard medley and 400 medley relays)
-
Carlos Arias, So., Guadalajara, Mexico (2026 Conference Male Freshman of the Year, All-Conference Carolinas first team in 200 yard backstroke and 200 individual medley, All-Conference Carolinas second team in 100 yard breaststroke, 400 and 800 yard freestyle relays and 200 and 400 yard medley relays)
-
Fabio Ricci, So., Piacenza, Italy (All-Conference Carolinas second team in 400 and 800 yard freestyle relays as well as 200 and 400 yard medley relays, All-Conference Carolinas third team in 200 yard freestyle)
Lenoir-Rhyne
-
Judah Hall, So., Spring Hope, North Carolina
-
Wyatt Herger, So., Charlotte, North Carolina
-
Brooks Higginbotham, Sr., Auburn, Alabama
Mars Hill
-
Jakub Szpaler, Jr., Szczecin, Poland
-
Harris Diamantidis, So., Corinth, Greece
-
Evangelos Daniil, Sr., Thessaloniki, Greece
Wingate
-
Yassine Sebatta, Jr., Temara, Morocco (2026 All-America first team in 200 yard freestyle relay, 400 yard freestyle relay and 800 yard freestyle relay)
-
Vladimir Krstulovic, Jr., Budapest, Hungary (2026 All-America first team in 200 yard freestyle relay and 400 yard freestyle relay)
-
Arons Roderts, Fr., Marupe, Latvia
Women's Swimming & Diving Players to Watch
The Hawks will look to a combination of veteran leadership and returning young talent on the women's side, led by senior Lina Danna and sophomores Sara Turanjanin and Vanja Romic. Danna, a freestyle and butterfly swimmer from Rabat, Morocco, enters her senior season after earning CSC Academic All-District honors in 2025-26 and has been a consistent contributor to Chowan's individual and relay events.
Turanjanin made an immediate impact during her freshman campaign in the backstroke and freestyle events. The Kragujevac, Serbia, native won the 100-yard backstroke at the King Mid-Season Invitational with a time of 58.29, which stood as the second-fastest mark in program history at the time. She later finished fourth in the event at the Conference Carolinas Championships and was recognized as a member of Chowan's Rookie Class.
Romic also emerged as one of the Hawks' top performers during her freshman season. The Subotica, Serbia, native broke Chowan's 100-yard breaststroke record multiple times before lowering the program mark to 1:05.92 and earning bronze at the Conference Carolinas Championships. Her performance earned her Third Team All-Conference Carolinas honors, and she capped her first collegiate season by being named Chowan's 2025-26 Female Freshman of the Year.
Chowan
Barton
-
Lily Calandra, Fr., Manorville, New York
-
Carleigh Palmer, Fr., Johannesburg, South Africa
-
Avril Villalobos, Sr., Raleigh, North Carolina
Carson-Newman
-
Megan Corcoran, Jr., Pensacola, Fla., (2026 South Atlantic Conference Championship Female Swimmer of the Meet, 2026 four-time All-South Atlantic Conference first team, three-time NCAA All-America and honorable mention All-America honors)
-
Fernanda Paranhos, So., São Paulo, Brazil (2026 All-South Atlantic Conference third team)
-
Gabriella Simon, Fr., Chicago, Illinois
Catawba
-
Louise Jones, Jr., Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England
-
Ruby Broadfoot, So., Johannesburg, South Africa
-
Zofia Kondrasiuk, Fr., Warsaw, Poland
Converse
-
Kate Hollingsworth, Jr., Clemson, South Carolina
-
Maya Guevara, So., Long Beach, California (2026 All-Conference Carolinas third team)
-
Mayle Iwanski, Jr., Evans, Georgia (2026 All-Conference Carolinas third team)
Emmanuel
-
Eulalie Clech, Fr., Marseille, France (2026 All-Conference Carolinas second team in the 500, 1000, and 1650 yard freestyle)
-
Isabella Hernandez, Jr., Santiago, Dominican Republic
-
Darielys Ortiz, So., Quito, Ecuador (2026 All-Conference Carolinas second team in the 100 yard freestyle)
King
-
Katie Koenst, Sr., Nassau Bay, Texas (All-Conference Carolinas in the 800 yard freestyle relay)
-
Alice Schoemans, Jr., Auderghem, Belgium (All-Conference Carolinas third team in the 400 yard Individual medley and 800 yard freestyle relay)
-
Mariandree Valdes, Fr., Antigua, Guatemala
Lenoir-Rhyne
-
Madison Mitton, Fr., Florence, South Carolina
-
Ann-Cathrine Beissel, Jr., Wuppertal, Germany
-
Emma Sheets, Jr., Piedmont, South Carolina
Mars Hill
-
Grace Jenkins, Jr., Mars Hill, North Carolina
-
Catalina Portilla, Jr., Bogota, Colombia
-
Maria Orozco, Sr., Cali, Colombia
UNC Pembroke
-
Noelie Lacour, So., Free/Fly, Bergerac, France (2026 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year; 2026 All-Conference Carolinas first team in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle as well as 200 and 400 yard freestyle relays, All-Conference Carolinas third team in the 100 yard butterfly)
-
Naekeisha Louis, Jr., Free/Fly, Castries, St. Lucia (2026 All-Conference Carolinas first team in the 200 freestyle relay)
-
Benedetta Pepe Pugliese, Sr., IM/Fly, Avellino, Italy (2026 All-Conference Carolinas first team in the 200 yard breaststroke, second team in the 400 yard individual medley and third team in the 200 yard individual medley)
Wingate
-
Elizabete Ozola, Jr., Ropazi, Latvia (All-America in 800 yard freestyle relay and 400 yard freestyle relay)
Livia Kingsland, Jr., Nottingham, United Kingdom
Emma Tommasoni, Fr., Torbole Casaglia, Brescia, Italy
The 2026-27 Swim Schedule
The Chowan men's and women's swimming teams are set for a competitive 2026-27 slate featuring a mix of dual meets, invitational competition and Conference Carolinas matchups. The Hawks open the season on Nov. 7 in Virginia Beach, Va., against Batten and Hollins before traveling to Wilson, N.C., to face conference opponents Barton and UNC Pembroke on Nov. 14.
Chowan will continue its fall schedule at the Yellow Jacket Invitational hosted by Randolph-Macon before traveling to Catawba in December. The Hawks turn their attention to the 2027 portion of the schedule with home meets against West Virginia Wesleyan, William Peace and conference opponent Barton. Chowan will also travel to Hickory, N.C., to compete against Lenoir-Rhyne and UNC Pembroke.
The season will culminate at the 2026-27 Conference Carolinas Swimming & Diving Championships, scheduled for Feb. 2-6 at the Kingsport Aquatic Center in Kingsport, Tenn.
