2026-27 Clarkson University Swimming & Diving Preview

Melissa Cartier

Swimming/Diving | 10/7/2026 1:57:00 PM

In the past two seasons, the Clarkson University Swimming & Diving teams have rewritten more than half of the program's record books with 24 new standards out of 46 events, and most of those student-athletes are back for the team this year as the Golden Knights look to further their upward trends in the Liberty League.

Guided by sixth-year head coach Marc Danin, the Golden Knights' men finished fourth in the Liberty League for the third straight year, producing a team-record 1028.5 points in the conference tournament thanks in large part to 11 new records and a number of podium finishes, while the women also had five new marks over the course of the campaign.

Plenty of swimmers made an impact in the scoring at the Liberty League Championships and during the dual meet season, and a significant portion of those competitors are back for the 2026-27 season. Senior Owen White set a pair of standards in the individual medley events, breaking a 21-year-old mark for one of them, as he finished as the runner-up in both the 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley at the conference meet. Classmate Gavin Stuhler also claimed the runner-up spot in the sprint freestyle events, breaking a record in the 100 freestyle and challenging the mark in the 50 freestyle. Casey Everett, another senior, has all of the marks for the distance freestyle races, including a new mark in the 500 freestyle set in February.

One of the top freshmen in the conference a year ago, Evan Paneras returns after setting new marks in the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly events. One of those marks broke a six-year-old standard, but the other topped a 29-year-old time by former All-American Charlie Weisman, erasing the last record set by Clarkson swimmers from the 20th century. The oldest standing mark for the Knights is now from 2005.

Clarkson has plenty of depth beyond its record-setters from a season ago. The senior class is loaded with talent, adding in Mason Cartier, Lucas Monroe, Andrew Sammons, Matthew Sitarek, and Aiden Spoors. Sammons swam in the 'A' finals in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke for the second straight year and is looking to put his name back in the record book in those events. Cartier and Sitarek are also in the running to making the leap to the 'A' finals this year.

Senior Carter Lancto and junior Gavin Cibelli have put up impressive figures during the diving events in recent seasons, with Cibelli advancing to the NCAA Regionals a year ago, the first time a Clarkson diver has participated in close to a decade. James Fedele, Sean Finnerty, Collin Losinger, and Riley Shepherd round out the junior class with Cibelli, while sophomores Jacob Ducey, Daniel Killian, and Conner Klock join Paneras as second-year collegians looking to produce after a full season of collegiate training.

Clarkson's men have four additional swimmers joining them this year in Rory Murphy, Jackson Potter, Cole Richards, and Nolan Sullivan. Murphy and Potter swim freestyle races while Richards and Sullivan both perform in specialty events.

The Golden Knights' women are not as deep as the men with 15 total student-athletes, including four divers. Evelyn Vieira won't be back until the next semester, but she set four diving marks last year. Devon Sedlack will lead Clarkson's divers in the first semester as the returner, while Madeleine Allen and Parker Seitzer join the diving squad after a year on the alpine ski team.

Clarkson has just a single senior on the women's side in Dani McDonald, while the junior class is somewhat more flush with Natasha Hurff, Kirsten Iles, Katelyn Otis, Fiona Reilly, and Aurora Zary all returning. Each has performed well in the last two years, including Hurff setting a mark in the 1000 freestyle in January of 2026 in Middlebury. The sophomore class includes Madeline Auerbach, Paige Davis, Roman Neenan, Abigail Szyprowski, and Robin Weber, with each looking to push themselves to greater heights in 2026-27.

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