LANCASTER, Pa. - Ben Delia returns as interim head coach for the 2025-26 Franklin & Marshall men's swimming campaign, as he begins his 12th year leading the Diplomats. Franklin & Marshall begins the season by hosting No. 20 Swarthmore, Ursinus, and Dickinson in a quad meet on Saturday, October 25. 

2024-25 Recap 

The Diplomats went 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Centennial Conference in the dual meet season. In the conference, they earned wins over Ursinus, Washington College, and McDaniel, while the team's non-conference wins came against Mary Washington and Kutztown. F&M claimed a fourth-place finish from 12 competing teams at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational. 

The Diplomats earned third place at Centennial Conference Championships, totaling five medals. Sam Kamdin, John Devaney, Ben Lockey, and Thomas Smolinski placed second in the 200 freestyle relay, while Kamdin, Henry Tavens, Lockey, and Devaney earned silver in the 400 freestyle. Tavens went on to earn second place in the 200 freestyle after setting the program's second-best time earlier in the season. The Diplomats also earned bronze in two relay events, as Kamdin, Patrick Rooney, Evan Willertz, and Devaney were third in the 400 medley relay and Kamdin, Devaney, Tavens, and Willertz placed third in the 800 freestyle relay.

Swimmers to Watch

Free/Back - Sam Kamdin - Sr.
Free/Breast/Fly/IM - Ben Lockey - Sr.
Breast - Patrick Rooney - Sr. 
Free - Matthew Tilghman - Jr.

Kamdin played a role in all four relay medals won by the Diplomats at last year's Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, earning silver in the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay with bronze in the 400 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay. Individually, he was an A Finalist in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 100 backstroke. Kamdin, the program's 100 backstroke record holder, moved up the performance list in several categories, logging the program's fourth-best 100 freestyle time, seventh-best 50 butterfly split, and ninth-best 100 butterfly time.

Lockey played a part in F&M earning silver in the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay at the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, while he earned an A Final spot in the 50 freestyle and was a B Finalist in the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. 

Rooney earned a bronze medal in the 400 medley relay at the 2025 Centennial Conference Swimming Championship while earning a spot in three individual finals. He was an A Finalist in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke while he earned a B Finals spot in the 400 IM. Last year, Rooney set the program's third-best 100 breaststroke time, fourth-quickest 200 breaststroke time, and sixth-best 50 breaststroke split.

Tilghman competed in three individual finals at the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, as he earned an A Finals spot in the 500 freestyle and 1650 freestyle and was a B Finalist in the 200 butterfly. 

The Road Ahead

The Diplomats open the campaign by hosting Dickinson, No. 20 Swarthmore, and Ursinus in a quad meet on Saturday, October 25. One week later, they travel to Gettysburg on Friday, October 31 ahead of hosting Mary Washington on Saturday, November 1. F&M then faces Division II Kutztown at the neutral site of Millersville University. The Diplomats wrap up the 2025 portion of the calendar by hosting the annual Franklin & Marshall Invitational from Friday, November 21, through Sunday, November 23. 

2026 begins with trips to Washington College on Friday, January 16 and No. 22 Salisbury on Saturday, January 17. The Franklin & Marshall Spring Invitational on Saturday, February 7, is the final competition ahead of the 2026 Centennial Conference Swimming Championship.

The Kunkel Aquatic Center will yet again play host to the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship from Thursday, February 19, through Sunday, February 22. 

The 2026 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championship will be hosted on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis from Thursday, March 18, through Sunday, March 21. 

In the Polls

With 30 points, F&M was selected to finish fourth in the Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll, behind No. 12 Johns Hopkins in their inaugural Centennial Conference swimming season, defending conference championships No. 20 Swarthmore, and Gettysburg. The Blue Jays earned 49 points and seven first-place votes, and they join the conference following a near decade-long spell as an independent swimming program. Swarthmore garnered 43 points and one first-place vote, while Gettysburg in third earned 37 points. The four teams behind the Diplomats in the poll include Dickinson (24), Ursinus (19), Washington College (15), and McDaniel (7). You can view the complete Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll here.