LANCASTER, Pa. - Connor Rumpit enters his first year leading the swimming programs at Franklin & Marshall following a four-year assistant coaching stint with No. 2 NYU. After a fifth-place finish at last season's Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, the Diplomats will begin the new season by hosting a conference quad meet featuring Dickinson, #24 Swarthmore, and Ursinus on Saturday, October 24. 

2025-26 Recap 

Franklin & Marshall produced a 5-4, 3-2 Centennial Conference record in the dual meet season. In-conference wins came against Ursinus, Dickinson, and Washington College, while the Diplomats fell to Swarthmore and Gettysburg. The team earned non-conference victories against Division II Kutztown and Elizabethtown. 

The Diplomats earned fifth place at Centennial Conference Championships. In relay events, the team scored fourth-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay, a fifth-place result in the 400 freestyle relay, and a sixth-place showing in the 400 medley relay. Individually, the Diplomats earned five A Finals spots. Ben Lockey '26 earned fourth place in the 100 breaststroke and eighth place in the 50 freestyle. Patrick Rooney '26 was sixth in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke, while Luke Healey claimed eighth place in the 200 breaststroke. 

Swimmers to Watch

Breast/IM - Luke Healey - So.
Back/IM - Nick Lowell - Sr.
Free - Matthew Tilghman - Sr.
Free/Fly - Riley Williams - Jr.

Luke Healy claimed a couple of top-ten finishes at last season's Centennial Conference Swimming Championship including an eighth-place finish in the 200 breaststroke and tenth-place result in the 100 breaststroke. His 100 breaststroke time is the fourth-best in program history, while he also set the eighth-best 50 breaststroke relay split.

Lowell finished in the points in two individual races at last year's Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, claiming 15th in the 200 backstroke and 16th in the 100 backstroke. He also raced the backstroke legs of F&M's fourth-place 200 medley relay race and sixth-place 400 medley relay performance. Lowell added his name to the program's performance list last season as well, as he now holds the sixth-best 100 IM time, the seventh-best 50 backstroke split in program history, and he was part of the tenth-best 200 medley relay performance in program history.

Matthew Tilghman earned points in three individual events at the 2026 Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, placing tenth overall in the 400 IM, 11th in the mile, and 14th in the 500 freestyle. He also helped the team to a fourth-place result in the 800 freestyle relay. 

Riley Williams was a B Finalist in the 100 butterfly at last season's Centennial Conference Swimming Championship, placing fifth place in that race. He also raced the butterfly legs of the team's fourth-place finish in the 200 medley relay and sixth-place finish in the 400 medley relay. The butterfly specialist moved up the program's performance list in a couple of categories, as he now holds F&M's third-best 50 butterfly relay split, fourth-best quickest 100 butterfly time, and fourth-best 100 butterfly split. He was also a part of the tenth-best 200 medley relay performance in team history. 

New Diplomats

Men's swimming gains eight new swimmers for the 2026-27 season, including six first-year students and two sophomore. Taren Geis (Stamford, Conn. / Westhill) and Justin Ma (Shanghai, China / Minnehaha Academy) will compete in freestyle events, while Ryan Meledick (Crofton, Md. / Crofton) will specialize in freestyle and butterfly. Noah Swetlishoff (Phoenix, Ariz. / Brophy College Prep.) will race in freestyle and breaststroke events, and Noah Bevan (Pottsville, Pa. / Pottsville Area) will compete in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke. Sohpomore Xavier Tula transfers from Assumption for his second collegiate season as a freestyle and butterfly specialist, while Vinny Valentine (Tamaqua, Pa. / Tamaqua Area) will transition from varsity rowing to swimming in his sophomore academic year, specializing in the breaststroke and individual medley. First-year Yerkanat Azylkhan joins the team as a walk-on.

2026-27 Coaching Staff

• Head Coach
  •  Connor Rumpit (New York University), First Season
• Assistant Coaches
  • Lauren Myers (Arcadia University '11), Fifth Season
  • JD Abercrombie (University of Southern California), Fourth Season
  • Casey Coble (University of North Carolina), Third Season
  • Ben Lockey '26 (Franklin & Marshall '26), First Season
  • Ryan Sullivan (Bloomsburg University '17), First Season

The Road Ahead

The Diplomats kick off the 2026-27 season by hosting the Centennial Conference Quad Meet against Dickinson, #24 Swarthmore, and Ursinus on Saturday, October 24. The Diplomats return in a week's time for two meets, as they host (RV) Gettysburg on Friday, October 30th before traveling to Mary Washington for a tri-meet also featuring Roanoke on Saturday, October 31. The Diplomats return to the Kunkel Aquatic Center for a pair of dual meets, hosting Rowan on Friday, November 6 and Division II Kutztown on Saturday, November 7.

F&M concludes the 2026 portion of the calendar with the annual Franklin & Marshall Invitational from Friday, November 20, through Sunday, November 22. 11 men's swimming programs are currently confirmed for this year's Invite. 

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 team returns from the winter break with home meets against #17 Salisbury on Saturday, January 16, and Washington College on Saturday, January 23. The Villanova Sprints on Saturday, January 30 concludes the pre-championship schedule.

The Kunkel Aquatic Center will play host to the Centennial Conference Swimming Championship for the third consecutive season from Thursday, February 18, through Sunday, February 21. 

The 2027 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championship will be hosted at the Greensboro Aquatic Center from Thursday, March 17, through Sunday, March 20. 

In the Polls

With 26 points, F&M ranks in a tie for fourth in the 2026-27 Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. Defending Centennial Conference Champions No. 16 16 Johns Hopkins rank in first place with 49 points and seven first-place votes. No. 24 Swarthmore and (RV) Gettysburg are in a tie for second place with 40 points, while the Bullets have one first-place vote. Dickinson is tied with the Diplomats with 26 points. Ursinus (23), Washington College (13), and McDaniel (7) complete the poll. You can view the complete Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll here.  

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