INDIANAPOLIS- The Great Midwest Athletic Conference will kick off its 10^th championship season of men’s and women’s swimming and diving in conjunction with the Mountain East Conference.
 
The G-MAC will welcome two new institutions as Walsh is set to begin their inaugural season of swimming and diving and Roberts Wesleyan will join the conference as an associate member in the sport. The two additions increases the conference to five men’s swimming & diving programs and six on the women’s side.
 
For the women, Findlay will look to claim their sixth consecutive title under fourth-year head coach Diego Santos. Santos will look to replace national champion and four-time Swimmer of the Year Emily Mears-Bentley, but returns freshman standout Helmi Kakela who led the Oilers to their highest team and conference finish at the national meet with a 7^th place finish. She garnered first-team all-American honors in the 100 breaststroke, 200 & 400 medley relays, and the 200 & 400 freestyle relays. At the conference meet, she took home gold in the 200 free relay, 100 breaststroke, 800 freestyle relay, and 400 freestyle relaty. Kakela, alongside Annabelle Smith and Olivia Schibelhoffer make up first-team all-conference returners for Santos. Scheibelhoffer provides proven firepower in backstroke and freestyle events. A staple on the podium, she returns after anchoring key G-MAC relay performances in both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay. A veteran sprinter, Smith returns to lead the Oilers' standard in short-distance freestyle events. She was an integral member of Findlay's high-scoring 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.
 
Hillsdale’s freshman tandem of Sasha Babenko and Avery May are set to return for the Chargers in hopes of leading the team to their fourth championship title. A versatile swimmer across backstroke, butterfly, and sprint events, Babenko broke Hillsdale program records in the 100 and 200 backstroke and contributed to two record-breaking relay teams. She posted top-tier conference finishes, taking 3rd in the 100 butterfly (57.04) and 4th in the 50 freestyle (24.01) at the G-MAC/MEC Championships. By the end of her freshman year, Babenko held top-10 all-time Hillsdale marks in seven individual events, including a 52.46 performance in the 100 freestyle at the Midwest Invitational. May emerged as a major force in distance freestyle and individual medley events, capturing CSCAA Scholar All-American honors during her freshman year. She secured multiple runner-up finishes at the G-MAC/MEC Championships, including second-place swims in the 500 freestyle (5:01.28, NCAA B-cut), 1,000 freestyle (10:32.29), and 400 IM (4:31.95). Her lifetime-best 4:29.30 in the 400 IM stands as the second-fastest time in G-MAC conference history.
 
Riley Hunt enters her final season as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Ashland diving history. Hunt is a three-time G-MAC Women's Diver of the Year and Diver of the Meet, sweeping the titles across her freshman, sophomore, and junior campaigns. She secured NCAA Division II All-American honors by finishing tied for 14th in the 3-meter diving event at the national championships. In doing so, she became the first Ashland woman to score team points at NCAA D-II nationals since 2016.
 
On the men’s side, Findlay is once again favored to win after securing their ninth G-MAC title during 2025-26. A key leader and multi-time conference champion in relay and individual freestyle events, Santiago Arteaga returns for his senior campaign to anchor Findlay's freestyle contingent. Arteaga finished the 2026 season with all-American honors in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle relays. The league’s top freshman in Juan Blandon is also set to return for the Oilers. Blandon was a member of the record-setting 400 and 800 relay teams, while also meeting B cut times in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly. Arnaldo Guimaraes returns after capturing the 200 breaststroke title at the conference championship. During his sophomore season, the Colombia native also met B cut times in the 100 breaststroke. The Oilers finished 8^th at the national championship and will look to make their way to the national stage once again.
 
Great Midwest programs are set to begin competing October 10^th. The conference championship will take place February 10^th- 13^th in Morgantown, WV.