2025 Patriot League Championship Fan Guide: Army and Navy Set To Battle Once Again

2025 Patriot League Championships 

• February 19-22, 2025
• Kinney Natatorium — Lewisburg, Penn. 
• SCY (25 Yards) 
• Start Times: prelims – 10 am ET/finals – 6 pm ET 
  • Day 1: finals only – 5 pm ET 
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Navy (13x)
  • Men: Navy (20x)
• Championship Central 
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results 
• Livestream 

Schedule 

Wednesday, February 19

• 200 medley relay
• Women’s 3-meter diving
• 800 freestyle relay 

Thursday, February 20

• 500 freestyle 
• 200 IM 
• 50 freestyle 
• Men’s 1-meter diving
• 400 medley relay 

Friday, February 21

• 100 butterfly
• 400 IM 
• 200 freestyle
• 100 breaststroke 
• 100 backstroke 
• Women’s 1-meter diving 
• 200 freestyle relay 

Saturday, February 22

• 1650 freestyle 
• 200 backstroke 
• 100 freestyle 
• 200 breaststroke 
• 200 butterfly 
• Men’s 3-meter diving
• 400 freestyle relay 

2024 Final Standings 

Women: 

1. U.S. Naval Academy — 1397
2. U.S. Military Academy — 1199
3. Boston University — 946
4. Bucknell University — 863
5. Lehigh University — 850.5 
6. Loyola University — 812.5
7. Colgate University — 573
8. American University — 537
9. College of the Holy Cross — 365
10. Lafayette University — 217

Men: 

1. U.S. Naval Academy — 1639.5
2. U.S. Military Academy — 1589
3. Loyola University — 1099
4. Bucknell University — 1043.5
5. Boston University — 600
6. Lehigh University — 448.5
7. Lafayette University — 393
8. College of the Holy Cross — 390
9. Colgate University — 339
10. American University — 260.5

2024 NCAA Qualifiers 

Army’s Kohen Rankin was the Patriot League’s lone representative at the men’s and women’s NCAA Championships. He was Army’s first swimmer to qualify for NCAAs since 1987. Once at the championships, he finished 28th in the 100 breaststroke (52.40) and 30th in the 200 breaststroke (1:55.10). 

Swimmers To Watch: 

Women: 

Lily Mead — Fifth-year, Loyola 

Lily Mead has had an incredible collegiate career as a Greyhound and looks to close out her successful conference championship career on a high note. Mead is a versatile swimmer and ranks in the conference’s top ten this season in nine events. She has no shortage of events to pick from, though historically opts for the 200 IM, 100 back, and 200 back. Last year, she took on the 400 IM and placed 7th. She hasn’t raced the 400 IM this season but is first in the conference’s 100 backstroke rankings after a 52.86 lifetime best at the U.S. Open, so she seems to be aiming to return to the top of the 100 back podium this season. 

The other events she owns a conference top ten time this season in are the 50 freestyle (2nd, 22.57), 100 freestyle (3rd, 50.03), 200 freestyle (5th, 1:50.04), 200 backstroke (2nd, 1:57.53), 100 breaststroke (3rd, 1:01.48), 200 breaststroke (2nd, 2:13.02), 100 fly (2nd, 53.59), and 200 IM (1st, 1:58.53). Given her range, she’ll have a significant role on Loyola’s relays in addition to her individual event lineup.

Clara Renner — Freshman, Bucknell University 

Freshman Clara Renner has made her presence well-known in the Patriot League ahead of her debut conference championships. A distance freestyle/IM specialist, Renner has flexed her range this season. She owns the league’s fastest time this season in the 500 freestyle (4:48.55), 1650 freestyle (16:33.07), and 400 IM (4:18.84). She’s also got the second-fastest time in the 200 IM (2:00.86) and third-fastest in the 200 freestyle (1:49.11). Her 200 IM is a lifetime best she’s neared her best in the others. The fact that she’s asserted herself at the top of the conference in such a decisive manner—she’s 14.27 seconds ahead of the next-fastest athlete in the 1650 freestyle—while still knowing she can be faster should be a boost to her and Bucknell. The Bison are looking to get back over the top of Boston University in the standings after the Terriers finished 3rd in 2024. 

Lauren Walsh — Junior, U.S. Naval Academy 

After finishing 2nd in the 200 breast, 5th in the 100 breast, and 8th in the 200 IM last season, the 2023 200 breast champion Lauren Walsh hopes to climb back onto the top step of the podium this year. She’s put herself in a prime position to do just that, as she’s posted the conference’s fastest times in both breaststroke events this season (1:00.39/2:12.63), hitting a lifetime best in the former. The Navy women have been dominant in the Patriot League for over a decade because of their speed and depth, which is even more on display as the conference added a ‘C’ final last year. It’s a challenge to pick which athlete of theirs to highlight. As a three-event ‘A’ final threat, Walsh is an important part of the Navy roster, which relies on all its athletes to keep their win streak alive. 

Men: 

Johnny Crush — Freshman, U.S. Military Academy 

Johnny Crush has more than lived up to the heavy expectations that followed him to his first season at Army. He’s broken program records multiple times and has made the all-time mid-major list in the 100 backstroke (3rd, 44.53) and 200 backstroke (8th, 1:40.28). Crush owns the fastest time in the Patriot League in four events: the 50 freestyle (19.69), 100 freestyle (42.55), 100 backstroke (44.53), and 200 backstroke (1:40.28). Additionally, he ranks second in the 50 freestyle (19.68) and fifth in the 200 freestyle (1:37.02), giving him plenty of options for his championship event lineup. Crush will also be a huge factor on Army’s relays and is a major reason why Army should be in such a close team race with Navy. 

Ben Irwin — Sophomore, U.S. Naval Academy 

The Patriot League’s 2024 Men’s Rookie of the Championships will have his hands full at this year’s conference championships. Ben Irwin swept his individual events as a freshman, winning the 100 backstroke (46.84), 200 backstroke (1:41.06), and 200 butterfly (1:43.93), highlighted by a (now broken) conference record in the 200 backstroke. This year, not only will Irwin likely have to manage the 200 back/200 fly dirty double again, but he’ll face Crush in both backstroke events. Irwin’s looked solid this season, ranking 3rd or better in the conference this season in the 100 back/200 back (46.81/1:41.77) and 100/200 fly (47.27/1:44.50). A year after winning three individual titles at his debut conferences, Irwin will have to fight to secure one this year, but his experience at the meet could give him an advantage over Crush, a first year. 

Joe Hayburn — Sophomore, Loyola University (MD) 

When picking which swimmers to highlight in a condensed section like this one, it’s often a challenge to narrow down which Navy and Army swimmers to highlight, as the two teams dominate the top of the conference and control so many top seeds. The Loyola men are quickly becoming difficult in the same way, as they’ve built a deep roster that seems to have the third spot in the conference locked down. Sophomore backstroker Joe Hayburn has been crucial to that effort. He’s already swum lifetime bests in the 100/200 back this season (46./1:42.80) and it’s his 1.21-second drop in the 200 that’s elevated him to the next level. 

Showdowns To Watch: 

Women: 

50 freestyle: Four women in the Patriot League have already broken 23 seconds this season, led by Army’s Meghan Cole. Mead is one of the four; she swam a 22.57 at the U.S. Open and typically opts for the 200 IM on the first day of a conference championship. But even if Mead isn’t in the mix, it should still be a great race, with Mimi Watts (22.73) and Lucy Art (22.99) also sub-23 seconds already this season. Watts is the defending champion in the event, while Art finished fifth last season. Further down the psych sheet sits last year’s runner-up Trinity Hoang, who hit 22.51 in 2024 and could also be a threat for the title.

400 IM: The Bucknell women have a strong distance freestyle/IM group this season, highlighted by Renner. Renner and her teammate Virginia Hastings (4:21.60) own the top two times in the women’s 400 IM this season. Renner’s got a sizeable lead on the field as the only woman who’s broken 4:20 so far this season (4:18.84) but the field should catch up to her at the championship. Last year, it took a 4:15.78 to win the title and a 4:16.04 in 2023. 2023 Patriot League champ Haley Newman is back in the field this year, sitting third with a season-best 4:21.77. She’s been on the podium the last two seasons.

Along with Newman, 2024 runner-up Catriona Gilmore will aim for the top step of the podium. She owns a lifetime best of 4:22.46, which is fourth in the conference. There’s a bit of a gap to Navy’s Sarah Eldridge at 5th (4:23.78) but Eldrige isn’t someone to overlook either; she took 4th in this event two years ago. 

200 medley relay: Only Navy and Army broke 1:40 in the women’s 200 medley relay last season. This year, both have cleared that benchmark already and so has Loyola, as Mead, Avery Stimmel, Haley Robinson, and Charley Tulio swam a school record 1:39.77 at the team’s midseason invite. These three programs have separated themselves from the rest of the field heading into the meet, with Army’s Angie McKane, Catriona Gilmore, Sydney Braeger, and Cole (1:39.43) and Navy’s Ela Habjan, Walsh, Caroline Irwin, and Tiffany Shields (1:39.46) separated by just three-hundredths. Both their season-bests come from their duel at the Star Meet in December. The Navy women won this race by more than a second at the 2024 Patriot League Championships but on paper, it looks like the opening race of the meet will be much closer this year. 

Men: 

200 backstroke: Crush, Irwin, Hayburn, and Joey Kling are the top four seeds in both the 100 and 200 backstroke (with Hayburn and Irwin flipped for the 100 back). Crush has a sizeable lead on the field in both events, but the gap is smaller in the 200, where Crush holds a 1.49-second advantage over Irwin (1:41.77), the former conference record holder. Irwin swept the backstroke events last year but will have to be at his best to beat Crush, who has been on fire all season. Loyola’s Hayburn could play spoiler after setting lifetime bests in both backstrokes (46.50/1:42.80) at midseason. 

100 breaststroke: Rankin is back to defend his 100 breaststroke title, and he’s got the fastest time in the conference this season, boasting a 51.80 from the Star Meet. The Patriot League’s top three times all come from that meet, as Rankin is followed by 2024 ‘A’ finalists Juan Mora (52.78) and Gavin Green (53.28). Behind the usual Navy/Army domination at the top of the event, keep an eye on the Loyola breaststrokers, who have been a force to be reckoned with all season. Brennan Coyle, Michael Gozdan, and Michael Venit sit 4th through 6th in the conference this season and should be a significant factor in the final.

200 free relay: Three teams were under 1:19 at last year’s championships, with Army and Navy separating themselves from Loyola’s 1:18.78. It came down to the touch between the Black Knights and the Midshipmen, with Army pulling out the win by two-hundredths. This is shaping up to be a similarly intense race this season. Army holds the fastest season-best (1:19.07) and Navy is just behind with a 1:19.29. Again, Loyola’s within range but further back at 1:19.52, will need a perfect race to disrupt the top two. 

SwimSwam’s Top 3 Picks: 

Women: 

1. U.S. Naval Academy
2. U.S. Military Academy 
3. Bucknell University 

The Navy women don’t own many individual top seeds heading into the meet, but they’ll be at their best next week and should move up from their seeds. Their depth across disciplines and diving should power them to another conference title. Army should maintain their runner-up position, though the Black Knights, returners and newcomers alike, have swum so well during the regular season that the gap between them and Navy projects to be smaller than in recent years. 

Though BU finished 3rd last season, on paper it seems like the Terriers don’t have quite enough oomph to hang with Bucknell and Loyola in the race for third place this season. We’ve picked the Bison to finish 3rd. 

Men: 

1. U.S. Naval Academy 
2. U.S. Military Academy 
3. Loyola University 

This meet projects as another close race between the Navy and Army men for the conference championship title. Our projections have Navy extending its streak once again. Two things to consider with the projection are that first, Army doesn’t have an official, full-powered 800 freestyle relay time this season, though they boast the 1st and 2nd fastest 200 freestylers in the league this season, Wes Tate and Thomas Hadji, which could help them close the gap. Second, diving is a strength of Navy’s and will continue to buoy the team as they aim for a 21st straight conference title. 

Army soundly defeated Navy at their annual rivalry meet this season, but this is a different event altogether. Navy’s strength in diving combined with their depth in the pool doesn’t mean Army can’t beat them at conferences, it just means they need to be perfect to do it. 

As we mentioned above, the Greyhounds have done a remarkable job developing their roster and adding new talent over the past couple of seasons. In doing so, Loyola has solidified itself as the third-place team in the conference, with a significant gap between them and 4th place.