2026 Patriot League Championships
- Dates: Wednesday, February 18–Saturday, February 21
- Location: Lejeune Hall, Annapolis, MD
- Defending Champions: Navy women (13x); Army West Point men (1x)
- Live Results
- Live Video: ESPN+
- Championship Central
- Teams: American, Army West Point, Boston U, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, Navy
- Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Recap
Highlighting night 3 of the Patriot League Championships was the men’s 100 backstroke which was a showdown between three swimmers. Army’s Johnny Crush was the top seed coming into the meet after posting a 44.10 two weeks ago which made him the 16th fastest performance in history. Crush got out to a lead from the start to touch in a 44.80. Loyola Maryland’s Joe Hayburn swam a huge 44.81 lead off last night for the team’s 400 medley relay and was just off that tonight with a 44.93 for 2nd. Hayburn had a late charge during the final 10 meters of the race but came up just short. Navy’s Ben Irwin was 3rd in a 46.44.
Crush’s time was well under the NCAA A cut of a 46.29 so he has earned an automatic qualifier spot, and Hayburn will look for an NCAA invite as well if he makes the cutline. The cutline was a 45.26.
Irwin earned his individual invite to the 2026 NCAA Championships, matching the qualifying time of a 46.11 in his 100 butterfly win. Irwin will have the chance to travel back to one of his childhood pools at Georgia Tech. Hayburn also finished 2nd in the 100 fly, touching in a 46.53.
Army’s Kohen Rankin will return to the NCAA Championships as he swam under the NCAA A cut in the 100 breast, touching in a 51.69 for the win. Rankin has been as fast as 50.76, a time that he swam in December during Army’s dual meet against Navy. Navy’s Gavin Green was 2nd in a 52.39. Rankin made Patriot League history as the senior became the first swimmer to win the 100 breast four times.
Also earning a win on the night was Navy’s 200 free relay as Lachlan Andrew, Ben Denman-Grimm, Gavin Green, and Preston Kessler touched in a 1:16.80. Navy was 2nd behind Army headed into the final 50 but Kessler’s anchor leg of a 18.87 put them ahead of Army as Army touched in a 1:16.96. Both programs were under the old Patriot League record of a 1:17.55 that Navy set in 2025.
Navy’s Martin Perecinsky earned the win in the individual 200 free. He trailed teammate Xavier Sohovich going into the final 50 but came home in a 24.31 compared to Sohovich’s 24.75. Percinsky earned the win in a 1:34.07, ahead of Sohovich’s 1:34.23.
Army’s Kalvin Hahn had a huge breaststroke leg to get him out in front in the 400 IM as he earned the win in a 3:47.66. John Greiner of Holy Cross led for the first half of the race, but fell to 3rd in a 3:48.77.
Men’s Scores Thru Day 3
- United States Navy Academy — 1134
- United States Military Academy — 836
- Loyola University — 708
- Boston University — 613
- Bucknell University — 539
- Lehigh University — 374
- College of the Holy Cross — 307
- Lafayette College — 268
- Colgate University — 231
- American University — 177
Leading the way on the women’s side was Army’s Angie McKane who punched her ticket to the 2026 NCAA Championships and won both the 100 fly and 100 back. She kicked off the night with a 51.34 in the 100 fly, smashing the A cut of a 52.52 and winning by almost two seconds ahead of Boston U’s Kiki Rampersad who swam to a 53.16. McKane broke her previous Patriot League record of a 52.10 that she swam back in October 2025.
McKane then went on to win the 100 back in a 52.83, finishing ahead of American’s Piper Crosby who swam to a school record of a 53.20. Crosby dropped over a second and a half this season as she entered the year with a 54.78 lifetime best.
Two individual wins was not enough for McKane on the night as she also helped Army’s 200 free relay to a win. McKane led off in a 22.78 and was followed by teammates Tiana Mescher, Cora Webber, and Molly Webber as they touched in a 1:30.76. That broke the previous Patriot League and meet record of a 1:30.83 set by Loyola-MD a year ago. Loyola-MD was 2nd in a 1:31.61, led by a 22.23 on the anchor leg by Haley Robinson, who won the 50 free last night.
Molly Webber already earned her invite to NCAAs by winning the 500 free last night, but tallied another win to her total tonight as she won the 200 free in a 1:46.38. That marked three straight conference titles for Webber. She finished ahead of Navy’s Erin Miller who was 2nd in a 1:47.78.
Also earning an NCAA invite on night three was Navy’s Lauren Walsh who swam to a new meet and pool record with a 59.78 in the 100 breast. That got under the A cut of a 1:00.30. Walsh charged home on the final 10 meters of the race to earn the win over Army’s Catriona Gilmore who was 2nd in a 1:00.10.
Leading the way in the women’s 400 IM was Bucknell’s Kelly Byrne who swam to a personal best time by over a second with a 4:16.24. Byrne was behind Haley Newman of Boston U who led at the halfway mark, but Byrne’s strong breaststroke leg put her in front as Newman ended up 3rd in a 4:18.28.
Women’s Scores Thru Day 3
- United States Navy Academy — 919
- United States Military Academy — 814
- Bucknell University — 680
- Boston University — 614
- Loyola University — 556
- Colgate University — 440
- Lehigh University — 422
- American University — 363
- College of the Holy Cross — 209
- Lafayette College — 193
