Courtesy: Norwich Athletics
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Norwich University men’s and women’s swimming & diving team extended their dynastic run at the 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships over the weekend, capturing both team titles for the fourth consecutive season in dominant fashion at the WPI Sports & Recreation Center.
The Cadets combined for 33 event victories across the three-day meet and nearly swept the league’s top individual honors. Freshman standout Delaney Allen (Gibsonia, Pa.) became the first conference swimmer in over 15 years to earn both GNAC Women’s Swimmer and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, while senior Reilly Laitala (Sterling, Mass.) capped a storied career by collecting her third straight GNAC Women’s Diver of the Year award.
On the men’s side, sophomore Drew Bylow (Monroe, Mich.) was named GNAC Men’s Swimmer of the Year following a record-breaking campaign, and sophomore Gabe Wettig (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) earned GNAC Men’s Rookie of the Year accolades. The duo extended Norwich’s multi-year streak in both categories: four straight Swimmer of the Year winners and five straight Rookie of the Year honorees.
Head Coach Jennifer Cournoyer has now guided the Cadets to nine GNAC team titles between the two programs, including eight combined championships over the past four seasons alone.
The Norwich men wasted no time establishing control of the leaderboard, winning all eight events on Day 1, seven of nine on Day 2, and another seven on the final day to finish with 22 wins in 25 events. The Cadets racked up 462.5 team points, more than doubling second-place University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), behind a well-rounded lineup of returners and breakout underclassmen.
Bylow set the tone with a conference and program record in the 200-yard backstroke on Friday (1:56.83), and added wins in the 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, and 200-yard individual medley to anchor the title run. Wettig racked up multiple podium finishes and added key points in freestyle and IM events to solidify his breakout.
Kristian Adlianitski (Cheshire, Conn.) authored one of the meet’s signature performances with a 52.75 in the 100-yard individual medley, a GNAC and program record, while also taking gold in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke and 50-yard freestyle.
Andrew Clark (Acworth, Ga.) swept the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly events and dominated the distance lane with a 4:50.00 win in the 500-yard freestyle. Adrian Riendeau (Ridgecrest, Calif.) added victories in the 100-yard freestyle and 50-yard backstroke, contributing heavily to multiple relay wins as well.
Norwich closed the meet with emphatic relay wins in the 400-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle, punctuating a historic weekend that featured podium sweeps in several events, including the 1650-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle.
The Norwich women posted 11 event victories across the weekend and showcased their depth and resilience against a deep GNAC field, pulling away to finish more than 350 points clear of second place. Their final tally of 1,058.5 points included a sweep of individual and diving accolades.
Allen anchored the Cadets’ championship bid with six gold-medal swims, including the 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard IM, 50-yard breaststroke, 200-yard IM, and two freestyle relays. The freshman phenom also contributed to key second-place finishes in the medley relay and anchored Norwich’s surge in high-scoring team events.
Laitala capped her decorated career with GNAC Diver of the Year honors for the third straight season, winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards with commanding scores.
Alannah Kelliher (Middleboro, Mass.) earned multiple podium finishes, including wins in the 50-yard butterfly and runner-up placements in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke. Maria Piekarczyk (Dudley, Mass.), Deanna Parot (San Diego, Calif.), Burgan Danger (Wadsworth, Ohio), and Ashley Morin (Dracut, Mass.) each added key top-three finishes throughout the meet.
In the distance lane, Anna Gosselin (Lisbon, Conn.) continued her strong GNAC track record with podium finishes in the 500-, 1000-, and 1650-yard freestyle events, providing critical scoring depth.
The Cadets captured three sprint relays, including the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle, and 400-yard medley relay, solidifying their championship with consistent top-end performances and exceptional depth throughout the roster.
The top three finishers in each event were also recognized as 2026 GNAC All-Conference honorees. They included:
MEN’S ALL-CONFERENCE:
• 200 Yard Medley Relay – Norwich (Drew Bylow, Max Ansell, Andrew Clark, Adrian Riendeau)
• 400 Yard IM – Adrian Riendeau, Norwich; Anthony Helmer, Norwich; Henry Villanueva, Norwich
• 200 Yard Freestyle – Drew Bylow, Norwich; Alex Sulyma, Norwich
• 50 Yard Butterfly – Andrew Clark, Norwich
• 100 Yard Breaststroke – Kristian Adlianitski, Norwich
• 200 Yard Backstroke – Drew Bylow, Norwich
• 1000 Yard Freestyle – Alex Sulyma, Norwich; John Connor Hallstrom, Norwich; Anthony Helmer, Norwich
• 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Norwich (Kristian Adlianitski, Andrew Clark, Adrian Riendeau, Drew Bylow)
• 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Norwich (Drew Bylow, Gabe Wettig, Adrian Riendeau, Kristian Adlianitski
• 100 Yard Butterfly – Andrew Clark, Norwich; Gabe Wettig, Norwich;
• 500 Yard Freestyle – Andrew Clark, Norwich; John Connor Hallstrom, Norwich; Alex Sulyma, Norwich
• 50 Yard Backstroke – Adrian Riendeau, Norwich
• 50 Yard Freestyle – Kristian Adlianitski, Norwich; Gabe Wettig, Norwich, Max Ansell, Norwich
• 200 Yard Breaststroke – Max Ansell, Norwich
• 100 Yard IM – Kristian Adlianitski, Norwich; Adrian Riendeau, Norwich
• 800 Freestyle Relay – Norwich (Kristian Adlianitski, Alex Sulyma, Andrew Clark, Drew Bylow)
• 100 Yard Freestyle – Adrian Riendeau, Norwich; Gabe Wettig, Norwich; Noah Lowe, Norwich
• 50 Yard Breaststroke – Kristian Adlianitski, Norwich
• 1650 Yard Freestyle – John Connor Hallstrom, Norwich; Alex Sulyma, Norwich
• 100 Yard Backstroke – Drew Bylow, Norwich
• 200 Yard Butterfly – Andrew Clark, Norwich; John Connor Hallstrom, Norwich; Anthony Helmer, Norwich
• 200 Yard IM – Drew Bylow, Norwich; Gabe Wettig, Norwich
• 400 Yard Medley Relay – Norwich (Kristian Adlianitski, Andrew Clark, Adrian Riendeau, Noah Lowe)
WOMEN’S ALL-CONFERENCE:
• 200 Yard Medley Relay – Norwich (Burgan Danger, Delaney Allen, Maria Piekarczyk, Alannah Kelliher)
• 400 Yard IM – Ashley Morin, Norwich
• 200 Yard Freestyle – Anna Gosselin, Norwich
• 50 Yard Butterfly – Alannah Kelliher, Norwich; Maria Piekarczyk, Norwich
• 100 Yard Breaststroke – Delaney Allen, Norwich
• 200 Yard Backstroke – Ashley Morin, Norwich; Kylie Farris, Norwich
• 1000 Yard Freestyle – Anna Gosselin, Norwich
• 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Norwich (Delaney Allen, Katelyn Daly, Deanna Parot, Alannah Kelliher)
• 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Norwich (Delaney Allen, Deanna Parot, Maria Piekarczyk, Alannah Kelliher)
• 100 Yard Butterfly – Maria Piekarczyk, Norwich
• 500 Yard Freestyle – Anna Gosselin, Norwich
• 50 Yard Backstroke – Burgan Danger, Norwich
• 50 Yard Freestyle – Alannah Kelliher, Norwich
• 100 Yard IM – Delaney Allen, Norwich
• 1M Diving – Reilly Laitala, Norwich; Ava LePage, Norwich
• 100 Yard Freestyle – Alannah Kelliher, Norwich
• 50 Yard Breaststroke – Delaney Allen, Norwich
• 1650 Yard Freestyle – Anna Gosselin, Norwich
• 100 Yard Backstroke – Alannah Kelliher, Norwich
• 200 Yard IM – Delaney Allen, Norwich
• 3M Diving – Reilly Laitala, Norwich
• 400 Yard Medley Relay – Norwich (Burgan Danger, Delaney Allen, Maria Piekarczyk, Alannah Kelliher)
Final team standings are below:
MEN’S FINAL:
1. Norwich – 462.5
2. Saint Joseph (Conn.) – 207.5
3. Regis (Mass.) – 168
4. Elms – 24
5. Albertus Magnus – 9
WOMEN’S FINAL:
1. Norwich – 1,058.5
2. Saint Joseph (Conn.) – 699.5
3. Regis (Mass.) – 571.0
4. Simmons – 549.0
5. Elms – 334.0
6. Saint Joseph’s (Maine) – 284.0
7. Albertus Magnus – 91.0
Select swimmers from both teams will now shift focus to the upcoming Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Open Championships, set to take place from February 27 to March 1 at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
