2025-26 Northeast Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Preseason Coaches Poll                 1. CCSU (4)                 2. Howard (3)                 3. Wagner                 4. Saint Francis                 5. LIU                 6. Stonehill                 7. Le Moyne                 First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ -- As Central Connecticut takes the plunge in pursuit of a fourth straight NEC women’s swimming & diving crown, the road to the title won't by easy.
 
The Blue Devils were picked first in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll and garnered four first-place votes, just ahead of Howard’s three following the Bison's runner-up finish last winter.
 
Wagner finished third, while Saint Francis and LIU placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Stonehill and Le Moyne rounded out the poll.

Central Connecticut completed their second three-peat under longtime head coach Bill Ball and earned their NEC-record ninth conference championship last February. Under Ball, the Blue Devils have won eight NEC championships and have finished outside the top-three just twice during his tenure. Ball led the NEC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025, with Nick Caruso earning NEC Diving Coach of the Year honors.
 
Central Connecticut brings back six of its individual All-Conference standouts from last year. Junior Kaitlyn Carroll (Liverpool, NY/Cicero-North) was named an All-NEC First Team selection in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive after sweeping both events at the NEC Championships en route Outstanding Diver honors. Senior Megan Dunnigan (Simsbury, CT/Simsbury) and junior Maggie Rutledge (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) were All-NEC Second Team recipients for the Blue Devils after posting runner-up finishes in the 200 backstroke and 1650 freestyle, respectively. Rutledge also earned All-NEC Third Team recognition for the 500-yard free. Juniors Katrine O’Leary (Seymour, CT/Seymour) and Sophie Milhomens (Wolcott, CT/Wolcott) are also back after All-NEC Third Team campaigns a year ago. O'Leary took third in the 50 free and Milhomes touched third in the 200 back. The Blue Devils totaled 14 podium finishes at the 2025 conference meet.
 
Howard’s ambitions of claiming the program's first-ever NEC crown are aided by the return of Zuilda Nwaeze (Columbia, MD). The super senior was named Outstanding Swimmer at the 2025 NEC Championships for the second consecutive season after sweeping the 50, 100 and 200-yard freestyle events, each in commanding fashion. Nwaeze, an All-NEC First Team award recipient in all three events, was also a member of winning relay teams. Junior Chanice Posada (Houston, TX) was another three-event winner for the Bison last season, taking home gold in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and 100 butterfly. Howard won 10 events at the NEC meet, finishing just 43 points behind CCSU in a close finish.
 
The NEC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships will take place from February 17-20 and will once again be hosted at Spire Academy in Geneva, OH.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 45th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.