KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Jan. 25, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's swimming & diving team is back atop the Skyline Conference, as the Mariners claimed their 25th-straight conference title (24th-straight under head coach
Commander Sean M. Tedesco) with a first-place finish in the 2026 Skyline Championships, hosted by USMMA Friday and Saturday.
KP scored an incredible 1,052 team points, much more than all four other teams combined, including second-place SUNY Maritime (296) and third-place Mount St. Mary (230).
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The Mariners swept this year's major awards, as Tedesco and diving coach
LT Johan C. Lopez, USMS were named the Skyline Coaching Staff of the Year, freshman
Nicholas Hardt (Friendswood, Texas) earned Rookie of the Year honors, freshman
Carter Kov (Goodyear, Ariz.) won the Diver of the Year award and junior
Ryan Lester (Heath, Texas) took home the Swimmer of the Year award.
The Mariners also saw two divers achieve a total of four NCAA qualifying scores, while swimmers set four new conference records and the team won a total of 17 events over the two days.
The four NCAA cuts came as Kov won both the three-meter board on Friday with a score of 492.10 and the one-meter board on Saturday with a 502.95, and senior
Thomas Cable (Litchfield Park, Ariz.) placed second in both boards with a 484.55 in the three-meter and a 458.85 in the one-meter.
Listed below are the four conference records that were set by these first-place finishers.
- the 200 freestyle relay by the team of sophomore Max Fedorenko (Chicago, Ill.), freshman Keanne Hernandez (Deer Park, N.Y.), sophomore Ryan McOsker (Fredericksburg, Va.), and sophomore John Frank (Highland, Md.) in 1:26.48
- the 400 medley relay by the team of senior Teague Mayer (Boulder, Colo.), Frank, Hernandez and Fedorenko by three seconds in 3:29.58
- the 400 individual medley by Hardt in second seconds in 4:08.97
- and the 200 butterfly by Hardt by two seconds in 1:56.41
And below are the rest of the Mariners' first-place finishes.
- Lester in the 500 free in 4:53.18
- Mayer in the 200 IM in 1:58.52
- Fedorenko in the 50 free in 21.57
- Mayer, Frank, Hernandez, and Fedorenko in the 200 medley relay in 1:34.59
- Hernandez in the 100 butterfly in 52.20
- Lester in the 200 free in 1:46.68
- Fedorenko in the 100 backstroke in 52.40
- Lester in the 1000 free in 10:10.99
- Mayer in the 200 back in 1:59.50
- Ferorenko in the 100 free in 46.66
- Frank, senior Matthew Wachendorfer (Greensboro, N.C.), McOsker, and Fedorenko in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:11.09.
And in addition to Cable's two second-place finishes, there were 12 others which are listed below.
- Junior Abraham Shim (Rockwall, Texas) in the 500 freestyle in 4:55.17 (a season-best by two seconds)
- Hardt in the 200 IM in 1:59.62
- Mayer in the 400 IM in 4:19.98
- McOsker in the 100 fly in 53.11
- Wachendorfer in the 200 free in 1:48.53
- Junior Luke Dankert (Grand Island, Neb.) in the 100 breaststroke in 59.22
- McOsker in the 100 back in 53.34
- Shim in the 1000 free in 10:16.23
- Freshman Wyatt Rice (Salem, N.H.) in the 200 back in 1:59.70 (a season-best by one second)
- Frank in the 100 free in 47.76
- Dankert in the 200 breast in 2:11.24
- Hernandez in the 200 fly in 1:58.71
Up next, the Mariners will host the USMMA Memorial Invite on Saturday, Jan. 31, beginning at 11 a.m. Prior to the meet, the swim & dive program will pay tribute to its nine graduating seniors with a special Senior Day ceremony.
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