WATERVILLE, Maine – In one of the closest meets in NESCAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship history, the Williams Ephs edged the Tufts Jumbos to claim their 21st NESCAC title.
Just 29.5 points separated first and second place as Williams finished the meet with a team total of 1831 points and Tufts was the runners-up with 1801.5 points. Amherst finished third with 1117 points and host Colby placed fourth with 1112 points. Middlebury rounded out the top five teams with 996 points.
Entering Sunday’s final session, only 7.5 points separated the Ephs and Jumbos. After the 200 backstroke, Tufts closed two within a half point, and a win by Jillian Cudney in the 100 freestyle briefly pushed Tufts into the lead by 31.5 points. Williams responded with wins in the 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly to regain the lead and secure the title.
1650 Freestyle
Bowdoin’s Natalie Garre picked up her third NESCAC title of the weekend with a NESCAC Meet record performance in the 1650 freestyle. The newcomer posted a record time of 16:35.58 to break the mark set by Williams’ Lily Codd last year and become the first Polar Bear to win the event in program history. Codd finished as the runner-up with a time of 16:49.60, and Tufts junior Madeleine Dunn was third (16:57.17).
200 Backstroke
The Ephs finished 1-2 in the 200 backstroke, led by sophomore Clementine Robins’ winning time of 1:59.27 (NCAA B-cut). Teammate Alden White placed second with a time of 2:01.38 (NCAA B-cut), and Noa Chambers of Tufts finished third (2:01.35 NCAA B-cut). Robins’ win marks the third consecutive year a Williams swimmer has won the event and the 12th time overall an Eph has claimed the NESCAC title.
100 Freestyle
Jillian Cudney repeated as the NESCAC Champion in the 100 freestyle. The graduate student posted a time of 50.66 (NCAA B-cut) to claim first place and is the fifth Jumbo swimmer to win a NESCAC title in the event. Middlebury first-year Anna McGrew was the runner-up (50.89 NCAA B-cut), and Tufts teammate Quinci Wheeler (51.05 NCAA B-cut) rounded out the top three finishers.
200 Breaststroke
Williams senior Charlotte Wishnack extended the streak of a Williams swimmer taking home the NESCAC title in the 200 breaststroke to eight consecutive championships. Wishnack touched the wall first in a time of 2:13.50 (NCAA B-cut). Fellow Eph Carter Roebuck finished second (2:16.00 NCAA B-cut), and Amherst junior Allison Lacroix was third with a time of 2:16.13 (NCAA B-cut).
200 Butterfly
In her final individual event at the NESCAC Championships, Williams senior Sophia Verkleeren earned her third individual title of the meet with a NESCAC Meet record time of 1:57.47 in the 200 butterfly. Amherst rookie Maeve Kelley finished second (2:01.99 NCAA B-cut), and Williams junior Ruby Groves came in third (2:03.75 NCAA B-cut). Verkleeren’s win marks the third straight year, and Eph has won the event and 11 times overall. Verkleeren's performance broke the second-oldest NESCAC Meet record in active events set by former Eph Logan Todhunter on Feb. 22, 2009.
400 Freestyle Relay
In the final event of the championship, the Tufts relay of Isabella Chambers, Quinci Wheeler, Sydney Stasz, and Jillian Cudney captured the NESCAC title in the 400 freestyle relay. The Jumbos combined for a time of 3:23.78 (NCAA B-cut) to claim the title for the fourth time in five championships. Williams (3:24.82 NCAA B-cut) and Amherst (3:26.12 NCAA B-cut) finished second and third, respectively.
In a vote of the conference coaches, the following individual awards were handed out at the conclusion of the meet.
NESCAC Swimmer of the Year: Sophia Verkleeren, Williams
Verkleeren becomes the first individual to win the NESCAC Swimmer of the Year honor three consecutive years. The senior won five titles in the 2025 championship meet. She was part of two Williams relay wins (800 freestyle and 400 medley relay) and won three individual titles in the 200 IM and the 100 and 200 butterfly events. Verkleeren is the 18th Eph to win the award.
NESCAC Diver of the Year: Sydney Bluestein, Amherst
Bluestein is the NESCAC Diver of the Year for the second time in her career, also winning the honor in 2023. The senior swept the diving events for the second time in her career.
NESCAC Rookie of the Year: Natalie Garre, Bowdoin
Garre won three NESCAC titles in her first conference championship meet. The newcomer set NESCAC Meet records in the 500 and 1650 freestyles en route to winning those events and claimed first in the 400 IM. Garre is the first Polar Bear to garner the NESCAC Rookie of the Year honor.
NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year: Williams College
Head coach Steve Kuster and assistant coaches Allie Clark, Brandon Pearson, and James Singewald were selected by their peers for the second consecutive year. The staff directed the Ephs to their 21st NESCAC title, and 2025 marks the ninth time the Williams coaches have been recognized with the honor.
NESCAC Diving Coach of the Year: Kai Robinson, Amherst
Robinson was voted as the NESCAC Diving Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career and won the award for the sixth time in the last seven championships.
NESCAC Career High-Point Diver: Sydney Bluestein – 214 points
NESCAC Career High-Point Swimmers:
First Place: Sophia Verkleeren, Williams – 375 points
Second Place: Charlotte Wishnack, Williams – 337 points
Third Place: Jillian Cudney, Tufts – 305 points
Fourth Place: Chloe Katz, Middlebury – 278 points
Fifth Place: Lara Wujaciak, Tufts – 225 points
| Team Scores - Final |
| 1. Williams - 1831 points |
2. Tufts - 1801.5 points |
| 3. Amherst - 1117 points |
4. Colby - 1112 points |
| 5. Middlebury - 996 points |
6. Hamilton - 745 points |
| 7. Bowdoin - 701 points |
8. Bates - 579 points |
| 9. Conn. College - 527 points |
10. Wesleyan - 423 points |
| 11. Trinity - 411.5 points |
|
The top three finishers in each event and the top three relay teams earn All-NESCAC honors
% - NCAA Division III record; * - NESCAC record; # - NESCAC meet record
| Event |
First Place |
Second Place |
Third Place |
| 800 Freestyle Relay |
7:20.87 - Williams
Carter Roebuck, Clementine Robins
Lily Codd, Sophia Verkleeren |
7:28.63 - Tufts
Madeleine Dunn, Quinci Wheeler, Selin Tuncay, Noa Chambers |
7:30.05 - Amherst
Lucy Smith, Paige Arnold
Megan Lee, Maeve Kelley |
| 200 Freestyle Relay |
1:33.11 - Tufts
Isabella Chambers, Katharine Skelly, Emma Claus, Jillian Cudney |
1:33.34 - Williams
Emma Dimter, Annika Chu, Bernadette Ramoy, Irene Yang |
1:34.29 - Colby
Eliza Marco, Lily Moy, Lucy Mackey, Gabriella Landau |
| 50 Breaststroke |
28.26 - Quinci Wheeler, Tufts |
28.65 - Kellen Mottl, Colby |
28.81 - Charlotte Wishnack, Williams |
| 50 Butterfly |
24.93 - Jade Foltenyi, Tufts |
25.12 - Angel Smyrniou, Tufts |
25.20 - Katharine Skelly, Tufts |
| 500 Freestyle |
4:47.63 # - Natalie Garre, Bowdoin |
4:49.80 - Madeleine Dunn, Tufts |
4:52.21 - Clementine Robins, Williams |
| 50 Backstroke |
26.18 - Elena Harrison, Tufts |
26.20 - Maddy Reid, Middlebury |
26.31 - Alden White - Williams |
| 200 IM |
1:59.00 # - Sophia Verkleeren, Williams |
2:03.80 - Irene Yang, Williams |
2:05.24 - Elizabeth Walsh, Bowdoin |
| 50 Freestyle |
23.29 - Jillian Cudney, Tufts |
23.34 - Eliza Marco, Colby |
23.47 - Isabella Chambers, Tufts |
| 1-Meter Diving |
467.20 - Sydney Bluestein, Amherst |
441.70 - Donna Zhang, Amherst |
440.35 - Adelaide Herman, Williams |
| 400 Medley Relay |
3:41.58 - Williams
Sophia Verkleeren, Charlotte Wishnack, Irene Yang, Carter Roebuck |
3:44.92 - Tufts
Elena Harrison, Quinci Wheeler, Jade Foltenyi, Jillian Cudney |
3:45.24 - Colby
Alexis Coates, Kellen Mottl, Lexi Asch, Eliza Marco |
| 200 Medley Relay |
1:41.31 - Tufts
Elena Harrison, Quinci Wheeler, Jade Foltenyi, Jillian Cudney |
1:41.54 - Williams
Sophia Verkleeren, Charlotte Wishnack, Clare McDermott, Bernadette Ramoy |
1:41.95 - Colby
Tahlia Crowley, Kellen Mottl, Gabriella Landau, Eliza Marco |
| 1000 Freestyle |
9:58.87 - Madeleine Dunn, Tufts |
10:03.55 - Lily Codd, Williams |
10:08.46 - Chloe Katz, Middlebury |
| 100 Butterfly |
54.20 - Sophia Verkleeren, Williams |
55.31 - Angel Smyrniou, Tufts |
55.61 - Jade Foltenyi, Tufts |
| 400 IM |
4:21.03 - Natalie Garre, Bowdoin |
4:25.15 - Elizabeth Walsh, Bowdoin |
4:26.19 - Abigail Greenberg, Amherst |
| 200 Freestyle |
1:48.82 - Carter Roebuck, Williams |
1:49.39 - Clementine Robins, Williams |
1:52.17 - Maeve Kelley, Amherst |
| 100 Breaststroke |
1:02.77 - Charlotte Wishnack, Williams |
1:02.85 - Quinci Wheeler, Tufts |
1:03.23 - Allison Lacroix, Amherst |
| 100 Backstroke |
55.85 - Gaurika Singh, Tufts |
56.12 - Alexis Coates, Colby |
56.44 - Noa Chambers, Tufts |
| 3-Meter Diving |
464.05 - Sydney Bluestein, Amherst |
452.90 - Sadie Smith, Bowdoin |
450.75 - Donna Zhang, Amherst |
| 1650 Freestyle |
16:35.58 # - Natalie Garre, Bowdoin |
16:49.60 - Lily Codd, Williams |
16:57.17 - Madeleine Dunn, Tufts |
| 200 Backstroke |
1:59.27 - Clementine Robins, Williams |
2:01.33 - Alden White, Williams |
2:01.35 - Noa Chambers, Tufts |
| 100 Freestyle |
50.66 - Jillian Cudney, Tufts |
50.89 - Anna McGrew, Middlebury |
51.05 - Quinci Wheeler, Tufts |
| 200 Breaststroke |
2:13.50 - Charlotte Wishnack, Williams |
2:16.00 - Carter Roebuck, Williams |
2:16.13 - Allison Lacroix, Amherst |
| 200 Butterfly |
1:57.47 # - Sophia Verkleeren, Williams |
2:01.99 - Maeve Kelley, Amherst |
2:03.75 - Ruby Groves, Williams |
| 400 Freestyle Relay |
3:23.78 - Tufts
Isabella Chambers, Quinci Wheeler, Sydney Stasz, Jillian Cudney |
3:24.82 - Williams
Clementine Robins, Emma Dimter, Sophia Verkleeren, Carter Roebuck |
3:26.12 - Amherst
Lucy Smith, Megan Lee, Diane Koo, Paige Arnold |
