ITHACA, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's swimming & diving team heads into the 2026 Liberty League Women's Swimming & Diving Championships with depth across the lineup and a strong collection of top-eight performances in the conference entering the four-day meet, which will be held February 18–21 at host Ithaca College.
RPI will open the championship on Wednesday with immediate impact potential in the distance and individual medley events.
Ellie Tandlmayer enters the meet ranked seventh in the league in the 500 freestyle with a season-best time of 5:16.38 and owns the top time in the conference in the 400 IM at 4:42.71, giving the Engineers a strong presence on both ends of the endurance spectrum. The opening day also features the 50 freestyle, where
Vera Korff leads the Liberty League with the fastest time of the season at 23.90 seconds, positioning her as a key contender from the outset, before the evening concludes with the 400 medley relay.
Thursday's slate highlights RPI's strength in the middle-distance freestyle and butterfly events.
Sierra Pargett ranks fourth in the conference in the 200 freestyle at 1:55.51, while Korff and
Elizabeth Rose both bring top-five credentials into the 100 butterfly, ranking third and fifth with times of 57.37 and 58.29, respectively. The day also includes the 400 IM, where RPI boasts significant depth, with Tandlmayer,
Corinne Boyle,
Gwenyth Snyder, and
Daytona Duggan all ranked among the league's top five, underscoring the Engineers' versatility and scoring potential in one of the meet's most demanding events.
Momentum continues on Friday with the 200 butterfly, where
Hannah Goddard enters the championship ranked second in the Liberty League at 2:07.90, supported by Boyle's sixth-ranked time of 2:15.16. The backstroke events also figure prominently for RPI, as
Ellen Lorentz and
Meera Kondal hold fifth- and seventh-ranked times in the 100 backstroke at 58.91 and 59.24 seconds. In the breaststroke,
Katie Pierce and
Audrey Lewis provide scoring opportunities with sixth- and seventh-ranked performances in the 100 breaststroke, clocking 1:09.43 and 1:09.60. Friday concludes with the 800 freestyle relay, where RPI's combination of sprint and distance depth will be on display.
Saturday's finale sets the stage for RPI's endurance and closing speed. Tandlmayer enters the 1650 freestyle ranked second in the league with a time of 10:53.89, while the Engineers are well represented in the 100 freestyle, led by Pargett's fifth-ranked time of 53.12 seconds and
Theresa Funderburk's eighth-ranked mark of 53.64. The backstroke group remains a focal point in the 200 back, with
Caroline Steeves ranked fourth at 2:08.33 and a cluster of RPI swimmers,
Katie Schloth, Kondal, Duggan, and Lorentz, all holding top-eight times. Pierce and Lewis again anchor the breaststroke scoring potential in the 200 breaststroke, ranked fourth and sixth with times of 2:30.07 and 2:31.46, before the meet concludes with the 400 freestyle relay.
Live stream for the championship events can be found
here.
