NEW LONDON, Conn. —

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy women's swimming & diving team is set to open their 2025-26 campaign on Friday, October 31st, competing in a five-team meet at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Coast Guard will be competing against the hosting Engineers (1-1), fellow New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rivals Babson College (1-0) and Smith College (3-0), and non-conference competitors from Brandeis University (0-1).

"The women will look to keep their streak of winning seasons going as they head into this year's campaign," says head coach John Westkott. "They'll be better in diving and sprints this year thanks to a group of newly arrived cadet-athletes and further development from our upper-class returners."

Last year's team went 11-1-1. The loss was dealt by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) squad which was ranked fourth in the nation at the time by the Collegiate Swim & Dive Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), while the tie came against Kean University. Coast

Guard eventually finished second at the NEWMAC Championships behind a dominant wire-to-wire performance by the Engineers, who won their 14th consecutive conference title. The Bears top finish at NEWMACs was third place in the 800 Free Relay.

Leading the squad this season is a group of three: senior Leah Harris (St. John's, Fla.) and juniors Megan Doubrava (Aurora, Colo.) and Zoe Suhajda (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Doubrava is a strong mid-distance freestyle swimmer, both individually and in relays, while Suhajda returns as one of the team's top distance swimmers after multiple wins in the 1000 Free.

Liliana Feyk (Carlsbad, Calif.) is another junior freestyle specialist to watch, carrying over wins in the 500 and 1000 variants from last season. Madelyn Paxton (Mechanicsburg, Va.) will also have eyes on her after earning multiple wins in individual medley, backstroke, and freestyle races, while Kathleen O'Shea (Decatur, Ga.) looks to be a big player in the freestyle relays.

Sam Halvorson (Chesapeake, Va.) and Mikayla Jolley (Las Vegas, Nev.) return to the team after providing major contributions to the freestyle and medley relays. The duo was part of the third-place finish in the 800 Free Relay at NEWMACs. Coleen Read (Annandale, Va.) is the team's top returner in the backstroke, winning four such races last season, and also shows proficiency in the fly.

Meets to watch for women's swim & dive include a home tri-meet with Connecticut College and #15 Amherst College. Coast Guard will later return from winter break by hosting #4 MIT for a dual on January 10th before traveling to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy just a week later for the annual rivalry match-up. NEWMAC Championships are scheduled to start on February 19th, with MIT acting as this season's host.