Penn State Altoona swimming joins SUNYAC as associate member

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -The Penn State Altoona men's and women's swimming program becomes one of three Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference teams to transition to a different league, it was announced on June 5 when the Lions joined fellow conference schools Penn State Behrend and Pitt-Bradford in moving to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) as associate members in swimming.

Beginning this upcoming 2025-2026 season, Penn State Altoona's men's and women's swimming teams will compete as an associate program within the SUNYAC. The AMCC and SUNYAC partnered for a joint conference championship experience last February at the Flickinger Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Now, that partnership has evolved into membership, as Penn State Altoona, Penn State Behrend, and Pitt-Bradford join the ranks of SUNYAC swimming, which already includes Cortland, Oswego, New Paltz, Oneonta, Potsdam, and Fredonia.

The 2025-2026 SUNYAC Swimming Championships are scheduled for February 18-21, 2026. Additional details about the conference championship event will be announced closer to the date.

"Penn State Altoona is excited to continue our relationship with the SUNYAC in swimming," said Penn State Altoona Director of Athletics Brent Baird. "Our student-athletes had a great experience at the championships, and it enhanced their competitive experience at the end of the season. The SUNYAC runs a first-rate championship that we are looking forward to again this coming season and into the future."

In last year's joint AMCC-SUNYAC Championship meet, Penn State Altoona men's swimming placed fifth out of 10 total teams with 376 points, while the Lions women's team came in sixth out of 10 with 271 points.

Men's and women's swimming announced their 2025-26 schedules earlier today, which can be found on the Penn State Altoona Athletics website.