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02/17/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 02/17/2026 14:42

BU Swimming and Diving Teams Head to Patriot League Championships at Navy

BU Swimming and Diving Teams Head to Patriot League Championships at Navy

Terriers prepared for the biggest meet of the year

BU's men's and women's swimming and diving teams in a huddle at a meet earlier this year. The Terriers are competing in the 2026 Patriot League Swimming and Diving Championships February 18 to 21 at Bucknell University. Photo by Eliza Nuestro

Varsity Sports

BU Swimming and Diving Teams Head to Patriot League Championships at Navy

Terriers prepared for the biggest meet of the year

February 17, 2026
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As a freshman, Haley Newman won the 200-meter butterfly at the 2022 Patriot League Championships, but as a sophomore, she placed fifth in the event at the championship-the pressure of defending her title got to her, so she had to adjust her prerace mindset.

At the meet last year as a junior, Newman (CAS'26) remembers laughing with her teammate Milena Busma (CAS'27) in the lead-up to the event. She was stress-free, and she won the 200 butterfly for the second time at the championship. Now as a senior, she's looking to do the same.

"The goal going into this meet is to just soak in the good times with my team, as opposed to letting the pressure creep up on me," Newman says.

Haley Newman (CAS'26) swimming the butterfly at a meet earlier this year. Photo by Eliza Nuestro

Beginning Wednesday and running through Saturday at Navy in Annapolis, Maryland, Newman and the rest of the Boston University men's and women's swimming and diving teams will compete in the 2026 Patriot League Championships.

After a third-place finish in last year's meet, the women's team has had an "incredible season" to this point, says Newman, adding that this is the fastest team the Terriers have had in a long time. BU's goal for this year is to place in the top three.

"Records will be broken and I think quite a few medals will be handed out to us," she says. "I"m really excited to see that."

For James Sica, the head coach of both programs, it's about maximizing the potential of his athletes. If he does that, he knows that they'll be successful.

"We're going to get better, and our team standing is going to improve," he says. "We're going to win events, and we're going to be on the podium. It's going to be awesome."

The Terrier women are an extremely young team this season, boasting 10 freshmen. Although the environment of a league championship meet is new for them, they're prepared and ready to do damage.

The foursome of Molly Barber (CAS'29), Danka Ndubuisi (CAS'29), Kiki Rampersad (ENG'29), and Lily Osborn (Questrom'29) broke a school record in the 200-meter freestyle relay in October. Sica said they've all been major contributors this season and expects that to continue at the championships.

Newman says the team's youth has "refreshed her attitude" about swimming, as her 13-year competitive swimming career is coming to an end.

"It's very easy as a senior to be exhausted and just kind of drag yourself to the finish line-but that has not been the case," she says. "It's almost like they make us young again."

Tony Ponomarev (CAS'26) swimming the backstroke at a meet earlier this year. Photo by Eliza Nuestro

Tony Ponomarev (CAS'26) says the vibe surrounding the teams is "electric." The Terriers are tapering-reducing training volume and intensity to prevent fatigue-and hammering home the details.

Ponomarev set the BU record in the 200-meter backstroke in November and later helped set a school record in the 200-meter medley relay alongside Ethan Huynh (Sargent'27), Henry Dvorak (CAS'27), and Ben Cho (Questrom'26). Ponomarev expects to compete for the podium in both events at the championships.

Another standout for the Terriers is Giovanni Sullo (CAS'27), who holds the school record in the mile and is the top-seed in the event heading into the championships.

"He's always been grinding," Sica says. "He was third in the mile, on the podium for us last year, which was great, but I think overall he wanted more from his conference championship meet."

A goal for the men's team is to finish in the top four overall. The days of the meet are long and intense, and everything is a balancing act, Sica said, but he wants his team to embrace the environment.

"That environment is gonna motivate you to do well," he says. "Don't let that change your routine, your preparation, kind of like what we've been doing all year to get you to this point."

The Patriot League Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships began Wednesday, February 18, and conclude Saturday, February 21, at the United States Naval Academy's Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md. Live coverage of the tournament will be streamed via ESPN+. BU fans can find more information on goterriers.com and follow along on Twitter at @TerrierSwimDive and @BUGameDay.

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Boston University published this content on February 17, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 17, 2026 at 20:42 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]