The preseason No. 16-ranked Northwestern men’s swim and dive team is poised for its best season in decades.
There are 10 seniors on the 28-man roster. With Northwestern director of swim & dive Rachel Stratton-Mills at the helm and an abundance of veteran leadership, the Wildcats are in a prime position to shock the Big Ten.
Here’s a comprehensive preview of the Wildcats’ 2026-27 roster and schedule.
Roster Preview
Returners: Ryan Augustine (Sr.), Adam Cohen (Sr.), Cade Duncan (Sr.), David Gerchik (Sr.), Oliver Kós
(Jr.), Kyle Ly (Jr.), Tristan Prizler (Jr.), Connor Schuster (Sr.), Gal Shlegel (Jr.), Joshua Staples (Jr.), Kyle Wang (Jr.), Aaron Baltaytis (Sr.), Gipson Crye (So.), Langston Duncan (So.), George Groves (So.), Christopher Leung (Sr.), Diego Nosack (Sr.), Alexander Rousseau (Jr.), Stuart Seymour (Sr.), Wiley Spinner (Jr.) and David Vinokur (Sr.),
Losses: Jack Doyle, Jack White, Matthew Lucky, and Tonahuac Zinn
Additions: Brandon Ha (Fr.), Mike Marder (Fr.), Ben Whiteford (Fr.), Jack Chiappetta (Fr.), Zack Kusch (Fr.), Caleb Romero (Fr.) and Cooper Zakorchemny (Fr.)
Rewinding to last season, the ‘Cats finished fourth at the 2026 Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, their highest finish since 2006.
For context, six-time Olympic medalist, former world record holder, and 27-time All-American Matt Grevers was leading Northwestern to infinite glory that year.
The Wildcats delivered standout performances at the conference championships, including a third-place finish in the 200-yd medley relay (1:22.95). Stuart Seymour and Caden Duncan finished second and third, respectively, in the 100-yd freestyle, touching in 41.87 and 41.89. Joshua Staples led off the 800-yd freestyle relay in a blazing 1:33.37, etching his name in the ‘Cats record books.
The Wildcats finished 26th at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. Staples broke the 400-yd individual medley school record with an awe-inspiring 3:36.58 in prelims and finished eighth on the podium with All-American Honors. Seymour broke two school records, finishing 11th in the 100-yd backstroke (44.55) and 21st in the 100-yd freestyle (41.76).
The experienced core of Seymour, Schuster, Staples and Oliver Kós returns for the 2026-27 season, giving Northwestern a combination of consistency, experience and sheer speed.
Seymour and diver Adam Cohen were named to the 2026-27 Big Ten Men’s Swimmers and Divers to Watch list.
Cohen earned Academic All-Big Ten honors last season. He took seventh in the platform event in the conference championships, with a score of 344.0.
Seymour produced a stream of top times during his junior season, setting four school records while earning as All-Big Ten Second Team honors and Big Ten Swimmer of the Week recognition on Feb. 4.
Northwestern’s incoming 2026 class is bursting with talent that will add depth to events such as the distance freestyle, butterfly and breaststroke events.
Headlining this class is Brandon Ha of Fairfield, California. Ranked No. 14 in the 2026 recruiting class, Ha is a California High School State Champion in the 100-yd butterfly. Ha’s best times would have translated to a 12th-place finish in the 200-yd butterfly (1:43.53) and 13th in the 100-yd butterfly (46.06) at last season’s Big Ten Championships.
New Jersey native Zack Kusch is another potential immediate impact swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and butterfly. He is a U.S. Open Qualifier and has earned All-American Honors.
Ha and Kusch join Ben Whiteford, Caleb Romero Serrano, Cooper Zakorchemny, Jack Chiappetta, and Mike Marder in the Wildcats’ 2026 recruiting class.
Schedule Preview
The Wildcats open their season Saturday, Oct. 3, against Miami (Ohio) in Evanston before traveling to Bloomington, Indiana against Indiana and Texas on Oct 9.
Notre Dame visits Evanston on Oct. 23 before Northwestern competes at the Short Course World Trials in Westmont, Illinois from Oct. 28-31. The Wildcats then travel to Durham, North Carolina, to face Duke on Nov. 6-7.
The ‘Cats will attend two midseason invitationals. Swimmers will compete at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite from Nov. 18-20, and divers will compete at the Ohio State invite from Nov. 19-21.
The Wildcats return to dual-meet competition Jan. 9 against in-state rival University of Chicago in Evanston. Northwestern hosts Wisconsin for Senior Day on Jan. 16 before closing the regular season with a Big Ten tri-meet against Purdue and Minnesota in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships will be held in West Lafayette, Indiana from Feb. 24—27. The NCAA Diving Zones will also take place in West Lafayette from March 8-10, followed by the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship in Austin, Texas from March 24-27.
The Wildcats have momentum on their side after a historic conference finish. This combination of electric athletes and timing is a rarity in a sport like swimming. Will they seize the opportunity?
