Swimming and Diving to Open Season Saturday at Marist

DUAL MEET No. 1
at MARIST
Date: Oct. 12, 2025 at noon
Location: McCann Natatorium | Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Social Media: @GriffsSwim on X | @Griffs_swim on Instagram | #Griffs

The Canisius men's and women's swimming and diving teams open the 2025-26 regular season Saturday with a dual meet at Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival Marist.

Start time for the meet between the Golden Griffins and Red Foxes is slated for noon at the McCann Natatorium in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Veteran head coach Scott Vanderzell returns for his 18th season at the helm of the program. During his time with the Griffs, he has guided the Golden Griffin men to 10 top five finishes at the MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships and instructed the Canisius women to 12 finishes in the top five of the MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Canisius men welcome back 16 returners from last season's squad. Team captains seniors Toby Mayfield and Sam Vidal and junior Mark Whitmann will be counted on to provide leadership for an incoming class that features 14 newcomers.

Last season, Vidal competed in all nine meets for the Griffs last season and was a three-time individual finalist at MAAC Championships, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the 200 breast. Mayfield, meanwhile, also swam in all nine meets and was a B-finalist in the 200 fly at MAAC Championships. Wittmann swam three personal-best times at MAAC Championships, highlighted by a more than one-minute improvement in the 1650 free.

For the Canisius women, captains seniors Emily Blake and Hannah Brainard and junior Leyna Swanson will guide a squad that welcomes back 22 returners, highlighted by MAAC Co-Rookie of the Meet and Canisius Female Athlete of the Year Daphne Mead.

Blake competed in eight regular-season meets last season. She posted a top-three finish in ten races, highlighted by two first-place finishes against Le Moyne. Brainard, meanwhile, swam three personal bests at the MAAC Championships and was a member of the program record-setting 400 free relay that earned a bronze medal.

Swanson posted three personal-best performances at the MAAC Championships and was a member of the school-record setting 400 medley relay that took fifth place.
Mead was a three-time individual A finalist at the MAAC Championships in the 200 and 400 IM and 200 back. She placed fourth in both the 200 IM and 200 back and earned a bronze medal in the 400 IM. The Baltimore, Md., product also earned a bronze medal with a third-place result in the 800 free relay.

UP NEXT
Canisius returns to action Oct. 18 with a tri-meet versus MAAC rival Siena and the University of Rochester. Racing gets underway at noon at the Speegle-Wilbraham Center in Rochester, N.Y.

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Players Mentioned

Emily Blake: 5' 3"; Senior

Hannah Brainard: 5' 4"; Senior

Toby Mayfield: 5' 9"; Senior

Daphne Mead: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Leyna Swanson: 5' 5"; Junior

Sam Vidal: 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Emily Blake
: 5' 3"; Senior

Hannah Brainard
: 5' 4"; Senior

Toby Mayfield
: 5' 9"; Senior

Daphne Mead
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Leyna Swanson
: 5' 5"; Junior

Sam Vidal
: 6' 0"; Senior