Women’s 800 Free Relay Podium Finish Highlights Day One of MAAC Championships

The women's 800 free relay turned in a podium finish to highlight the opening day of competition for the Canisius men's and women's swimming and diving teams in the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

The Golden Griffins women's 800 free relay team, featuring seniors Emily Blake and Hannah Brainard, junior Evie Leighton and sophomore Daphne Mead, took third place with a time of 7:33.12, more than a second ahead of fourth-place Marist.
In other events held on Wednesday, the men's 200 medley relay team, consisting of seniors Toby Mayfield, Sam Vidal, junior Elliot Somers and freshman Peyton Gilliland, claimed seventh, touching the wall in 1:30.87.

The women's 200 medley relay team that including Brainard, Mead, Leighton and junior Cassandra Ercoli, took sixth place, finishing in 1:44.57.

The men's 800 free relay team, highlighted by Mayfield and Vidal, junior Tom McCabe and sophomore Elijah Nevins, closed out the day with a sixth-place finish with a time of 6:47.84.

After the opening day of competition, the Canisius women find themselves in eighth place with 103 points while the men sit in seventh place with 94 points. Marist holds first place in the women's championship with 207 points, three ahead of Sacred Heart (204). Iona leads the men's championship with 118 points, two points in front of second-place Fairfield (116).

UP NEXT
Day two of the 2026 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships begins Thursday with preliminary round competition at 9:30 a.m. Championship heats are slated to get underway at 5:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Emily Blake: 5' 3"; Senior

Hannah Brainard: 5' 4"; Senior

Cassandra Ercoli: 5' 5"; Junior

Evie Leighton: 5' 11"; Junior

Toby Mayfield: 5' 9"; Senior

Daphne Mead: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Elijah Nevins: 5' 9"; Sophomore

Elliot Somers: 6' 0"; Junior

Sam Vidal: 6' 0"; Senior

Peyton Gilliland: 5' 11"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Emily Blake
: 5' 3"; Senior

Hannah Brainard
: 5' 4"; Senior

Cassandra Ercoli
: 5' 5"; Junior

Evie Leighton
: 5' 11"; Junior

Toby Mayfield
: 5' 9"; Senior

Daphne Mead
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Elijah Nevins
: 5' 9"; Sophomore

Elliot Somers
: 6' 0"; Junior

Sam Vidal
: 6' 0"; Senior

Peyton Gilliland
: 5' 11"; Freshman