Salisbury, N.C. — The ninth- and eighth-ranked Catawba College men's and women's swimming teams host defending South Atlantic Conference champions Wingate in a dual meet at Johnson Pool on Friday in a potential preview of the 2026 SAC Swimming Championships as the league's top two programs.
 
THE MATCHUP
- Who: #7/9 Wingate at #9/8 Catawba
- Where: Johnson Pool, Salisbury, N.C.
- When: Friday, Oct. 31, 4 p.m.
 
LEAGUE TITANS
- Friday matches the SAC's top two swim programs
- Both teams are ranked inside the top 10 of CSCAA's Division II national rankings
- The teams sent a combined 38 swimmers to the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championships
 
TOP SAC SHOWDOWNS
- Catawba currently holds seven of the top times in the SAC as of Oct. 30 on the men's side and 13 top times on the women's side
- Maks Minichowski and Nazar Herashchenko hold two of the top time in the SAC apiece; Minichowski leads in the 100 Free and 200 Free, while Herashcenko is the fastest man in the SAC in the 500 Free and 1000 Free
- The Catawba Indian women also dominate the freestyle events – Marit Reckmann leads the league with times in the 50 Free and the 100 Free and Fiona Byrne is the fastest women in the SAC in the 500 Free and 1000 Free
 
THE LAST MEETING AT JOHNSON POOL
- Catawba's men earned its first win over Wingate in program history on January 5, 2024 in the last meeting between the programs in Johnson Pool
- The Catawba women picked up its first win over the Bulldogs since 1999 on the day as well for a historic sweep of the Bulldogs
- At the time, Catawba's women ranked 24th in the country, while the men were unranked– fast forward two years, both teams rank top 10
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
- Wingate entered as the preseason favorite to win the SAC Championship on both sides
- The league noted Catawba's surge in the SAC, as both Catawba Indians teams earned two first-place votes in the preseason poll
- The Bulldogs did earn two narrow victories over Division I Queens, while the Catawba Indians fell to the Royals in both matchups
 
UP NEXT
- Catawba Swimming returns to the pool on Saturday, when they travel to Kingsport, Tenn. at the site of this season's SAC Championship meet, facing Milligan and Roanoke in a tri-meet starting at noon