With nearly its entire squad returning from last season, the Drew University men's swimming & diving team enters the 2025-26 campaign with lofty expectations.
 
Under the direction of 11th-year Head Coach Rich Munson, the Rangers graduated just one team member from last season and bring back 12 student-athletes from last season's team that took third at the Landmark Conference Championships while winning more events (13) than any other team at the conference meet.
 
Leading the charge once again this year will be two-time Landmark Conference Swimmer of the Year, junior Nicholas Heinio-Widell.
 
For the second year in a row, Heinio-Widell won all seven events he competed in (four relay, three individual) at the Landmark Conference Championships. An extremely versatile competitor, he broke three Landmark Conference Championship and meet records, reset four school records, and achieved three NCAA B cuts at the meet while becoming the first Ranger and only the third athlete from any school to repeat as Landmark Conference Men's Swimmer of the Year. Heinio-Widell also made his debut at the NCAA Division III Championships and competed in the 100-butterfly, 100-freestyle, and 200-IM. He currently holds Drew records in 10 events (50, 100, and 200 freestyle; 100 butterfly; 200-IM; 200, 400, and 800 free relay; 200 and 400 medley relay).
 
Also returning is sophomore Thiago Silva, who was honored as the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year last winter. He took home a total of six gold medals (50-freestyle, 100-breaststroke, 200-free relay, 200-medley relay, 400-free relay, 400-medley relay) while becoming Drew's second consecutive Landmark Conference ROY. He enters the season with school records in the 100-breaststroke, 400-free relay, and 200-medley relay.
 
The Rangers bring back six additional athletes who were named to the All-Landmark Conference Team for finishing in the top-three in at least one event last season. Senior Brendan Burkett was a first-team honoree in five different events a year ago, when the reached the top of the podium in the 200-freestyle, 200-medley relay, 400-free relay, 400-medley relay, and 800-free relay. He also took the silver in both the 50-freestyle and 100-freestyle, and he currently holds team records in 200-free relay, 400-free relay, 200-medley relay, and 400-medley relay.
 
Junior Kyle Talerico is also back after taking home gold medals in a trio of events (200-butterfly, 200-free relay, 800-free relay) while capturing a bronze in the 100-butterfly.
 
Junior Liam Gregory and sophomore Hunor Harsanyi also return as both first-team all-conference members and school record-holders. Gregory swam on the winning 200-free and 800-free relays, and he also took third in both the 500- and 1,650-freestyle. He established the Drew record in the 1,000-freestyle and also helped break the team record in the 400-free relay. Harsanyi won the conference title in the 200-breaststroke, an event in which he also broke the school record during his rookie campaign.
 
Junior Ricky Kilichowski and senior Gabe Spivak are also back after taking home one bronze medal apiece last season. Kilichowski took third in the 200-backstroke, as did Spivak in the 200-breaststroke.
 
Four additional Rangers return after scoring points at the Landmark Conference Championships last season. Junior Nick Shaffer placed fifth in the 200-backstroke and 10th in the 100-backstroke while sophomore Issac Jeffers returns after placing seventh in the 200-freestyle, eighth in the 500-freestyle, and ninth in the 1,650-freestyle. Sophomore Will Spreeman is also back after taking 14th in the 200-freestyle and 15th in both the 100- and 500-free while junior Juan Ortiz placed 16th in the 400-IM.
 
Providing additional depth will be freshmen Eric Friday, Marcell Hudak, Nikolai Kalinin, Nate Osborne, Ghali Sentissi, and Ayden Twiddy.

Drew opens its season on Saturday, when it hosts Landmark Conference foe Catholic University starting at 1 p.m.