The University of Delaware will join the ASUN Conference in men’s and women’s swimming & diving for the 2025-2026 season. The move comes as most of the school’s athletics programs will join Conference USA as a full-member next year. Conference USA doesn’t sponsor a championship in men’s or women’s swimming and diving.
Delaware’s women’s lacrosse team will also join the ASUN.
Delaware brings both men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs to a conference that had a new look last season. The ASUN absorbed most of the members of, and the record books from, the previous CCSA, a swimming and beach volleyball-specific conference.
The first championship held under the ASUN banner took place in February of 2024 with SMU winning the Men’s crown and Liberty claiming the Women’s title. This season’s championship event returns to the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on the campus of the University of Tennessee.
The men’s title has a vacancy as SMU is joining the ACC next season.
“We are incredibly grateful to join the ASUN,” head coach Pablo Marmolejo said. “The strides this team has made since arriving on campus is nothing short of remarkable. This is the fastest this program has ever been and will continue to get faster. We appreciate our time in the CAA and look forward to an exciting new chapter for the swimming & diving program.”
The two programs combined for 35 top three finishes, including five first place finishes, at the CAA Championships last season. Kaloyan Levterov won the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke, Toni Sabev won the 200 breaststroke, along with the 200 and 400 medley relay. Lauren Hartel won the 500 freestyle, Victoria Novinskiy won the 200 butterfly and Mania Tasakou won the 200 breaststroke, along with the 400 and 800 freestyle relay.
Levterov and the men’s 200 medley relay set a new CAA record at the 2024 Championships.
The Delaware men have been 2nd at three consecutive CAA Championship meets; the women finished 2nd at the 2024 championship as well.
The men’s team broke school records in 14 events, including four of five relays, last season, and have broken almost every school record in the last two seasons. The women’s team broke five school records last season.
According to a Swimulator simulation, Delaware would have competed for top three finishes in both the men’s and the women’s meets at last year’s ASUN Championships.
Among other Conference USA members who sponsor swimming and diving programs, FIU competes in the AAC, Liberty competes in the ASUN, and New Mexico State competes in the WAC.
2024 ASUN Swimming Championships Final Standings
Women
- Liberty – 897.5
- Queens – 792
- Florida Gulf Coast – 579.5
- UNC Asheville – 535.5
- North Florida – 236
- Gardner-Webb – 218.5
- Bellarmine – 134
Men
- SMU – 1,059 (departing for ACC)
- Queens – 699
- Florida Atlantic – 568
- Old Dominion – 342
- Gardner-Webb – 249
- Bellarmine – 146
CAA Men’s swimming is becoming a shell of itself 😔