Navy Men’s Swimming and Diving Stuns No. 14 LSU, Dominates Loyola in Historic Season Opener
By Brian Hradsky| October 10, 2026
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy men’s swimming and diving team delivered one of the biggest victories in program history Friday afternoon, October 9, defeating No. 14 LSU, 167.5-132.5, and Loyola Maryland, 236-64, at Lejeune Hall. The Midshipmen opened their 2026-27 season with a 2-0 record while accomplishing two significant milestones against the nationally ranked Tigers. Navy recorded its highest-ranked victory since the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America began publishing national rankings approximately two decades ago. The victory also marked the program’s first win against a current Southeastern Conference opponent.
Navy Makes History Against SEC Opponent
Navy entered Friday’s competition facing an LSU program that finished 16th at the 2026 NCAA Championships and arrived in Annapolis ranked 14th nationally. The Tigers had previously defeated Navy during visits in 2018 and 2024, making Friday’s result particularly meaningful for the Midshipmen. Before the meet, Navy had never defeated a current SEC program in five previous opportunities. The Midshipmen changed that history with a balanced performance featuring individual victories, strong diving performances and valuable points from swimmers throughout the lineup.
The victory surpassed Navy’s previous wins against nationally ranked opponents, including No. 23 Penn State in 2012, No. 24 North Carolina in 2019 and No. 25 Princeton in 2011. Unlike those victories, Friday’s upset came against a top-15 opponent with considerable national championship experience. LSU won eight swimming events against Navy, demonstrating the challenge the Midshipmen faced throughout the afternoon. However, Navy’s ability to collect points across multiple finishing positions ultimately separated the two programs.
Navy men’s swimming head coach Bill Roberts credited the collective effort rather than focusing solely on individual victories.
“This definitely was a great team win. We received a number of important results from a lot of different contributors at key moments in the meet.”
— Bill Roberts, Navy men’s swimming head coach, via Navy Athletics.
Martin Perecinsky Leads Navy’s Swimming Victories
Martin Perecinsky delivered one of Navy’s strongest individual performances, winning two events against the competitive field. Perecinsky captured the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:35.78 before returning to win the 200-yard backstroke in 1:46.29. His two victories provided important points against an LSU roster featuring nationally competitive swimmers. The performance established Perecinsky as one of the Midshipmen’s leading contributors during their historic season opener.
Juan Mora added another victory for Navy in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 54.05 seconds. Dean Jones secured first place in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:47.28, while Coleman Yates won the 200-yard individual medley in 1:49.64. Those performances gave Navy victories across several disciplines rather than relying on one particular stroke or distance. The Midshipmen’s versatility helped offset LSU’s strength in the sprint freestyle and relay events.
Navy Divers Deliver Crucial Points
Navy’s diving program played a major role in the upset, sweeping both men’s diving competitions. Luke Ogren won the one-meter event with a score of 330.55 points, giving the Midshipmen another valuable first-place finish. James Boardman followed with an impressive 374.15 points to capture the three-meter competition. Their performances prevented LSU from claiming either diving title and helped Navy build the scoring advantage needed to defeat the Tigers.
Roberts emphasized that the team’s depth and diving performances made the difference against LSU.
“The event wins were great, but this meet was won with the second, third, fourth and fifth-place finishes we had. And our divers did a great job to sweep the two events and provide important points.”
— Bill Roberts, via Navy Athletics.
The diving sweep proved especially important considering LSU’s success in several swimming events. LSU standout Jere Hribar established a Lejeune Hall pool record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.23 seconds, highlighting the level of competition Navy faced. Nikola Simic also won the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle events for the Tigers. Despite those performances, Navy accumulated enough points throughout the meet to secure its landmark victory.
Midshipmen Dominate Loyola Maryland
While Navy’s victory over LSU attracted national attention, the Midshipmen also delivered a convincing performance against Patriot League rival Loyola Maryland. Navy defeated the Greyhounds, 236-64, demonstrating the depth of a program that has consistently dominated its conference. The result was particularly impressive considering Navy defeated Loyola by a much narrower 164-125 margin during the previous regular season. Friday’s commanding victory gave the Midshipmen additional momentum heading into another demanding weekend of competition.
Navy entered the season returning 31 letter winners and 15 all-conference performers from its 2026 Patriot League championship team. The Midshipmen have won the conference championship in all but one of their 22 seasons competing in the Patriot League Championships. That sustained success has established Navy as one of the conference’s most consistent athletic programs. Friday’s performance showed that the Midshipmen can compete not only against conference opponents but also against nationally ranked programs from major conferences.
Navy Women Split Their Two Meets
The Navy women’s swimming and diving team also competed Friday, finishing with a 1-1 record against LSU and Loyola Maryland. The Midshipmen defeated Loyola, 212-88, but fell to No. 17 LSU, 225.5-74.5, in their matchup against the nationally ranked Tigers. Claire Ellish provided one of Navy’s highlights by winning the one-meter diving competition with 257.75 points. The women’s team also collected eight individual third-place finishes, showing competitive depth despite LSU’s advantage in the swimming events.
Lily Barrett finished third in the three-meter diving competition with 259.25 points, while several Navy swimmers recorded third-place finishes. Danica Aten placed third in the 1,000-yard freestyle, Erin Miller finished third in the 200-yard freestyle and Corinne Warriner earned third in the 100-yard breaststroke. Clarice Spencer, Hannah Bateman and Elsie Delacruz also contributed individual third-place finishes in their respective events. Navy additionally placed third in both relay competitions against a strong LSU women’s team that swept the swimming events.
What’s Next for Navy?
Navy’s swimming and diving teams have a quick turnaround with another home competition scheduled for Saturday, October 10, against UMBC and William & Mary. The meet begins at 11 a.m. at Lejeune Hall and represents another opportunity for the Midshipmen to build on their successful opening performances. Both programs will then prepare for their October 23 matchup against Army at West Point in the annual Star Meet. This year’s Army-Navy swimming and diving competition will take place earlier in the calendar than any previous meeting in series history.
The upcoming Army matchup carries additional importance for Navy’s defending Patriot League champions. The Midshipmen have established themselves as the conference’s standard, but Friday’s victory against LSU demonstrated their potential beyond Patriot League competition. Maintaining that level of performance against UMBC, William & Mary and Army will be important as the season progresses. Navy now has an early signature victory that could provide confidence for the remainder of its 2026-27 campaign.
MSB Take
Navy’s victory over No. 14 LSU deserves recognition as one of the most impressive early-season accomplishments in Maryland college athletics. Defeating a nationally ranked SEC opponent is significant enough, but doing so against a program that won eight swimming events makes the result even more remarkable. The Midshipmen demonstrated that swimming and diving meets are won through complete team performances rather than simply collecting first-place finishes. Roberts has built a program with the depth, discipline and consistency necessary to compete against opponents with considerably larger national profiles.
Perecinsky’s two victories and the diving sweep from Ogren and Boardman were major highlights, but Navy’s supporting performances ultimately made the difference. The Midshipmen entered the season as defending Patriot League champions and immediately proved they could challenge some of the country’s best competition. This victory should give Navy considerable confidence entering its remaining schedule, particularly the upcoming rivalry meet against Army. If the Midshipmen maintain this level of performance, they could have an opportunity to make a meaningful impact beyond the Patriot League during the championship portion of the season.
Sources: Navy Athletics official recap · LSU Athletics recap · Loyola results · Navy 2026-27 schedule
