Towson Swimming and Diving Completes Perfect Weekend With Dominant Sweep of La Salle
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog October 8, 2026
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Towson University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams continued their impressive start to the 2026-27 season Saturday, October 3, sweeping La Salle University to complete a perfect weekend of competition. The Tigers followed Friday’s victories over Georgetown with another strong showing, giving both programs two dual-meet wins in two days. Towson finished the weekend with a combined 4-0 record, demonstrating the depth and versatility that could make both teams competitive in the Coastal Athletic Association this season.
The Towson women delivered a particularly dominant performance against the Explorers, capturing 12 of the 14 swimming events. The men’s team was nearly as impressive, winning 10 of 14 swimming events while receiving contributions from several experienced competitors and emerging athletes. Senior Addie Scott led the women’s effort with three individual victories, while Benjamin Eischeid and Isak Brkanovic powered the men’s team with two individual victories and two relay wins apiece. The results provided another encouraging indication of Towson’s potential as the Tigers prepare for their first invitational competition later this month.
Towson Women Dominate With 12 Event Victories
Towson’s women’s team controlled nearly every portion of Saturday’s swimming competition, combining strong distance performances with victories in the sprint, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke events. Scott once again established herself as one of the Tigers’ most valuable competitors, winning the 1,000-yard freestyle, 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. Her ability to succeed in both distance and sprint events gives Towson an unusually versatile weapon in dual-meet competition. Scott also contributed to the winning 400-yard freestyle relay, adding another successful performance to an already impressive opening stretch of the season.
Scott’s performance against La Salle followed an equally productive Friday evening against Georgetown, when she won the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke. She finished the two-day stretch with five individual victories, helping Towson secure consecutive wins against quality opponents. Her times against La Salle included 24.56 seconds in the 50 freestyle, 52.48 in the 100 freestyle and 10:23.16 in the 1,000 freestyle. The performances helped Scott earn a share of the CAA Women’s Swimmer of the Week award on October 6, her second consecutive weekly honor and fifth of her collegiate career.
The Tigers also received several important contributions beyond Scott, illustrating the team’s overall depth. Masha Netrebko won the 200-yard butterfly for the second consecutive day, while Kaitlyn Besner accomplished the same feat in the 500-yard freestyle. Ryland Zuniga added her first individual victory of the season in the 200-yard freestyle, and Emily Thornett tied for first place in the 100-yard backstroke. The number of different winners should provide head coach Anthony Bruno with considerable confidence as Towson moves deeper into its schedule.
Ava McKinney joined the list of individual winners by capturing the 200-yard backstroke, marking her first victory of the young season. Maisie Brown continued her encouraging start with a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke, her second win in that event through three meets. Daphne Mead also celebrated an important milestone by winning the 200-yard individual medley for her first victory representing Towson. These performances showed that the Tigers do not need to rely exclusively on their established stars to control a meet.
Towson’s relay teams further demonstrated the program’s depth and chemistry against La Salle. Thornett, Marine Ingram, Bjartey Gudmundsdottir and Zuniga opened the swimming competition with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, Towson’s first win in that event this season. The Tigers later closed the swimming portion with another victory as Gudmundsdottir, Emelia Erikson, Scott and Zuniga captured the 400-yard freestyle relay. Winning both relays provided an impressive bookend to a competition in which Towson consistently outperformed its opponent.
Women’s Diving Adds Important Contributions
Although Towson’s swimmers dominated the headlines, the women’s diving team also contributed to the successful weekend. Lara Booth Alam led the Tigers on the boards against La Salle, finishing second in the three-meter competition and third in the one-meter event. Her performances followed a particularly strong showing against Georgetown, where she won both diving events to help secure the team’s first dual-meet victory of the season. The consistency displayed across both meets reinforced her importance to Towson’s overall scoring potential.
Booth Alam recorded 256.05 points on the three-meter board and 244.65 points in the one-meter competition against La Salle. Combined with her two victories against Georgetown, she finished among the top three competitors in all four diving events over the weekend. The performances earned Booth Alam the CAA Women’s Diver of the Week award on October 6, the first weekly conference honor of her collegiate career. Her continued development could become an important factor when Towson faces deeper fields at upcoming invitationals and the conference championships.
Towson Men Showcase Depth in Another Strong Victory
Towson’s men’s team produced an equally encouraging performance, winning 10 of the 14 swimming events against La Salle. Brkanovic and Eischeid led the way with two individual victories apiece, continuing to establish themselves as important contributors to the Tigers’ early-season success. The men also swept the two relay events, giving the program another strong showing in races that require both individual speed and team execution. Their success came one day after Towson defeated Georgetown 131-112 at Burdick Pool.
Brkanovic dominated the sprint freestyle events, taking first place in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races. His victories demonstrated the speed that makes him an important part of Towson’s individual and relay lineups. Eischeid delivered victories in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, showing his ability to contribute across multiple strokes and distances. Both swimmers also participated in the winning relay teams, giving them four event victories apiece during Saturday’s competition.
The men’s success extended well beyond their leading performers, with several Tigers continuing impressive individual streaks. Jed Garner won the 100-yard breaststroke for the third time this season, while Harry Herrera captured his third consecutive 200-yard breaststroke victory. Nathan Decker earned his first victory of the season in the 200-yard backstroke, and Anthony Mortellite accomplished the same milestone in the 200-yard individual medley. Those contributions provided Towson with valuable depth throughout the competition.
Garner, Herrera, Eischeid and Brkanovic opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay. Later, Brkanovic and Eischeid teamed with Hugo Haggard and Jake Wade to win the 400-yard freestyle relay, completing another strong relay performance for the Tigers. Towson’s ability to win both relay events against Georgetown and La Salle was one of the most encouraging developments of the weekend. The results demonstrated that the Tigers possess multiple swimmers capable of delivering strong performances in high-pressure team events.
The men’s diving competition also featured another consistent showing from Grady Gardner, who finished fourth in both the one-meter and three-meter events. Gardner had previously recorded fourth-place finishes on both boards against Delaware to open the season, and he followed those performances with fifth-place finishes against Georgetown. Although he has not yet broken through for an individual victory this season, his consistent finishes provide Towson with a dependable competitor. Continued improvement on the boards could become particularly valuable when the Tigers encounter stronger diving fields later in the season.
A Perfect Weekend Builds Momentum
The sweep of La Salle capped an important two-day stretch for both Towson programs, which entered the weekend searching for their first dual-meet victories of the season. Friday’s competition against Georgetown provided an immediate confidence boost, with the women winning 136-107 and the men earning a 131-112 victory. Saturday’s performance demonstrated that the Tigers could maintain their intensity while competing on consecutive days and traveling for their first road meet of the season. Finishing the weekend 4-0 provided the program with momentum heading into its first invitational.
The victories also reflected the strength of a program that has established itself among the better teams in the CAA. Towson’s men finished second at the 2026 conference championships, while the women placed third, giving both teams high expectations entering the new season. Bruno earned CAA Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year honors following that championship performance, while diving coach Sergey Meshcherskiy received the conference’s men’s and women’s diving coaching awards. The early results suggest Towson has the personnel necessary to pursue another strong conference finish.
Looking Ahead: Thomas Murphy Invitational
Towson will now have a break from competition before returning to the pool for the Thomas Murphy Invitational, hosted by Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore from October 23-25. The three-day competition will represent the Tigers’ first invitational appearance of the 2026-27 season and provide a different challenge from their opening dual meets. Preliminary heats are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. each day, with finals beginning at 6 p.m. The format should provide Towson’s swimmers and divers with valuable preparation for the demands of championship competition.
The invitational will also give Bruno and his coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate the team’s progress against a broader field of competitors. Scott, Brkanovic, Eischeid and several other early-season standouts have already demonstrated their ability to win individual events, but invitationals present additional challenges involving recovery, consistency and performance across multiple sessions. Towson’s relay teams will also have an opportunity to build on their successful start. With both programs coming off a perfect weekend, the Tigers should enter the competition with considerable confidence.
MSB Take: Towson Swimming and Diving Looks Ready for Another Strong Season
Towson’s performance against La Salle was more than another pair of early-season victories; it demonstrated the overall depth of both swimming and diving programs. The women winning 12 of 14 swimming events was particularly impressive, especially considering how many different Tigers contributed individual victories. Scott has established herself as an early-season standout, but the performances of Brown, McKinney, Mead and several others show that Towson has a talented supporting cast. That depth could become the difference between another respectable conference finish and a legitimate championship challenge.
The men’s team deserves just as much recognition for its strong start, particularly the performances of Brkanovic, Eischeid, Garner and Herrera. Winning 10 swimming events against La Salle while sweeping the relays demonstrates the balance that championship-caliber programs need. Towson still has plenty to prove as the schedule becomes more demanding, and dual-meet success does not automatically translate into conference championship results. However, a perfect 4-0 weekend against Georgetown and La Salle provides a strong foundation for what could become another memorable season for Tigers swimming and diving.
Sources: Towson University Athletics’ October 3 La Salle recap, October 2 Georgetown recap, October 6 CAA weekly awards announcement and the official 2026-27 swimming and diving schedule release.
