A Year Ago

2025-26 Record: 6-1 in dual meets
Conference Record: 3-0
PSAC Championships: Second of eight teams
Notable Finish: First of 12 teams at Malone Invitational
All-PSAC Performances: Will Retsch (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) – 200 IM, 100 butterfly; Nikita Poparcea – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle; Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/) – 100 butterfly; 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 200 medley relay
School Records Broken: Will Retsch (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) – 200-yard IM (1:49.88); 200-yard medley relay (1:29.55) – Marcos Rodriguez (Madrid, Spain/Santa María del Pilar), Malachi Boyle (Knoxville, Tenn./Home Life Academy), Will Retsch (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) and Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/); 400-yard medley relay (3:18.30) – Marcos Rodriguez (Madrid, Spain/Santa María del Pilar), Aidar Sataev (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan/Forest Hill), Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/) and Nikita Pau Poparcea Greiter (Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain/)
Pool Records Broken: Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/) – 100-yard butterfly (49.26); 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.52) – Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/), Nickolas Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward), Bengimin Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward) and Nikita Pau Poparcea Greiter (Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain/)

This Season
Returning Student-Athletes: 16
Departing Student-Athletes: 6
Incoming Student-Athletes: 4
Total Roster: 20
Key Returners: Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/), Nikita Pau Poparcea Greiter (Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain/), Bengimin Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward), Nickolas Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward), Emmanuel Cisneros (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young Magnet)
Key Newcomers: Mert Ata Pehlivanoglu (Izmir, Turkey/Takev Anatolian), Luis Lebrons Montesinos (Madrid, Spain/The Bolles School), Patrick Biasio (Muggiò, Italy/Liceo Majorana)

Key Dates
Season Opener: Friday, Oct. 16 – IUP Fall Invitational / IUP Sprint Frenzy – Indiana, Pa. – All Day
Home Opener: Saturday, Nov. 7 – vs. Case Western Reserve – Carneval Athletic Pavilion Pool – 1 p.m.
PSAC Championships: Feb. 10-13 – Carlisle Family YMCA – Carlisle, Pa.
NCAA Championships: March 9-13 – IU Natatorium – Indianapolis, Ind.

What To Expect
The Gannon men's swimming team enters the 2026-27 season with championship aspirations under third-year head coach Milan Medo after finishing second at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships in each of the past two seasons.

The Golden Knights posted a 6-1 dual-meet record in 2025-26, including a perfect 3-0 mark against PSAC competition, while claiming first place among 12 teams at the Malone Invitational. Gannon continued that success at the conference championships, finishing second among eight teams with 529 points.

With 16 swimmers returning, including several All-PSAC performers and record holders, the Golden Knights will look to build on last season's success while pursuing additional NCAA qualifying standards.

"This is easily the most talented group of athletes ever in the history of Gannon swimming, and the same can be said for our women's team," said Medo. "On paper, we may be separate teams, but in the pool, we are one team, one dream!

"An exciting year is ahead of us, and we know that it will be filled with great performances, NCAA qualifiers and many school records!"

1. Loboda and Poparcea Lead NCAA Qualifying Pursuit – Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland/) and Nikita Pau Poparcea Greiter (Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain/) headline Gannon's returning group after turning in NCAA Division II B qualifying performances last season.

Loboda captured the PSAC championship in the 100-yard butterfly, touching the wall in 48.32 seconds to earn All-PSAC honors and an NCAA B-cut. The victory highlighted another strong performance by the Golden Knights at the conference championships.

Poparcea earned All-PSAC honors in two individual events, placing third in the 50-yard freestyle with an NCAA B-cut time of 20.29 seconds before finishing second in the 100-yard freestyle in 44.90 seconds.

With both swimmers returning, Gannon will look to produce additional qualifying times and put multiple Golden Knights in position to compete at the NCAA Division II Championships.

2. Record-Setting Performances Highlight Last Season – The Golden Knights rewrote the record books during the 2025-26 campaign, setting three school records and breaking two pool records.

Will Retsch (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) lowered his own Gannon record in the 200-yard individual medley to 1:49.88 at the PSAC Championships, earning a third-place finish and All-PSAC honors.

Gannon also captured the conference championship in the 200-yard medley relay as Marcos Rodriguez (Madrid, Spain/Santa María del Pilar), Malachi Boyle (Knoxville, Tenn./Home Life Academy), Retsch and Loboda combined for a school-record time of 1:29.55.

The 400-yard medley relay team of Rodriguez, Aidar Sataev (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan/Forest Hill), Loboda and Nikita Pau Poparcea Greiter (Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain/) also established a school record with a time of 3:18.30.

The Golden Knights added two pool records in their regular-season finale against Penn State Behrend. Loboda set a pool record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 49.26 before joining Nickolas Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward), Bengimin Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward) and Poparcea to establish a 200-yard freestyle relay pool record of 1:23.52.

With several members of those record-setting relay teams returning in 2026-27, Gannon will look to challenge additional program and pool records this season.

3. Experienced Core Returns – While six swimmers from last season's roster have departed, Gannon returns an experienced group that contributed to its runner-up finish at the PSAC Championships.

Along with Loboda and Poparcea, Bengimin Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward) and Nickolas Ambrosiani (Seward, Alaska/Seward) return after helping establish the pool record in the 200 freestyle relay.

Emmanuel Cisneros (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young Magnet) also returns following a strong showing at the conference championships, placing sixth in the 500 freestyle and 10th in the 1650 freestyle.

Other returning swimmers include Derell Augustine (La Brea, Trinidad & Tobago/Vessigny Secondary School), Brandon Hebert (Damascus, Md./Damascus), Noah Marsinko (Nanty-Glo, Pa./Blacklick Valley), Dexter Jones (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), Bryce Burét, Dylan Ray (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney Community), Ethan Weigel (Cowansville, Pa./Armstrong), Tyler Turgeon (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin High School), Marcos Rodriguez (Madrid, Spain/Santa María del Pilar), Kaidan Helmeczi (Mount Wolf, PA/Northeastern Senior High School) and Adrian Paredes Carrillo (Tega Cay, SC/Fort Mill).

That returning depth provides Gannon with experience across multiple events as the Golden Knights look to replace several key contributors and maintain their place among the conference's top programs.

4. Newcomers Add to the Lineup – Gannon welcomes four newcomers to the roster this season in Mert Ata Pehlivanoglu (Izmir, Turkey/Takev Anatolian), Luis Lebrons Montesinos (Madrid, Spain/The Bolles School), Patrick Biasio (Muggiò, Italy/Liceo Majorana) and Fernando Camacho Costa (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Morumbi Sul).

Freshmen Pehlivanoglu and Lebrons Montesinos have been identified by the coaching staff as two newcomers who could make an immediate impact.

Biasio joins the Golden Knights as a transfer, bringing additional collegiate experience, while Costa adds another newcomer to the lineup.

The incoming group will join an established returning core as Gannon looks to strengthen its depth and create additional scoring opportunities throughout the season.

5. Championship Expectations Remain High – Gannon has established itself as one of the top programs in the PSAC, finishing second at the conference championships in 2023, 2025 and 2026. The three runner-up finishes match the highest conference placement in program history, a milestone the Golden Knights first achieved in 2023.

Gannon continued its success last season with a perfect 3-0 record in PSAC dual-meet competition while producing several All-PSAC performances, including individual and relay championships.

The Golden Knights also captured first place among 12 teams at the Malone Invitational.

The coaching staff has emphasized the team's work ethic, camaraderie and competitive spirit as strengths entering 2026-27. With another experienced group returning, the Golden Knights will look to build on their recent success and pursue the program's first PSAC championship.

Beyond its pursuit of a conference title, Gannon hopes to increase its representation at the national level. Swimmers achieving NCAA Division II A qualifying standards earn automatic qualification, while those meeting B standards become eligible for selection to the NCAA Division II Championships.

6. Challenging Schedule Awaits the Golden Knights – Gannon will compete in several invitationals and dual meets throughout the 2026-27 season as the Golden Knights prepare for another postseason run.

The Golden Knights open the season Friday, Oct. 16, at the IUP Fall Invitational and IUP Sprint Frenzy in Indiana, Pa., before traveling to Clarion on Friday, Oct. 23, for their first dual meet of the season.

Gannon will host three home meets at the Carneval Athletic Pavilion Pool, beginning with Case Western Reserve on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. The Golden Knights return home to face Indiana (Pa.) on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 1 p.m., before wrapping up their home schedule against Edinboro on Friday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m. for Senior Day.

The Golden Knights will also compete in the three-day Youngstown State Invitational from Nov. 19-21 before returning to competition in the new year at the Oberlin Quad Meet on Jan. 16, where they will face Oberlin, Malone and Walsh.

The postseason begins with the PSAC Championships from Feb. 10-13 at the Carlisle Family YMCA in Carlisle, Pa. Gannon will look to post NCAA qualifying times and send multiple swimmers to the NCAA Division II Championships, scheduled for March 9-13 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.
 
 
Full 2026-27 Schedule

October 16 – IUP Fall Invitational – Indiana, Pa. – All Day
October 16 – IUP Sprint Frenzy – Indiana, Pa. – All Day
October 23 – at Clarion – 5 p.m.
November 7 – vs. Case Western Reserve – 1 p.m.
November 19 – Youngstown State Invitational (Day 1) – Youngstown, Ohio – All Day
November 20 – Youngstown State Invitational (Day 2) – Youngstown, Ohio – All Day
November 21 – Youngstown State Invitational (Day 3) – Youngstown, Ohio – All Day
December 12 – vs. Indiana (Pa.) – 1 p.m.
January 16 – Oberlin Quad Meet – Oberlin, Ohio – All Day
January 16 – vs. Malone – Oberlin, Ohio – All Day
January 16 – vs. Walsh – Oberlin, Ohio – All Day
January 22 – vs. Edinboro – 6 p.m. (Senior Day)
February 10-13 – PSAC Championships – Carlisle, Pa. – All Day
March 9-13 – NCAA Division II Championships – Indianapolis, Ind. – All Day