General | 2/17/2026 12:00:00 PM

THE MEET INFORMATION
What: 2026 PSAC Swimming Championships
When: February 18th-21st
Times: 10:00 am (prelims - each day), 5:30 pm (finals - day 1-3), 5:00 pm (finals - day 4)
Where: Graham Aquatics Center | York, PA
Who: Gannon Men's & Women's Swimming

ERIE, PA - There is little doubt of the high expectations for the Gannon men's and women's swimming teams heading into PSAC Championships this week in York, PA. Both squads delivered impressive performances a season ago, with the men capturing second overall and the women sixth, finishing in the top half of the overall standings. 

That resolve will be tested - the individual field is stacked again in 2026. The Golden Knights are hopeful to have success in the tournament, and go a step further from a year ago. Multiple individuals are primed to make a run at NCAA Championship qualifying times while competing for the conference crown. 

Prelim sessions start at 10:00 am each morning, with finals beginning at 5:30 pm on most nights. The lone exception is on Saturday, when finals will be moved to a 5:00 pm start. 

Here's a look at some key Gannon racers to watch at the conference meet:

MEN
Kuba Loboda (Lublin, Poland) (JR - Sprint Free/Butterfly) | 100 Butterfly - If there is anyone on the team that is knocking hard on the door to claim a spot at nationals, it's Loboda. The junior swam an NCAA B-Cut time (48.56) in last years PSAC meet, finishing third in the 100 fly. This season, the junior expects to contend to win that event and secure a national qualifying time in the process. Loboda claimed multiple wins in the 100 fly during the regular season, including a 48.88 at the Malone invite. 

Marcos Rodriguez (Madrid, Spain/Santa María del Pilar) (FR - Sprint Free/Butterfly) | 200 Backstroke - Just a freshman, but ascending rapidly, Rodriguez has quickly put himself into the conversation for a medal at PSAC championships in the 200 backstroke. With multiple wins in the regular season, most notably a 1:50.96 back in November, the first-year standout will be key in both the individual and relay portions of the meet. 

Will Retsch (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) (SR - IM/Butterfly) | 200 Butterfly - He is the program record holder in this event, after all. After breaking the school record mark at PSAC's a year ago with a time of 1:49.74, Retsch looks to cap his senior season off with a win or medal finish in the same event this year. The senior was also part of two All-PSAC relay performances last season and will help to lead the 200 and 400 medley relay for both strong Golden Knights quartets. 

OTHER NAMES TO WATCH: Malachi Boyle (Knoxville, Tenn./Home Life Academy) (breaststroke/IM), Manny Cisneros (dist. freestyle), Dexter Jones (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) (dist. freestyle), Dylan Ray (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney Community) (breaststroke), Aidar Sataev (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan/Forest Hill) (breaststroke)

WOMEN
Mariia Melnyk (Kyiv, Ukraine/Education Center Optima) (FR - Freestyle/Backstroke) | 100 Backstroke, 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle - Three program records in one regular season. Melnyk's 2025-26 campaign has been about as prolific a start as one could ask for. The freshman has the GU program record mark in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 back and will be one of the favorites to win each race at the PSAC meet. Melnyk will aim to convert at least one of these races into an NCAA A-Cut and championships qualifying time, which would allow her to swim all individual events at national championships. 

Emily Hedges (Peachtree Corners, Ga./St Pius X Catholic) (JR - Butterfly/IM) - 200 Butterfly - A program record holder in this event, Hedges claimed fourth at PSAC's a year ago in the 200 fly with a mark of 2:06.31. The junior has been solid in her races this season, claiming multiple wins and remaining as a critical piece to several relay teams this year.

Juliana Romero (Bogotá, Columbia/Colegio pureza de Maria) (SO - Backstroke/IM) - 100 Backstroke - Romero burst onto the scene a year ago at PSAC Championships, securing seventh in the 100 backstroke and narrowly missing out on an all-PSAC performance. She will also look to factor in during the IM and relay races as well. 

 OTHER NAMES TO WATCH: Isabella Dietz (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) (freestyle/IM), Hannah Jacobs (Johannesburg, South Africa) (butterfly/IM), Elisa Moliner (Zaragoza, Spain/IES Francisco de Goya) (distance freestyle)

FROM HEAD COACH MILAN MEDO
"Our expectation is to get the best out of every swimmer. The placements will simply be dictated by our team's performances. I believe if we trust our process and have confidence in our preparation from the regular season, we can have great success at the meet. We've done a great job as a team of buying in this year, and I think this will help us greatly as we prepare for the postseason."