New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz men's and women's swimming team kicks off its 2025-26 campaign Wednesday with a meet at Vassar College against the hosting Brewers and Bard College on the first day of the official start of the winter season.
 
The Hawks enter year four under head coach Nolan Graziano, hoping to build off of last year's fourth and seventh place finish at the SUNYAC Championships on the men's and women's side, respectively. 
 
Then sophomore Alex Gorzula highlighted championship weekend last season as he broke two program records in Buffalo, NY. The now junior highlights the men's side for SUNY New Paltz, which returns three swimmers who competed at the conference meet last year in co-captains, junior Jack Samko and senior Antonio Vavalle. 
 
Samko took bronze in the 200-yard butterfly last season with a time of 1 minute, 56.41 seconds after earning third at the conference meet, while also earning silver in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 50.69. Vavalle looks to have his best season to-date in his final year with the program. Last season he took bronze in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the SUNYAC Championships after coming off a third-team All-SUNYAC placing as a sophomore while helping the second-place finish in the 400-medley relay in 2024. 
 
Returning for a second season with SUNY New Paltz is Hayden Brock. The junior competed in multiple dual meets for the Hawks last season with his best finish coming against Oneonta where he placed first in 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:57.62. He also took a first-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly against Kean and Union following a time of 2:09.69. 
Newcomers on the men's side include junior Max Ceasar who transferred from Stony Brook University and freshmen Dylan Esposito (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac HS), Deniz Gurcan (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood HS), Mickey Leach (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland HS) and Sebastian Maldonado (White Plains, NY/White Plains HS).
 
The Hawks return six swimmers on the women's side from last year's squad led by co-captains, sophomore Sophia Bucci and junior Erin Donovan. In her first year with the Hawks, Bucci finished with a time of 20:26.87 in the 1,650, collecting three points for her team at her first championship meet. Earlier that year, she had a solid outing against Oneonta where she placed third overall in the 200-freestyle with a time of 2:19:59. Donovan, meanwhile, placed ninth overall in the 200-breaststroke at the SUNYAC Championships with a time of 2:38.89. In a dual meet against Cortland earlier in the season, she placed first in the 400 individual medley with a time of 5:46.57 and took third in the 200 individual medley against Oneonta (2:36.67). 
 
Also returning for the Hawks is sophomores Jayme Fink, Jade Fontanez, Brianna Law and Annabella Perez Salvi with fellow sophomores Linsay Perez-Lopez and Athena Sage joining the team, along with freshmen Alexis Egbert and Madeleine Tohero and junior Kiara Walsh.
 
Egbert is the most notable add, as she comes off an impressive high school career while at Long Beach High School. The Long Beach, NY native was a New York State qualifier in the medley relay and 200-freestyle relay as a senior, named all-conference in the 100-free and 200 individual medley, along with all-division in the 100-freestyle and 200 individual medley.
 
SUNY New Paltz begins in 2025-26 campaign Wednesday against Bard and Vassar, looking to build toward its last run in the SUNYAC Tournament before entering the New Jersey Athletic Conference next season. Vassar will host the meet, a team that went 3-5 last season, finishing sixth and fifth on the men's and women's side at the Liberty League Championships a season ago. Bard, meanwhile, finished 10th on both sides, respectively at the Liberty League Championships a year ago.
 

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