Men's Swimming and Diving Picked as Favorites in First-Ever NE10 Championships

FULL NE10 PRESS RELEASE

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - As the University of Bridgeport's men's swimming and diving team prepares for the four-day Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Championships, scheduled for Feb. 12-15 in Worcester, Mass., the Purple Knights were picked first in the NE10's Pre-Championship Poll released Tuesday.

The Purple Knights enter championship weekend riding one of the most consistent and complete regular seasons in the region. UB posted a 10-2 record in dual meets, with their only setbacks coming against Division I opponents, Fairfield and Bryant, while also turning in a third-place team finish at the highly competitive ECAC Championships in December.

Bridgeport's depth has translated directly into conference recognition, as the Purple Knights have captured 16 NE10 weekly awards this season and currently own 16 of the fastest times in the conference.

Freshman Sultanbek Azat has been one of the league's breakout performers, accounting for four of those top marks while collecting a remarkable eight weekly honors. Classmate Christian Toussi has been just as impactful, entering the meet with five NE10-leading times of his own and four weekly awards this winter.

Another rookie, Jurica Dragun rounds out Bridgeport's trio of conference pacesetters, holding the top NE10 times in the 50-, 100- and 200-breast and earning a pair of Swimmer of the Week honors during the regular season.

Beyond the individual events, the Purple Knights have also established themselves as premier relay squads, owning the league's fastest performances in the 400-free relay, 800-free relay, 200-medley relay and 400-medley relay.

The 2026 NE10 Swimming & Diving Championship will be broadcast LIVE on FloCollege ($), with coverage beginning on Thursday evening and covering both the afternoon and evening sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

NE10 Men's Swimming & Diving Pre-Championship Poll
1 - Bridgeport - 64 (8)
2 - Adelphi - 52 (1)
3 - Bentley – 48
3 - SCSU – 48
5 - Pace – 30
6 - Saint Mike's – 29
7 - CSI – 20
8 - Felician – 17
9 - Assumption – 10

For all information regarding Bridgeport Athletics, visit www.UBKnights.com and follow UB Athletics on Facebook (UBPurpleKnights), X (@UBPurpleKnights) and Instagram (@UBPurpleKnights).