WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University men's and women's swim teams reach the halfway point of their 2025/26 regular seasons when they compete at the Wheaton College Chris Fisher Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Balfour Natatorium.

Following the Fisher Invitational, the Warriors compete at the Connecticut Cup at Wesleyan University Dec. 5-6 that completes first-semester action. The Warriors begin the new year by visiting Keene State College and the University of Saint Joseph in January prior to hosting Norwich University Jan. 24 at noon at Senior Day. Eastern closes out its seventh season under head coach Sarit Gluz at the Little East Conference Championships Feb. 12-15 at the Boston Sports Institute. The Eastern men won their first LEC title last year while the women were third one year after capturing their first LEC title.

Eleven institutions will be competing in this year's LEC Championships. In addition to core members Eastern, Keene State College, Plymouth State University, Rhode Island College (women only), and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (women only) are Bridgewater State University, Husson University, Maine Maritime Academy, University of New England (women only), Western New England University (women only) and Westfield State University. Maine Maritime was second last year to Eastern's men and Keene State, Bridgewater State and Eastern placed 1-2-3 a year ago in the women's competition.

In the most LEC rankings, 19 Eastern women are ranked among the Top 5 in individual events while the men are ranked among the Top 5 in 16 individual events.  The Eastern women are also ranked first in two relays and third in one while the men are ranked second, third and fourth, respectively in the relays.

Currently ranked first in the LEC in men's competition  are junior Boden Tito (Southington) in the 200 butterfly (2:01.33) and 400 individual medley (4:24.32) and first-year swimmer Spencer Bagtaz (Wilmington, MA) in the 200 backstroke (2:07.09). Tito is also ranked second in the 100 (56.21) and 200 IM (2:02.77), third in the 100 butterfly (53.68) and fourth in the 50 butterfly (24.43). Junior Ryan Jezek (Avon) is ranked among the Top 5 in three freestyle events: third in the 200 (1:54.96) and fifth in the 50 (22.62) and 100 (51.22).while Bagtaz, in addition to his top ranking in the 200 backstroke, is fourth in the 50 backstroke (26.60). In his first year at Eastern last year, Tito won the 200 butterfly and 400 IM at the LEC meet while Jezek captured last year's 50 freestyle.

Additional Top 5-ranked men's swimmers are senior Sam Hurlburt (Meriden), junior Eric Quiterio (Windsor), sophomore Ethan Rychling (Storrs) and first-year swimmer Matthew Cabral (Rumford, RI). Hurlburt is fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:29.45), Quiterio fifth in both the 100 butterfly (55.53) and 100 IM (1:01.10), Rychling fourth in the 400 IM (4:57.73)  and Cabral fourth in the 100 IM (1:00.94). 

The Eastern men feature considerable depth in the 100 IM, with three of the top five-ranked swimmers.

Several of of Eastern's top-ranked women are in their first years with the program, joining senior Natasha Frisch (Mendota Heights, MN). Ashley Carvente (Norwalk) is ranked first in the 200 butterfly (2:19.21) and 400 IM (5:04.04) and second in the 200 IM (2:24.07) and 500 freestyle (5:42.70), while Jai-Lynn Wheeler (Stonington) is ranked among the Top 5 in three freestyle events: second in the 200 (2:05.27), fourth in the 100 (56.83) and fifth in the 50 (26.23), as well as fifth in the 100 IM (1:07.07) Frisch, a four-time LEC champion last year in two individual events and with two relays serving as a captain again this year, is ranked first in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.08), second as the defending champion in the 50 breaststroke (32.23) behind senior captain Ella Smith (31.74) of Western New England University, third as the defending champion in the 100 IM (1:06.33), and fifth in the 50 butterfly (28.67).

Two additional first-year swimmers also currently hold Top 5 rankings in the LEC: Julia Ames (Pawtucket, RI) and Rachel Mathews (West Hartford). Ames is third in the 200 backstroke (2:23.26) and fifth in the 100 backstroke (1:06.44) while Mathews is second in the 400 IM (5:16.41), second in the 200 butterfly (2:31.07) and fifth in the 500 freestyle (5:53.02). 
 

Also ranked among the LEC Top 5 are junior Camille Attle (Bristol) and senior Emma Wheeler (Morris). Attle is third in the 100 butterfly (1:06.23) and  Wheeler fifth in the 400 IM (5:43.39).

With three of the top-five-ranked LEC swimmers in the 400 IM, the Eastern women feature outstanding depth.

Among the Eastern women's top seeds at Fisher are Carvente (3rd in the 200 butterfly and 3rd in the 400 IM), Ames (6th in the 200 backstroke and 8th in the 100 backstroke)), Jai-Lynn Wheeler (6th in the 100 freestyle), Frisch (7th in the 100 breaststroke) and senior Kaitlyn Nielsen (Berlin) (8th in the 200 breaststroke). For the men, Tito is seeded second in the 400 IM and fifth in the 200 butterfly, Jezek sixth in the 50 freestyle and Bagtaz ninth in the 200 backstroke.

At the Fisher Invitational last year, Roger Williams University and Babson College finished 1-2 in both the men's and women's competition while the Eastern men and women were both fourth in a four-team field. Host Wheaton, Eastern, Roger Williams and Babson all return from a year ago, with Saint Joseph's College (ME) joining the women's field this year. Wheaton and Babson are members of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) while Roger Williams is a member of the College of New England (CNE) but compete at the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championships. Saint Joseph's is a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
 
At last year's Fisher Invitational, the Eastern men and women each had 16 Top 10 finishes in this competitive meet, with relays comprising five of the women's Top 10 and relays comprising four of the men's Top 10. Two men and two women from Eastern finished as high as fourth in the meet last year, with Frisch (100 breast) and junior Cassandra Wentzell (Wallingford) (100 backstroke) returning from a year ago for the women.