By SwimSwam on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Fairfield Athletics
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach Jake Lichter announced his 2025-26 incoming student-athletes, a class that includes 20 individuals who have excelled regionally, nationally, and internationally.
The women’s program will welcome Isla Bartholomew (Bethesda, Md.), Allie Bashor (North Tonawanda, N.Y.), Rylie Bauman (Neenah, Wisc.), Ayva Christie (Springfield, Pa.), Natasha De Pree (Somerset, England), Riley Edge (Flemington, N.J.), Maya Kasica (Southington, Conn.), Jade Leblic (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Allie Reback (Vienna, Va.), and Katie Torrey (Haymarket, Va.).
“I am tremendously excited about the group we are welcoming this fall,” Head Coach Jake Lichter said. “We are bringing in a versatile group of talented swimmers and divers who will they make an immediate impact in our dual meet and championship roster. More importantly, however, they will bolster our culture with their commitment to hard work, competitiveness, passion, and leadership. This group bought into our vision from day one and we look forward to getting to work in September.”
The men’s team welcomes nine incoming student-athletes for the 2025-26 campaign, namely Balazs Ament (Vezprem, Hungary), Preston Cleary (Frederick, Md.), Colton Driggers (East Meadow, N.Y.), Nicholas Green (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Andrew Nathe (Sagamore Beach, Mass.), Jochi Nolla (San Juan, P.R.), Bobby Regan (Southbury, Conn.), James Robinson (Leeds, England), and Tommy Yaegel (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.).
The Class of 2029 has already enjoyed a great deal of success in the pool, collectively earning spots in conference championships as well as national meets. The group seeks to make an immediate impact on the upcoming Fairfield swimming and diving season with many looking to garner attention at the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship next February.
Bartholomew, who represented the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club and Walter Johnson High School, is a versatile swimmer that will add depth in free, breast, and IM events for Fairfield. Her past performances show her ability to score at the MAAC Championship in the 200 IM, 100 & 200 breaststroke and the 100 and 200 freestyle.
After a career at LIU, Bashor will compete as a graduate student in the sprint free, fly, and IM events next season. She collected a Northeast Conference (NEC) championship in the 100 fly as a junior and earned several berths as a finalist at the NEC meet. With her skill set, Bashor could earn a spot in the A final of the 100 freestyle, 200 IM, and the 100 butterfly.
Bauman will look to contribute in sprint freestyles event next year after gaining experience with the Oshkosh Community YMCA and Neenah High School teams. She qualified for several events at the YMCA Nationals and could work her way to a final at the MAAC Championship based on her previous times.
Christie joins the Stags after representing Ridley Area YMCA and Springfield High School. She has qualified at both the Summer and Winter YMCA Nationals and should bring that success to Fairfield program especially in the sprint freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke events.
DePree has the versatility to contribute both in the sprint and distance freestyle events. As a member of the Millfield School, she was a qualifier and finalist for regional and national meets in the United Kingdom. She has the potential to develop into a top eight swimmer in the 500, 200, and 100 freestyle.
Edge will be influential within the Stags’ distance swimmers, excelling in the 500, mile, and 400 IM while swimming with the Greater Somerset County YMCA and Pennington High School teams. She qualified for the YMCA Nationals on several occasions as well as for the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association State Championships.
Kasica will add her talent to the Fairfield diving team after contributing to Southington High School’s success over the last four years. She qualified for the CIAC Class LL Championship and looks to follow up with similar success at Fairfield.
Leblic comes to Fairfield after collecting multiple qualifications at the AIA Division I State Championships. With her experience at Chaparral High School, this diver will challenge for a top eight finish at the 2026 MAAC Championships.
Reback will solidify the diving corps with her experience from Saint Paul VI High School. While at Saint Paul, Reback won the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association State Championship in the 1-meter dive, which could project her as a top-16 prospect for the MAAC Championship 1-meter diving event.
Torrey comes to the Stags from the club powerhouse Nations Capital Swim Club where she was a multi-qualifier for Speedo Sectionals and Futures. She also competed for Saint Paul VI High School VISAA and advanced to several finals during her scholastic career. She has the ability to work her way into top eight and top 3 position for the 100 and 200 backstrokes, respectively, this season.
Ament transfers to Fairfield after spending a season at Barry University where he was a four-time individual finalist at the Sunshine State Conference Championship. He earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship in the 800 freestyle as a freshman. He looks to contribute at Fairfield as a regular scorer in the 100 and 200 breast as well as the 200 and 400 IM.
Cleary will vie for opportunities in the distance events at Fairfield, something at which he excelled as a member of the Monocacy Aquatic Club. While there, he qualified for the Speedo Sectionals and Futures as a member of the Club. He placed in the top eight for the 1000 and 1650 freestyle events at the 2025 sectionals, which should place among the scorers at the MAAC Championship this year.
Driggers will be the sole addition to the men’s diving team, coming to Fairfield after being a finalist at the NYCHSAA Championships on the 1-meter board. He placed 10th overall for Chaminade High School and could be in the top 8 placement at the MAAC Championship.
Green hails from Mercersburg Academy where he competed in butterfly events. In addition, he also was a member of the Upper Main Line YMCA where he qualified for the YMCA National meets in both the summer and winter seasons. With the Stags, he could earn placement in both the 100 and 200 butterfly at this year’s conference meet.
Nathe ranked 13th among Massachusetts recruits that comprised the Class of 2025. He earned berths for the Speedo Sectionals and Future Championships, competing in the breaststroke and the sprint freestyle events. His biggest mark could be made in the 200 freestyle this year.
Nolla spent time competing with Ridgefield Aquatics in Connecticut as well as Caparra Country Club in Puerto Rico while a high school swimmer. He also qualified for Speedo Sectionals, Futures, and the TYR Pro Series over the last few years. He is projected to challenge for a spot in finals for both the 500 and mile events.
Regan is a Connecticut native who will join his brother Tim Regan ’26 on this year’s Fairfield swimming team. He became a multi-finalist at the Connecticut High School State Championship meet in addition to his performances at the YMCA summer and winter National meets. His versatility will add dimension to the breaststroke and IM groups this year.
Robinson makes the move to the Fairfield University campus after competing two seasons at Fresno Pacific University. He will contribute primarily from the butterfly and IM groups with the Stags. At Fresno Pacific, he earned several finalist berths at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championship as a freshman and sophomore. He looks to use his experience to make a mark at the conference championship in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM this year.
Yaegel competed at La Salle College High School and for the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club. He is a Speedo Sectional and Futures Championship qualifier in breaststroke events, which should allow him to add depth to the Stags this year. Last year, Yaegel highlighted his season by placing fourth in the 100 breast and third in the 200 breast at the Middle Atlantic Senior Championship.
The Fairfield University men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs will begin their second season under Coach Lichter in 2025-26. Last season, the women’s team finished second and the men’s team garnered third at the 2025 MAAC Championships. Both teams produced a winning record during the 2024-25 campaign with both squads posting a 5-3 record with a first-place finish at the Fairfield Invitational.
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