Leavenworth, Kan.—USM men's swimming has a lot to be proud of this 2025-26 season, as it was a year defined by growth, constantly showing up for one another, and resilience in the pool. The Spire men capped off their season with a strong representation at the 45^th Annual Men's Swimming and Diving National Championship from lone Spire, Ian Lucas, competing on the biggest stage to showcase his team with pride.

Along the way, the men's commitment to sportsmanship and integrity rightfully earned them the 2026 KCAC Men's Swim/Dive Team of Character, highlighting not only their athletic success but also the way they carried themselves throughout the season. This honor recognizes the leaders that coach Bresser's program attracts and cultivates throughout their years spent with USM Swim.

The USM men would find themselves nationally ranked all season, but officially ending the year at No. 6 in the KCAC and No. 24 in all of NAIA. Further, Ian Lucas and Mayson Thiebaud would stack their individual accomplishments with NAIA "B" Standards—Ian proudly carries 3 NAIA B standards – 50 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 100 Freestyle, as the Spires were nationally ranked in all three. Mayson held 1 NAIA B standard in the 100 Breaststroke.

Veteran swimmers John Barger, Ian Hein, Andrew Eustace, Ian Lucas, and John Paul Robertson truly set the tone for what it means to represent the Spires. Newcomers Nicholas Allison, Joseph Holland, Brandon Kendall, Silas Kirchoff, Ruben Hernandez, Ayden McFarren, Brayden Sneath and Nathan Troth fit in seamlessly and stepped up to the call to compete in their young collegiate careers.

The Spire men would compile their hard-fought season was exemplified by an outstanding outing at the KCAC Men's Swimming and Diving Conference Championships as the meet saw USM athletes on both the men's and women's sides with fantastic personal finishes with many top 3 and top 8—medaling finishes—in the ultra-competitive few days in Hobart, Indiana.

The Spire men's 200-yard Freestyle relay team delivered a strong opening performance in Indiana, earning 7^th place overall with a time of 1:28.19. Ian Lucas, John Paul Robertson, Joseph Hollands, and Ayden McFarren combined speed and precision to compete among a deep conference field, securing a medaling finish and closing out the race with a solid effort.

Further, the men's 400-yard Freestyle relay team added another strong result with a medaling top seven finish and a time of 3:14.70. John Paul Robertson, Joseph Hollands, Ian Hein, and Ian Lucas stayed competitive in the lanes from start to finish.

Nicholas Allison, Ian Hein, Brandon Kendall, and Nathan Troth combined endurance in the 800-yard Freestyle relay delivering another strong KCAC performance, earning 6^th place overall with a time of 7:24.26.

The USM relays would wrap with yet another podium finish in the 400-yard Medley relay, rounding out the conference final showing in 7^th place and a final time of 3:39.63 from Silas Kirchoff, Ian Hein, Brandon Kendall, and Nathan Troth.

On top of their grueling relay battles, a handful of USM men would add to their personal impressive resumes, capping off what was another productive meet for a squad that was trending upwards at the right time. Their success this season went far beyond the results at the KCAC Championships, with junior Ian Lucas representing USM and earning All-KCAC First Team Men's Swimming. Adding to his impressive season, Lucas would also earn KCAC Men's Swimmer of the Week during the week of January 20^th after snagging a few first-place finishes during dominant performances from December 15^th through January 18^th.

Ian would leave it all in the pool as he was the sole Spire men's swimmer representing his team at the 45^th Annual Men's Swimming and Diving National Championship. Lucas would compete with pride in the highly competitive 100 Freestyle event and was the only individual swimmer to qualify for finals in his best event, the 100 Yard Butterfly, finishing just off his school record in a time of 49.66 and placing 14^th overall. Ian finished strong making the top 30 list in the nation, coming in at 26^th overall with a final time of 46.45.

The Spire coaching staff was thrilled for Ian's performance on the big stage, stating "Ian was an exemplary sportsman and leader during the entire 25-26 Spire swimming season and we could not be prouder of his performance.

Coach David Bresser reflects proudly on his men's season, explaining, "After graduating a huge senior class last year and bringing in a large freshmen class this year, we witnessed incredible improvement throughout the season.  We will have the majority of the team returning next year since we only lose 2 seniors.  The experience gained this year and the improvement throughout sets us up well for next year.  The men's team showed grit throughout the season culminating with an outstanding performance at KCAC Championships.  Ian Lucas continued the team scoring at National Championships."

The University of Saint Mary is exceptionally proud of the way the Spire men's swim team represented what it means to be a USM athlete. Congratulations on an incredibly successful year in and out of the pool and we all eagerly await what next season brings.