The Cumberlands women’s swimming & diving team is entering this season with a team that has a mix of veterans to go along with underclassmen making up majority of this year’s squad. The Patriots are coming off winning their 13th consecutive Mid-South Conference Championship before notching a fourth-place finish at the 2025 NAIA National Championship. UC returners accounted for all 28 NAIA All-Americans performances during last year’s championship. The Patriots have 19 returners from last year’s squad, to go along with eight newcomers that will provide competition and depth for the upcoming season.
Entering her second year as a Patriot season, Sarah Zoellner will be relied upon as one of the most versatile swimmers on the roster. The Bowling Green, KY native was a team-best 7x NAIA All-American, to go along with being a 7x MSC All-Conference selection. Zoellner ranks top-five in program history in four events, which showcased her versatility last season. The junior holds the second fastest time in the 100 back (57.15) and the 200 butterfly (2:04.42), while her 55.89 100 fly ranks fourth in program history. Zoellner also has posted the fourth fastest 100 free when she clocked a 52.09. Last year, she placed third in the 200 fly and was a vital part of all five Patriot relays during the NAIA Championships.
Another versatile swimmer returning for Cumberlands is junior Alicja Sedlak. The Torun, Poland native showcases her depth across breast, IM, and freestyle events. Sedlak is a five-time NAIA All-American, including capturing a trio of honors last season. The junior has been instrumental on UC’s relays over the past two years and won the consolation final of both the 200 IM and the 400 IM at the 2025 National Championships. According to Coach Skelly, Alicja provides the coaching staff flexibility for events as she has earned All-Conference honors in multiple events over her career.
The breaststroke will once again be one of the strongest events for Cumberlands throughout the season. This year the Patriots will have nine swimmers that utilize the breaststroke as one of the premier events, led by a core group of sophomores including Megan Schoenlein and Moa Nyblom, along with veterans Celin Ullern, Kathryn Harrison, and Sedlak. Newcomers Lauren Cox and Helena Jarosz provides the Patriots depth and versatility in both the 100 and 200 breast. Schoenlein clocked a 1:04.51 to place fourth in the 100 breast at nationals, which was the second fastest time in program history. UC’s returners account for four of the top-10 fastest times in the 100 breast, while Nyblom’s 2:21.85 in the 200 breast ranks fourth in program history.
Madeline Barbee is entering her second season as captain for the Patriots being joined alongside by Filippa Malmstrom. Barbee is a two-time national qualifier and is coming off a third-place finish at last year’s MSC Championship. Malmstrom, a senior from Stockholm, Sweden is a two-time All-American that was a key part of the medley relays and scored in both the 100 & 200 fly at nationals a year ago.
According to the coaching staff one thing that has made this year’s team standout is their depth along with strong core of newcomers, which will provide more balance throughout the lineup. The Patriots have depth across multiple events, which gives the coaching staff flexibility to shine throughout the season and with relays.
On the sprint side, Celin Ullern and Ugne Takuseviciute both captured a trio of All-American performances, while Victoria Niska was part of UC’s 200 free relay that placed third at nationals. Takuseviciute’s range from the 50 to the 500 free, provides the coaching staff with flexibility throughout the season. In addition to Takuseviciute, UC also returned distance swimmers Juliana Lopez Morales and Mara Ellerkamp to pair with newcomer Aleksandra Chmielewska. Lopez Morales is a two-time NAIA All-American and is ranked top-three in both the 1000 free and the 1650 free in program history.
The Cumberlands coaching staff is also excited about several of the Patriots newcomers that are poised to contribute throughout the season. Helena Jarosz and Bella Hoare has immediate scoring potential across multiple disciplines. Divers Alexis Cole, Ella Parke, and Morgan Schraudner will contribute on both the one-meter and three-meter boards.
The Patriots 2025-26 schedule features a balance with four home meets and four road meets during the regular season. Cumberlands opens their season on October 11th, when the divers travel to Danville, KY to compete at the Centre Diving Invite. The Patriots will compete on both one- and three-meter boards.
UC returns home the following Friday with a dual against Shawnee State, before hitting the road to face Lindsey Wilson one day later. The Patriots close out their opening month with a trip to Greencastle, IN for a two-day meet with DePauw University. This marks the first time that the Patriots and Tigers have meet.
"I am very excited for this year's schedule. Getting an opportunity to swim new teams and new challenges is something we've been looking forward to," said Coach Skelly. "I think this will give us a great opportunity in our preparation for both the Mid-South Conference and NAIA national championships."
Cumberlands returns home against Asbury on Friday, November 7th, in their final tune-up before the mid-season meet, which is set for November 21-23 as the Patriots take part in the Centre College Invite. Nov. 21-23, for their mid-season meet. UC opens their 2026 slate traveling to face Garner-Webb on January 9th.
UC closes out the regular season on January 24th when they host Milligan. This meet features a pair of top-five NAIA programs and will also serve as Cumberlands senior night. The MSC Championships returns to Centre for the second straight year as the Pats look to defend their conference titles. The NAIA National Championship is set for March 4-7 in Elkhart, IN.