The Iona University swimming and diving team is heading into the last few meets of the regular season as they prepare for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships on Feb. 8-11. 

The Gaels faced Wagner College on Oct. 15 resulting in both men and women touching the wall first on eight of the nine races in addition to taking three of the four relay races. The men’s team secured their first win of the 2022-23 season with the women earning their second. 

Iona hosted one of their biggest rivals, Monmouth University, on Nov. 5 with both teams picking up another win with help from a few standout performances. The women started out the meet strong winning the 200-yard medley relay by nearly five seconds. The quartet of Victoria Novinsky, Julia Moser, Ashley Benkert and Megan Josephs combined for a season-best time of 1:45.56. 

Senior captain, Isabella Nicholson, broke her own school record in the 200-Freestyle by nearly a second with a new time of 1:51.39. Novinsky also posted a new school record in the 100-Backstroke with a time of 57.22. 

The Gaels saw season best times on the women’s side from Luiza Da Silveira and Taylor Spillman and from the men’s side from Dan Hadary, Brian Baldwin, Matthew Loftus and Emil Bajramovic. 

The Gaels attended the 2022 Loyola Maryland Invitational on Dec. 2-3 with the women’s team finishing second out of five teams and the men’s team finishing third out of five teams. 

New records were set on both sides with Novinsky setting three new school records in the 100-Backstroke, 200-Backstroke and the 200-Individual Medley. On the men’s side, Michael Faughnan broke the longest standing record in the 100-Freestyle and set a record in the 200-Backstroke. 

The Gaels hosted their senior night against Fairfield University on Jan. 21 where they recognized nine seniors. The men’s team fell to the Stags, but the women’s team kept their home-win streak alive, extending their overall record to 8-1. 

The women’s team remained undefeated at home during the 2022-23 season, which is the first time in Coach Nick Cavataro’s 42-year tenure that either the men’s or women’s team has accomplished a perfect home record. 

“We were strong last year, but I think we’re even stronger this year,” junior Megan Josephs said. “We just beat one of our MAAC rivals which hadn’t been done since 2016-17.” 

The Gaels will wrap up the 2022-23 regular season with trips to Fordham University on Jan. 25 and Manhattan College on Jan. 28 before heading to the MAAC Championships on Feb. 8-11. 

“Even though our team is the smallest we’ve ever been, we are the fastest we’ve ever been.” Josephs said. “If we are going to get a ring, it’s going to be this year.”