Cambridge, Mass. – February 19, 2026 – Highlighted by a gold medal on the 3-meter board by Christian Butler (North Haven, Conn.), the Springfield College men's swimming and diving team opened competition at the 2026 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday night inside the Zesiger Sports & Fitness Center Pool.

Springfield leads the pack of seven schools after the first day of competition with 105 total points – 61 of which came from the three divers. Behind the Pride is Babson with 91 points and host MIT with 89 points.

Butler, competing in his third NEWMAC Championship meet, claimed his fourth gold medal and fifth overall medal as he is the two-time reigning conference men's diver of the year. In three NEWMAC meets, Butler has won gold all three seasons on the 3-meter board. Tonight, Butler produced a score of 530.47 for the title – a score well above the regional qualifying mark.

In addition to Butler, Tyler Khongkham (East Hampton, Conn.) recorded a third place finish for a bronze medal with a total score of 405.77, while Andrew Testa (North Attleboro, Mass.) finished sixth with a score of 378.52 to round out the diving highlights this evening.

Springfield's "A" 800-free relay comprised Zavier Villanueva (Wilbraham, Mass.), Charles Deaton (Bluffton, S.C.), Kellen Maher (Naugatuck, Conn.) and Nick Hall (West Hartford, Conn.) combined for a time of 7:04.45 for sixth place in the championship finals, while the "B" relay comprised of Greg Kratz (South Windsor, Conn.), Matthew Wilkosz (Whitesboro, N.Y.), Alex Olson (Phillipston, Mass.) and John Szucs (Brewster, Mass.) finished 16th overall and sixth in the consolation finals tonight.

Springfield will return to the pool tomorrow morning for the 200-free relay, 500-free, 200-IM, 50-free and 400-medley relay.

Sign up for free today to receive the latest news about your favorite Springfield College Athletics program directly to your email here. 

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to tune into all Springfield College Athletic events by subscribing to FloSports.