Washington, D.C. - According to a poll of Atlantic 10 coaches, the Duquesne swimming & diving team has been picked to finish third in the conference during the 2026-27 season.

The Dukes tallied 85 points in the preseason poll, including two first-place votes. Defending champion Richmond was selected as the preseason favorite with eight first-place votes and 94 total points, while George Washington was tabbed second with 87 points. Duquesne, Fordham (66) and La Salle (53) rounded out the top five.

George Mason was selected sixth with 43 points, followed by St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Davidson, and Saint Louis.

Entering his 26th season at the helm of the Duquesne swimming and diving program, head coach David Sheets ranks 14th nationally among the 50 longest-tenured current NCAA Division I women's swimming and diving head coaches at a single institution. Under Sheets, Duquesne has established itself as a consistent contender in the Atlantic 10, earning three A10 Coach of the Year honors (2015, 2018, 2019) while capturing conference championships in 2018 and 2019, a runner-up finish in 2022 and third-place finishes in 2025 and 2026.

The Dukes posted 516.5 points en route to their third-place finish at the 2025 A10 Championships, marking the sixth-highest point total in program history. Duquesne has firmly established itself among the conference's elite, finishing among the top four at the A10 Championships for 12 consecutive seasons.

Duquesne returns 18 student-athletes for the 2026-27 season, including 10 incoming freshmen. The Dukes continued their success at last season's A10 Championships, recording more than 18 personal-best performances during the four-day meet while collecting 11 medals, including four gold, two silver and five bronze, and setting three school records.

Juniors Sierra Snow and Ashley Freel paced the Dukes with five medals apiece at the conference championships. Snow captured individual gold in the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke while helping the 800-yard freestyle relay to a first-place finish. She added a silver medal in the 100-yard backstroke before helping the 400-yard medley relay earn bronze.

Freel also captured individual gold by successfully defending her title in the 100-yard butterfly. She helped the 800-yard freestyle relay to gold while adding silver in the 200-yard butterfly and bronze in the 400-yard individual medley before helping the 400-yard medley relay earn bronze.

The 2026-27 schedule features 13 regular-season events, including three meets inside Towers Pool. The Dukes opened the season Saturday at the CMU Relays, hosted by Carnegie Mellon, where they collected nine top-three finishes, including one first-place finish, five runner-up finishes and three third-place tallies.

2026-27 Women's Swimming and Diving Preseason Poll 
Team (First-Place Votes)

1. Richmond (8) - 94 points

2. George Washington - 87 points

3. Duquesne (2) - 85 points

4. Fordham - 66 points

5. La Salle - 53 points

6. George Mason - 43 points

7. St. Bonaventure - 40 points

8. Rhode Island - 36 points

9. Davidson - 32 points

10 Saint Louis - 14 points

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