PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Sarah Lawrence swimming team wrapped up the 2025-26 season with a program-best performance at the Metropolitan Swimming Championships. The team earned a second-place overall finish with an abundance of top finishes in both relay and individual events. The team racked up 47 season-best times throughout the weekend and a standout senior set a new program record in the 100 freestyle.

The Gryphons kicked off the weekend with the 50 freestyle, as SLC's Amelie Burg was the team's top finisher, earning a seventh-place finish with a time of 26.48. Krista Burgess took to the pool in the B final, finishing fifth in the group with a time of 27.71. The team's first podium finish of the meet would come next, in the 100 freestyle, with Keilani Talma diving into the pool. Talma bested the program record in the event, finishing two hundredths of a second behind the event's winner with a time of 53.64, taking second place and leading two fellow Gryphons in the group. While Talma's swim led the group, it was strength in numbers for SLC as Julia Maecker and Amelie Burg followed the senior with sixth- and seventh-place finishes to add to the team's early success. Cordelia Bay and Burgess each placed well in the B final, giving SLC momentum early in the weekend. Talma would not rest after the second-place swim, returning to the pool for the 200 freestyle and once again obliterating her prelim time, this time leading all swimmers with a time of 1:59.19. Maecker excelled once again, this time with a fourth-place finish just one spot ahead of senior Ella Hernan, who was the third of four top-seven finishers for the Gryphons. Bay returned to the pool to wrap up the scoring Gryphons in the top final group, touching the wall with a time of 2:12.00. Ava Greengrass and Olivia Huie finished fifth- and seventh-place in the B final as well, showcasing the team's depth.

Maecker returned to the pool for the 500 freestyle, finishing in fifth place with a time of 5:41.08 and leading a group of five Gryphons. Greengrass, Burgess and Huie all posted strong swims in the B final, with Jocelyn Engel rounding out the group of SLC competitors. Huie, Greengrass and Engel all returned to the pool for the grueling 1650 freestyle, with Huie and Greengrass leading the way with seventh- and eighth-place finishes, respectively, before Engel rounded out the group with a 16th-place finish. Hernan then returned to the pool for the 100 backstroke, leading a trio of Gryphons in the A final to top-seven finishes. Hernan's swim earned fifth place while Kirsten Eads and Burg followed directly behind in sixth and seventh place. The 200 backstroke once again saw Hernan leading the charge with a fifth-place swim, followed by Eads one spot behind in sixth place. 

The 100 breaststroke saw a pair of Gryphons place in the B and C finals, with Aubrey Rosser leading Allie Abemayor as the Gryphons added two more finals appearances to their weekend resume. Bay joined Rosser for the 200 breaststroke, finishing in sixth place overall, while Rosser finished second in the B final. Talma returned to the pool for the 100 butterfly, adding another top-two swim to her weekend resume, finishing under a second behind the event's champion and leading a duo of Gryphons in the A final. Hannah Drum was the second Gryphon to complete the event, finishing seventh in the A final and giving the team two top finishers. Drum then led the Gryphons in the 200 I.M., turning in a seventh-place finish as the lone Gryphon in the event. Eads and Rosser returned to the pool for the 400 I.M., placing fifth and seventh respectively to give the team two more finals finishes.

In relay events, the Gryphons took home five top-five finishes, including a pair of podium performances. The 200 freestyle team earned fourth place, as the group of Maecker, Hernan, Eads and Talma finished with a time of 1:44.84, just six tenths of a second away from another podium finish. The 400 freestyle relay team finished second, as Burg joined Hernan, Maecker and Talma for the team's best relay result of the weekend. The 800 freestyle relay saw the team earn yet another podium finish, this time with a third-place result as Bay, Eads, Greengrass and Hernan continued the team's strong showing. The medley relays continued the string of top-five relay results for the Gryphons, first with a fifth-place swim in the 200 medley as Hernan, Bay, Talma and Burg touched the wall with a time of 1:59.44. An improvement came in the 400 medley, as Eads, Bay, Talma and Burg finished third with a time of 4:31.99 and continued to put the Gryphons in control. 

For the men's team, Moss McHold-Burke posted three lifetime-best swims, doing so in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke. McHold-Burke finished eighth in the B final for the 100 freestyle before a second-place result in the B final of the 100 backstroke, his best finish of the day, touching the wall in 1:02.09.