Simmons Women, Norwich Men Seeking Continued GNAC Swimming & Diving Dominance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LINKS: PSYCH SHEET | TIMELINE | RECORDS
2016 RESULTS: WOMEN | MEN

WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College has been chosen to win its 14th consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Swimming & Diving Championship when the Sharks host the two-day event this weekend, December 2-3, at the Holmes Sports Center in Boston, Mass. Simmons received all eight first-place votes and 64 points in the 2017 pre-championship poll, as voted upon by the conference's head coaches.

Norwich University has been chosen to win the inaugural 2017 GNAC Men's Swimming & Diving Championship, as the Cadets have won the past six GNAC Invitationals. Norwich received all six first-place votes en route to 36 points. 

A year removed from runner-up finishes at GNACs last December, Regis (Mass.) finished second overall in both polls. Colby-Sawyer College, which joins the GNAC as a full core member in 2018-19 but has joined as an associate in swimming & diving this year, finished third overall in the women's rankings and fourth in the men's poll. 

In the women's poll, Norwich finished fourth, followed by Husson University fifth, the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) and Saint Joseph's College of Maine in a tie for sixth, followed by Elms College. On the men's side, Elms finished third in front of Colby-Sawyer, while Saint Joseph's of Maine and Husson rounded out the voting. 

During the two-day event last year, a dozen records were broken at the Holmes Sports Center Natatorium, which will stream the 2017 GNAC Championships. Be sure to catch all of the action live on thegnac.tv or watch your favorite GNAC teams on one of our four custom digital streaming apps.

Saturday Day 1 prelims get underway at approximately 10:30 AM, followed by the 1-meter diving before evening finals start at 6:00 PM. Sunday's prelims will begin at 9:30 AM, followed by the 1650 free and 3-meter diving. The two-day event will conclude with Day 2 Finals beginning at 4:00 PM, which will be followed by an award ceremony presentation. 

GNAC Women's Championship Poll
1. Simmons (8) - 64
2. Regis - 56
3. Colby-Sawyer - 48
4. Norwich - 34
5. Husson - 27
T6. USJ (Conn.) - 20
T6. Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 20
8. Elms - 19

GNAC Men's Championship Poll
1. Norwich (6) - 36
2. Regis - 30
3. Elms - 22
4. Colby-Sawyer - 14
5. Saint Joseph's (Maine) - 14
6. Husson - 10

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –