INDIANA, Pa. – The IUP women's swimming team enters the 2026-27 season on the national radar following a runner-up finish at the 2025-26 PSAC Championships.
The Crimson Hawks are the top team receiving votes outside the top 25 in the preseason national poll, collecting 13 votes. IUP sits just four votes behind No. 25 Augustana (S.D.).
West Chester and Clarion are the two PSAC programs ranked ahead of IUP, with the Golden Rams checking in at No. 20 and the Golden Eagles at No. 24.
IUP returns a pair of All-Americans in senior Kasha Stokes and Gem Crittenden.
Stokes, a PSAC champion, earned All-America honors in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke last season. Crittenden was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer at the PSAC Championships before earning All-America honorable mention recognition in the 100 individual medley.
The Crimson Hawks also posted the PSAC's top championship times in both the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays last season.
Stokes, Crittenden and senior Tina Cudina helped headline the 200 medley relay, with IUP looking to defend its conference title in the event while replacing Taylor Peoples from last year's lineup. Summer Esson joined Stokes, Crittenden and Cudina as part of IUP's top-performing 400 medley relay.
IUP has established itself as one of the PSAC's most consistent programs in recent years. The Crimson Hawks are two-time PSAC champions, with their most recent conference title coming during the 2020-21 season.
IUP has not finished outside the top three at the PSAC Championships since 2017 and enters the 2026-27 campaign looking to build on last season's runner-up finish.
