LIU was selected to finish fifth in the NEC Women's Swimming & Diving Preseason Poll. At last year's NEC Championships, the Sharks captured gold and bronze in the 400-yard individual medley, silver in both the 200-yard and 100-yard butterfly, and third-place finishes in the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. 

LAST TIME WE MET 
The Red Flash traveled to Long Island for a tri-meet against LIU and St. Peter's. Saint Francis secured victories in both meets, with the finish against LIU coming down to the final relay race.

The Red Flash clinched first place by just 0.17 seconds, while also holding onto a crucial third-place spot won by a mere two one-hundredths of a second. 

Aurem Pifarre led the way with two individual wins in the 500-yard (5:09.27) and 1000-yard (10:44.76) freestyle events to kick off the meet. The Red Flash also swept the top three spots in the 200-yard butterfly, with freshman Sara Turner taking first place in 2:09.57. Anna Bernasconi won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.97, narrowly edging teammate Paige Bacigal, while Krysta Weik topped the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:30.18 over Lizzie Smeltzer. 

The meet came to an exciting close with a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay from Oksana Horova, Aurem Pifarre, Paige Bacigal, and Anna Bernasconi, posting a time of 1:40.01 to seal the victory. 

OPENING DIVE VS MANHATTAN

Saint Francis women's swimming heads to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a tri-meet at Manhattan University on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 11 a.m. inside the Steinberg Wellness Center. 

The Red Flash will look to build upon their 1-0 start to the season. Historically, Saint Francis has won the only previous meeting against Manhattan, defeating the Jaspers 263-68 in 2019. 

THE WORD ON THE JASPERS
Manhattan enters the season looking to build off a solid showing in early 2025-26 action. The Jaspers opened at the Fairfield Invitational, where Jaila Williamson led the way with a fourth-place finish in the 50 SC Meter Freestyle (28.20), while Shayna Millard posted a 30.36. The 200 SC Meter Medley Relay finished fifth overall (2:10.66), paced by Elle Feneide (6th, 2:16.43) and Sophia Leber (2:31.73). 

At Fordham, the women's team continued to make an impact. The quartet of Tereza Horvatova, Williamson, Leber, and Millard posted a 1:59.55 in the 200 Medley Relay, while Leber captured the 50-yard butterfly with a 30.34. Millard logged a 2:11.46 in the 200-yard freestyle, just ahead of Leber (2:17.00). Horvatova scored three points in the 50-yard backstroke (30.46), and Williamson added three points in the 50-yard breaststroke for a third-place finish. 

The Jaspers enter the tri-meet against Saint Francis and LIU on Oct. 25 looking to continue building consistency and momentum 

LAST TIME WE MET 
On October 12, 2019, Saint Francis dominated the Highlander Invitational in Newark, N.J., sweeping all three competitions on day two. The Red Flash scored decisive wins over Saint Peter's (250-73), Manhattan (263-68), and LIU (185-129), highlighted by strong performances across multiple events. 

The day opened with a win in the 200-yard medley relay, followed by first-place finishes in the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly, and 500-yard freestyle. The Red Flash capped the meet with top performances in the final events, showcasing the depth and balance of the team. 

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis earned a 155–107 victory over Millersville on the road at Anttonen Natatorium, opening and closing the meet with relay wins and capturing ten individual event victories to remain unbeaten in dual-meet action. 

Maura Rubio and Taylor Weth each set pool records, with Rubio sweeping the 100 and 200 backstroke — highlighted by a 58.40 mark in the 100 — and Weth winning both the 100 and 200 breaststroke, including a 1:06.87 in the 100. Sara Turner continued her strong form with wins in the 500 freestyle and 200 IM, along with a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle. 

The Red Flash also dominated the 100 butterfly, sweeping the top three spots behind Ella Anderson, Laryssa Webster, and Reegan Brown. Saint Francis capped the day with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay as Brown, Katie Webster, Rubio, and Kathryn Tanis touched first at 1:41.02. 

Rubio and Turner both earned NEC Prime Performer honors for the second straight week, while Weth collected her first career selection. 

NEXT TIME OUT
Saint Francis returns home for its first and only home meet of the season, hosting Lock Haven on Friday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. inside Stokes Natatorium.  

The Red Flash will look to build momentum in front of their home crowd before heading back on the road for the remainder of the fall slate. 

PRESEASON POLL
Saint Francis women's swimming was selected to finish fourth in the 2025 Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason poll, as voted on by league coaches. The Red Flash look to build on a strong 2024 campaign that saw them place third at the NEC Championships. 

CCSU was picked first with four first-place votes, followed by Howard, Wagner, and Saint Francis rounding out the top four. LIU, Stonehill, and Le Moyne completed the poll. 

ABOUT THE COACH
Phil Hurley enters his sixth season as head coach of the Saint Francis women's swimming program in 2025–26, bringing over 15 years of collegiate coaching experience. Hurley led the Red Flash to multiple individual podium finishes at the NEC Championships and strong performances in dual meets and invitationals, including home-and-home series against Duquesne and a fourth-place conference finish in 2019–20. 

Prior to Saint Francis, Hurley was head coach at Lock Haven University and served as men's and women's assistant coach at South Dakota State University, where he coached Summit League champions, helped athletes reach NCAA Division I "B" cut standards, and oversaw recruiting. He also was a graduate assistant at George Mason University and has extensive club and high school coaching experience. 

Hurley swam collegiately at Dickinson College, where he was a four-year letter-winner, three-year team captain, All-Conference performer, and school record holder. He earned a B.A. in economics from Dickinson and a master's in exercise, fitness, and health promotion from George Mason. A native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Hurley also served as an officer in the United States Army. 

Under his guidance, the Red Flash have excelled in both the pool and the classroom, consistently producing competitive performances and strong academic results.