New York, NY| Two out of four winter teams placed in the top-five in the Skyline Conference Preseason polls, with both swim teams annouced on Oct. 28 and both basketball teams annouced Tuesday afternoon.

Men's swim, who placed third in the Skyline Conference Championship in their first season, placed fourth as well with seven points. Eight-time champions Merchant Marine placed first in the poll, receiving 16 points and four first place votes. Maritime landed second place with 13 points and one first place vote, falling three points behind USMMA. 

Women's swim, who finished fourth at the Skyline Conference Championship in January, placed fourth in the conference poll with six points. Last year's Skyline Conference Champions Merchant Marine recieved four first place votes and 16 points to land in first place. Four points behind in second place is Sarah Lawrence with 12 points and one first place vote.

Head coach Kerry Connolly will be entering his sixth season wit the Golden Eagles after a strong season. The women's basketball team ended the 2024-25 season with a 17-9 overall record, 13-7 conference games, made it to the first round of the Skyline Conference Tournament and lost to Farmingdale State. The team placed sixth with 62 points, shying away from fifth place by three points. Merchant Marine topped the pre-season poll with 98 points and eight first place votes. Manhattanville and Mount Saint Mary tied for second place both earning 85 points but the Valiants received one first place vote while the Knights received two first place votes.

AJ Uhl enters his fourth season as the head coach for the men's basketball team. The Golden Eagles ended the 2024-25 season with a 11-15 overall record, 10-6 conference record, placed third overall in the black division and made it to the first round of the Skyline Conference tournament, which they fell to Farmingdale and Mount Saint Mary. This year the squad welcomes new faces to the team and plans on building up to be a stronger team during the season. The squad placed seventh overall in the poll with 58 points, fourth in the black division. Defending champions Yeshiva placed first in the pre-season poll with 118 points and eight first place votes. Farmingdale collect four first place votes and 111 points to land second and Sarah Lawrence received 101 points to place third.

2025-26 Skyline Conference Men's Swimming Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank, Team (first-place votes), Pts.

1. Merchant Marine (4) 16

2. Maritime (1) 13

3. Mount Saint Mary 12

4. St. Joseph's-Long Island 7

5. Sarah Lawrence 4

2025-26 Skyline Conference Women's Swimming Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank, Team (first-place votes), Pts.

1. Merchant Marine (4) 16

2. Sarah Lawrence (1) 12

3. Mount Saint Mary 11

4. St. Joseph's-Long Island 6

5. Maritime 5

2025-26 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank, School, Pts., (First-Place Votes)

1. Merchant Marine, 98 (8)
T2. Mount Saint Mary, 85 (2)
T2. Manhattanville, 85 (1)
4. Farmingdale State, 69
5. Mount Saint Vincent, 65
6. St. Joseph's-Long Island, 62
7. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 45
8. Purchase, 35
9. Sarah Lawrence, 28
10. Yeshiva, 24
11. Old Westbury, 9

2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (Full Poll)
Rank, School, Pts., (First-Place Votes)

1. Yeshiva, 118 (8)
2. Farmingdale State, 111 (4)
3. Sarah Lawrence, 101
4. Maritime, 91
5. Purchase, 76
6. Merchant Marine, 60
7. St. Joseph's-Long Island, 58
8. Mount Saint Vincent, 57
9. Manhattanville, 45
10. Old Westbury, 34
11. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 23
12. Mount Saint Mary, 18

2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (Gold Division)
Rank, School, Pts., (First-Place Votes)

1. Yeshiva, 25 (5)
2. Sarah Lawrence, 21 (1)
3. Purchase, 16
4. Mount Saint Vincent, 12
5. Manhattanville, 10
6. Mount Saint Mary, 6

2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (Black Division)
Rank, School, Pts., (First-Place Votes)

1. Farmingdale State, 24 (4)
2. Maritime, 20 (2)
3. Merchant Marine, 16
4. St. Joseph's-Long Island, 15
5. Old Westbury, 9
6. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 6