Sam Castle ’27, Matthew Picard ’27, Lane Jones ’26, Joshua Wolf ’28, Valerie Tonnu ’26, and Isabelle Haer ’28 named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team as announced by the CSC office April 7, 2026.
VMI swimming and diving had six Keydets—Sam Castle ’27, Matthew Picard ’27, Lane Jones ’26, Joshua Wolf ’28, Valerie Tonnu ’26, and Isabelle Haer ’28—named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team as announced by the CSC office April 7, 2026.
The 2026 Academic All-District Swim & Dive teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the pool and in the classroom. Nomination requirements include sophomore or higher academic standing, a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA, and, in swim and dive, student-athletes must compete in 75% of competitions, finish the top eight at a conference meet, or participate in a national championship.
Castle, a mechanical engineering major, was a force in the backstroke, holding a top-five time in the 50 and 100 backstroke and a top-10 mark in the 200 back among all America East swimmers. During the league championship, Castle led four relay teams to the podium and placed fifth in the 100 backstroke and eighth in the 200 backstroke. Castle was also named to the America East All-Academic Team.
Picard, a mechanical engineering major, had top-10 league times in the 50 and 100 free. Picard was also a part of the four medaling relay teams at the league meet. He also placed eighth in the 50 free. Picard was also named to the America East All-Academic Team.
Jones, a psychology major, ended his collegiate career in a big way, becoming VMI’s highest placed male diver in the America East era with a fourth-place finish in the 1-meter at the league championships.
Wolf, an international studies major, was invited to compete in the 400 and 800 free relays at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships. Wolf had top-20 times among league swimmers in the 200 backstroke and 50 and 200 freestyle. In the conference meet, Wolf scored ninth in the 200 freestyle and 11th in the 200 backstroke and 50 freestyle.
Tonnu, a civil engineering major, is a two-time CSC Academic All-District recipient after earning the honor last season. The SoCon Honor Roll recipient and VMI SAAC senior leader competed in all regular-season meets for the Keydets in mid to long-distance freestyle.
Haer, an international studies major, was VMI’s top female diver for the second straight year. In the America East Championship, Haer made it to the top eight, securing sixth in the 3-meter to become the first female since 2023 to make it to the finals. Her first-place outing in the 3-meter at the Keydet Invitational marked the second-most points scored this season among league divers in the event.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.
