ELKHART, Ind. — WVU Tech swimming closed the 2025-26 season on the national stage this week as Carmine Bernardo and Neda Vaicaite represented the Golden Bears at the NAIA National Championships at the Beacon Health Aquatic Center.

The pair capped excellent seasons for WVU Tech after each earned conference honors, national qualifying spots and strong finishes throughout the AAC Championships.

Bernardo, a sophomore from Salerno, Italy, competed in three events over the course of the national meet. He turned in a 4:44.55 in the 500-yard freestyle, placing 30th overall. He also swam a 51.68 in the 100-yard butterfly to finish 29th, then closed his championship with a 22nd-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:54.32.

Bernardo's appearance at nationals followed a strong season. He was a three-time AAC Men's Swimmer of the Week selection and also earned WVU Tech Golden Bear Athlete of the Week honors. At the AAC Championships, Bernardo helped lead the Golden Bears to a third-place men's team finish, contributing to multiple relay podiums and adding individual podium swims in both the 500 free and 200 fly. His season included NAIA B cuts in the 500 free, 100 fly and 200 fly, highlighting his versatility and consistency across the year.

Vaicaite, a freshman from Šilainiai, Lithuania, also delivered a strong national debut for the Golden Bears. She posted a 25.27 in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing 48th in prelims. In the 100-yard backstroke, Vaicaite touched in a personal-best 1:00.54, good for 30th overall. She also swam a 2:12.41 in the 200-yard backstroke to place 27th. Along the way, she recorded a 29.19 backstroke split that also stood as a personal best.

Vaicaite's freshman campaign was one of the top women's seasons in the conference. She earned AAC Women's Swimmer of the Week honors twice and was recognized twice as a WVU Tech Golden Bear Athlete of the Week. At the AAC Championships, she opened the meet with a podium finish in the 50-yard freestyle, then added scoring swims in the 100 back, 200 back and relays to help lead the Golden Bears throughout the week. She also posted NAIA B standards during the season in the 50 free and 200 back.

Together, Bernardo and Vaicaite gave WVU Tech a strong national presence to close the year after helping power the program through a successful conference championship meet and a season filled with personal bests, podium finishes and weekly honors.