As the SMU men's swimming and diving team enters its second ACC Championships this weekend, it expects a year to make a difference.

This time last year, the Mustangs were making the move to a much bigger pond after being the big fish in a small one. Now they are used to the pond and believe they have grown into it. If anyone knows about how that goes, SMU head coach Greg Rhodenbaugh does.

Rhodenbaugh was at Missouri when it moved from the Big 12 to the SEC. At the time, there was Texas and everyone else. The SEC was a different animal, and it took a year to figure some things out. 

"We went into the SEC after the second year I was there," Rhodenbaugh said. "In our first year, we didn't swim that great. We didn't swim like we could have. But the second year we're in there, we cranked it up and went really fast because we'd been there and we knew we belonged and we were more experienced. So I think it'll be much like that this year going back."

The ACC, from top to bottom, is the most competitive conference in the country. Last year's conference championships were an eye-opener. 

Now that their eyes have been opened, the Mustangs are ready to go this time around.

"The ACC is, depth-wise, probably the fastest conference meet in the nation," Rhodenbaugh said. "So going into that from when we were kind of the top dog in a small, non-power conference was a little bit different for our guys last year, and they had to get used to that. We had nobody on the roster last year going into it that had really been to a big meet like that."

One of those swimmers is Jack Berube, who swam in two consolation finals last year along with a pair of relays. He set the SMU record in the 100 Back last season and set the top 200 Back time this season.

"He's going to be great," Rhodenbaugh said about Berube. "He just keeps setting more school records. He set another one or two school records this year, and he'll be real close to getting on the podium at ACCs and maybe scoring at NCAAs, so he's doing a really good job."

Having that experience last year helped the team prepare during this year and has the Mustangs more prepared for the competition this time around.

"I think the biggest plan and goal for the guys who were returning this year is to approach those formidable opponents with a little more aggression and a little more confidence," Berube said. "I think the team's done a great job of it."

The most success in last year's ACC Championships came from diver Luke Sitz. He won silver on 3-meter, bronze on 1-meter and seventh on platform.

Sitz went on to place seventh on 1-meter at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America status. All of that has pushed him this season.

"I have a lot more experience with the type of environment I'm going to expect there," Sitz said. "Last year, I was kind of going in blind, but I know what to prepare for this time around and did some more visualizing, and I'm just going to know the atmosphere and the type of pressure I'll be under, and that's going to help me a lot, because I'm prepared for it."

That help and preparation could put Sitz on top of a podium this year. If he does, he will be the first individual ACC champion in SMU history, joining the men's soccer team in raising a conference trophy in the new era of Mustangs athletics.

Sitz knows a lot can happen but also knows what it would mean to bring an individual ACC title back home with him. So does his coach.

"That would be really cool. Obviously, that's his goal, and that's what he's pushing for every day," SMU diving coach Darian Schmidt said. "I think ultimately, we want to be peaking and ready for March for men's NCAAs, but he's on that track right now. I think that would be really special to him and be invaluable to our program."

It is all about taking the next step. For athletes like Sitz, that means moving up the podium. For others it means moving from the bonus final into the consolation final and from there into the championship final.

Those steps will help the Mustangs move up in the team rankings, something they believe is possible this time around.

"Our goal is just to be better than we were last year. But I think we're going to be quite a bit better," Rhodenbaugh said. "... We were kind of in the bottom half of the conference last year finishing. We'd like to be in the top half of the conference this year, which I think is attainable, and that will be on our way to get more guys qualified for NCAAs."

Last year, the Mustangs didn't know what they didn't know. They were all figuring it out for the first time together. Now they have a feel for it, and those who went now have a way to explain it to the ones who haven't been.

That's created a better way to prepare.

"I think the team's done a great job of it so far this year, especially being pushed by such incredible freshmen," Berube said. "All the returners, especially guys going to ACCs, are looking to make a statement. And so from last year to this year, in terms of how we approach the way we train, knowing that we're in the ACC, knowing that we can compete has definitely been something that's been on the front of everyone's minds, in and out of water."

Two of those freshmen in the pool are Andy Baklanov and Francis Brennan, while Grant Cates has been strong diving this season for the Mustangs. Baklanov has the third and fifth best times at SMU in the 200 Back and 400 IM, while Brennan is second and sixth in the 200 and 500 Free. 

Cates is coming off a win on 3-meter against Utah and won on the platform at the Tennessee Diving Invite. He is in a similar situation to what Sitz was in a year ago—a lot of experience, but none at the college level.

He knows the podium is the goal, but he also doesn't want to put too much pressure on himself going into this meet. Cates believes he is capable of having success, just like some of his fellow freshmen, but wants to stay relaxed and ready and have some fun.

"These kinds of competitions are definitely more fun, honestly, especially to have such a good team environment and all the support for my teammates," Cates said. "So it's definitely been fun to get the experience of competing at the NCAA level."

Junior Kristaps Mikelsons has also had a good season for SMU, holding the second-best 100 Breast time in school history, along with the third-best time in the 200 Breast and 200 IM. 

Mikelsons was one of several Mustangs who competed in big meets. He set three new Latvian national records — 100 and 200 Breast and 200 IM — at the 2025 European Aquatics Short Course Championships. Berube had a Top 12 finish in the 200 Back at the International Team Trials, and Sitz won three medals at the USA Diving Winter Nationals.

Sophomore Eli Likins has also had a good season, sitting second all-time in the 100 Free. It's a team full of swimmers pushing each other and peaking at the right time.

"It's fun to watch them work out every day," Rhodenbaugh said. "We've got some upperclassmen that are kind of filling that role for the freshmen to chase after, and then we've got some freshmen that the upperclassmen are chasing after. So it's been a fun year thus far, and they're looking better."