2024 NCAA Division III Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 NCAA DIII Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 20-23, 2024
• Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• Times: Prelims 10:00 AM / Finals 6:00 PM (ET)
• Defending Champs: Denison women (1x) & Emory men (2x)
• Results Page
• Psych Sheet
• Live Streaming on NCAA.com
• Live Results
• Recaps
  • Day 1 Prelims | Day 1 Finals
  • Day 2 Prelims |

This evening in Greensboro features finals of the 200 freestyle relay, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, women’s 1-meter diving, and 400 medley relay.

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Finals

• Division III Record: 1:18.06, Kenyon (D. Somers, Z. Turk, I. Richardson, C. Ramsey), 2012
• 2023 Champion: 1:18.40, Kenyon (D. Dragojlovic, M. Niehoff, C. De Silva, D. Brooks)

Top 8:

1. Kenyon (Dragojlovic, Brooks, Krtinic, Dobric) – 1:19.19
2. NYU (Watanakun, Wehbe, Ralston, Maas) – 1:19.48
3. Emory (Yin, Goudie, Meyer, Bjornstad) – 1:19.52
4. Chicago (Tang, Starbuck, Benderskii, Vernhes) – 1:19.54
5. Carnegie Mellon (Tarczynski, Morford, Lloyd, Deshpande) – 1:19.72
6. MIT (Obochi, Luo, Jiang, Roberts) – 1:19.82
7. Calvin (Bajwa, Peterson, Platt, Campbell) – 1:20.48
8. Williams (Schalet, Nichol, Randall, Heritage) – 1:20.54

Kenyon successfully defended their title in the 200 free relay. The quartet of Djordje Dragojlovic (19.82), Daniel Brooks (19.78), Marko Krtinic (19.98), and Aleksa Dobric (19.61) touched first out of lane seven to win the night.

It was a horse race between Tobe Obochi (19.81) and Dragojlovic at the start, as Obochi got to the wall first for MIT. The Engineers fell into 6th overall, as Jaden Luo (20.29), Eugene Jiang (19.92), and Bryce Roberts (19.80) couldn’t keep pace with the rest of the field.

NYU touched 2nd in this race, fueled by a massive 19.02 anchor from who else but Derek Maas. The Violets were running 7th at the 150 mark after Ajay Watanakun (20.18), Greg Wehbe (19.94) and Emmett Ralston (20.34), but Maas powered past the field to give NYU a runner-up title.

The fastest flying split came from Arnav Deshpande (19.44), swimming for Carnegie Mellon in lane 2, improving on his impressive 19.61 split from this morning.

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Finals

• Division III Record: 1:30.39, Kenyon (A. White, S. Geboy, C. Hart, E. Mirus), 2022
• 2023 Champion: 1:31.62, Emory (C. Maki, S. Kass, P. Celtnieks, T. Leone)

Top 8: 

1. Pomona-Pitzer (Wang, Turvey, Coppo, Mello) – 1:31.54
2. Denison (Kadlecik, Palmroos, Ferguson, Croonquist) – 1:32.60
3. Swarthmore (Collins, Tambling, Rotival, Anthony) – 1:32.99
4. Williams (Vujovic, Kilcoyne, Yang, Dimter) – 1:33.06
5. Emory (Sanderson, Jungers, Huang, Celtnieks) – 1:33.54
6. MIT (Simons, Naveen, Wen, Roberson) – 1:33.56
7. NYU McIntyre, Xayaveth, Le Fauve, Oldham) – 1:33.59
8. Case Western (Kozma, Dixon, Vann, Chambers) – 1:34.08

NCAA record-holder Kaley McIntyre got out to a blistering start, swimming 22.81 for the only sub-23 lead-off of the field. Then runner-up Alex Turvey dove in for Pomona-Pitzer and blew past Hope Xayaveth, 22.50 to 23.77. The Sage Hens didn’t let go of the lead for rest of the race, as Francesa Coppo (22.99) and Valerie Mello (22.45) solidified their win by over a second. Sabrina Wang led off that relay with a solid 23.60.

Denison didn’t have a single 22-split, but averaged 23.15 across Grace Kedlecik, Maja Palmroos, Phoebe Ferguson, and Ambre Croonquist to lock up 2nd place.

Notably, Kenyon swam a time that would have placed 5th from the B-final (1:33.37).

Men’s 400 Yard IM – Finals

• Division III Record: 3:46.62, Harrison Curley (Kenyon), 2015
• 2023 Champion: 3:49.58, Bryan Fitzgerald (Kenyon)

Top 8:

1. Benjamin Thorsen (Emory) – 3:51.84
2. Ryan Higgins (TCNJ) – 3:51.88
3. Ethan Manske (Kenyon) – 3:52.04
4. Sean Lyman (Coast Guard) – 3:53.34
5. Noah Hargrove (Kenyon) – 3:53.49
6. Victor Derani (NYU) – 3:55.05
7. Peter Meng (Case Western) – 3:55.25
8. Daniel Sibley (WashU) – 3:57.48

It was a thrilling race to the finish in the men’s 400 IM. Benjamin Thorsen was the first to the 100, turning in 51.80. After the backstroke leg, Ethan Manske found himself ahead, but the field started to close on him in the breaststroke.

At the turn into the final 100, Thorsen, Ryan Higgins, and Sean Lyman appeared to be in a dead heat through the center of the pool. Thorsen had a slight lead at the 350, splitting 27.40 to Higgins’ 28.18, but Higgins turned on the jets.

Thorsen managed to hold on for the win, despite Higgins out-splitting him 26.04 to 26.63. Manske found another gear in the freestyle to touch 3rd.

Thorsen’s younger brother, Harris Thorsen, won the B-final in 3:53.85.

Women’s 400 Yard IM – Finals

• Division III Record: 4:13.14, Caroline Wilson (Williams), 2012
• 2023 Champion: 4:15.73, Augusta Lewis (CMS)

Top 8:

1. Neely Burns (Trinity U.) – 4:15.67
2. Jordan Herrera (Kenyon) – 4:19.53
3. Tara Witkowski (Denison) – 4:21.16
4. Gabriella Wei (Kenyon) – 4:22.04
5. Quinn Weygandt (Swarthmore) – 4:22.60
6. Calista Lynch (NYU) – 4:23.57
7. Esme Wright (Denison) – 4:23.75
8. Sydney McCallie (Kenyon) – 4:24.21

Neely Burns is a national champion after finishing 2nd last year as a freshman. She was running third at the 200 mark, but dropped the fastest breaststroke split to leave the field in the dust and finish nearly four seconds ahead of runner-up Jordan Herrera. Burns’ time clocks in as a new best by almost three seconds.

Herrera held her 2nd place from this morning, hitting a new best time and her first time sub-4:20 after this morning.

Tara Witkowski moved into 3rd after placing 5th in this race last year. She had the fastest freestyle split of the field to move up two places in the last 100.

Men’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Finals

• Division III Record: 46.46, David Fitch (Kenyon), 2021
• 2023 Champion: 46.51, Marko Krtinic (Kenyon)

Top 8:

1. Jesse Ssengonzi (Chicago) – 46.28 (NCAA Record)
2. Julien Camy (Calvin) – 46.44
3. Frank Applebaum (CMS) – 47.13
4. Garrett Clasen (Chicago) – 47.24
5. Ryan Soh (Emory) – 47.64
6. Avery Clapp (JHU) – 47.72
7. Michael Kohl (Trinity) – 47.84
8. Cooper Costello (Chicago) – DQ

Jesse Ssengonzi just proved you don’t need flip turns to swim fast butterfly in D3, as he cut 18-hundredths of a second off of David Fitch’s record from 2021.

He wasn’t without a challenge, however, as Julien Camy also snuck under the old record with a 46.44. That caps off an impressive trajectory for Camy, who had never swam under 48-seconds prior to this season.

200 fly national record-holder Frank Applebaum dropped three tenths off his best time to touch 3rd, signaling he’s in good form ahead of his signature event tomorrow.

Chicago was set to score a ton of individual points tonight, but that gain was hampered by a false start disqualification for Cooper Costello, who came into finals seeded 2nd. Garret Clasen was able to move into 4th after qualifying 7th this morning, also with a best time.

Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Finals

• Division III Record: 52.64, Kirsten Nitz (Wheaton), 2014
• 2023 Champion: 53.65, Lily Klinginsmith (Tufts)

Top 8:

1. Samantha Kilcoyne (Williams) – 53.47
2. Alexandra Turvey (Pomona-Pitzer) – 53.62
3. Emma Pritchett (Denison) – 54.73
4. Emma Schulman (Williams) – 54.76
5. Margaret Farrell (Calvin) – 55.07
6. Alesha Kelly (Chicago) – 55.14
7. Alise Hale (Geneseo) – 55.23
8. Hope Xayaveth (NYU) – 55.39

Top seed Alex Turvey got out to a blazing start, turning in 24.95 at the 50. But then Samantha Kilcoyne turned on the jets, closing in a blistering 27.98 to set a new best time and take home her first national title.

Kilcoyne and Turvey were the only swimmers to touch under 54-seconds, as Turvey still closed faster than the rest of the field to clock 53.62.

Emma Pritchett repeated her 3rd place finish from last year, finishing just three-hundredths of a second ahead of Emma Schulman.

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Division III Record: 1:34.74, James McChesney (TCNJ), 2023
• 2023 Champion: 1:34.74, James McChesney (TCNJ)

Top 8:

1. James McChesney (TCNJ) – 1:34.95
2. Nathaniel Taft (Hamilton) – 1:36.43
3. Colin Twiss (Coast Guard) – 1:36.90
4. Justin Finkel (Connecticut College) – 1:37.29
5. Oliver Schalet (Williams) – 1:37.46
6. Dalton Jobe (Washington & Lee) – 1:37.87
7. Tag Curwen (Pomona-Pitzer) – 1:38.27
8. Alexander Atherton (Wiliams) – 1:40.61

Nathaniel Taft jumped out to an early lead at the 100, flipping at 45.75 to lead the field by over half a second. James McChesney started to close the gap on the third 50, splitting 24.43 to Taft’s 25.15. McChesney then dropped the hammer on the final 50, splitting 24.20 to finish in 1:34.95. While he was just about two tenths off his record, remains the only D3 athlete to break 1:35.

Taft, a freshman from Hamilton, managed to hang on for 2nd. Coast Guard’s Colin Twiss touched 3rd, chopping another tenth off his best time set this morning.

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Division III Record: 1:44.82, Kendra Stern (Amherst), 2011
• 2023 Champion: 1:47.44, Kaley McIntyre (NYU)

Top 8:

1. Kaley McIntyre (NYU) – 1:46.05
2. Emily Harris (Denison) – 1:48.97
3. Penelope Helm (Emory) – 1:49.35
4. Bengisu Caymaz (Kenyon) – 1:49.97
5. Ella Roberson (MIT) – 1:50.27
6. Grace Wenger (Bates) – 1:50.59
7. Nicole Ranile (NYU) – 1:51.39
8. Julia Tuinman (JHU) – 1:51.66

It was another repeat champion in the women’s 200 free, as Kaley McIntyre jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back. The sophomore claimed her second title in this event in a blistering 1:46.05 to become the 2nd fastest performer in D3 history. Her previous best of 1:46.87 sat at 5th.

Emily Harris finished 2nd, just off her time from this morning (1:48.97). Penelope Helm was close behind (1:49.35), followed by Bengisu Caymaz (1:49.97).

Women’s 1-Meter Diving — Finals

• Division III Record: 515.90, Danica Roskos (TCNJ), 2011
• 2023 Champion: 431.40, Sydney Bluestein (Amherst)

Top 8: 

1. Kailee Payne (Ithaca) – 515.15
2. Veronica Fong (Chicago) – 452.70
3. Alexa Rizzo (Nazareth) – 452.45
4. Lila Atanda (Chicago) – 447.25
5. Wenxuan Tang (Chicago) – 440.85
6. Fiora Beratahani (MIT) – 439.05
7. Abigail Wilkov (Case Western) – 435.05
8. Sydney Bluestein (Amherst) – 433.60

Kailee Payne averaged 54.28 points per round to take home a national championship in the women’s 1-meter event. In a surprising finish, 2023 champion Sydney Bluestein finished 8th.

It was a tight finish behind Payne, as Veronica Fong and Alexa Rizzo were separated by just 0.35 points.

Men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Finals

• Division III Record: 3:10.51, Emory (S. Ono, A. Wilson, C. Baker, O. Smith), 2017
• 2023 Champion: 3:11.39, Kenyon (Y. Kosian, L. Weekes, M. Krtinic, D. Dragojlovic)

Top 8:

1. Kenyon – 3:09.78 (NCAA Record)
2. Emory – 3:10.40
3. Chicago – 3:11.61
4. Calvin – 3:12.83
5. Williams – 3:13.04
6. Tufts – 3:13.83
7. NYU – 3:14.62
8. CMS – 3:14.97

Just like in prelims, NYU jumped out to an early lead courtesy of Derek Maas (46.65), but they were dragged back to earth by the breaststroke leg. Kenyon’s Yurii Kosian was close behind at the touch (47.07).

Emory’s Jake Meyer split 52.22 to bring Emory back into the conversation. Kenyon and Emory looked dead even on the exchange into the butterfly leg.

Chicago looked out of it until newly-minted 100 fly record-holder Jesse Ssengonzi hit the water. He dropped a filthy 45.78 to pull Chicago back into the conversation.

On the exchange into freestyle, Emory, Chicago, and Kenyon’s anchors all dove at the same time. Djordje Dragojlovic swam 19.95 on the first 50, then 22.47 coming home to scorch a 42.42 split and bring the NCAA record under 3:10.

Emory was also under the old record, clocking 3:10.40 at the finish. Chicago rounded out the podium (3:10.70).

Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Finals

• Division III Record: 3:38.05, Kenyon (O. Smith, J. Fadely, C. Hart, E. Mirus), 2022
• 2023 Champion: 3:39.28 Kenyon (O. Smith, J. Fadely, A. Axas, A. White)

Top 8:

1. Williams – 3:39.17
2. Kenyon – 3:39.18
3. MIT – 3:39.96
4. Denison – 3:42.81
5. NYU – 3:42.99
6. Emory – 3:44.33
7. Chicago – 3:46.76
8. Pomona-Pitzer – 3:48.11

Holy Kate Augustyn! Leading off MIT’s relay, she dropped over half-a-second from her best 100 back time to undercut the national record of by five-hundredths of a second (53.41).

Augustyn then handed things off to Edenna Chen, who split 1:01.45. Jennah Fadely dropped another 59-point split (59.53) to bring Kenyon into the lead.

The lead changed once more in the fly leg, as newly-minted champion Samantha Kilcoyne dropped a sizzling 52.93 to give Williams over a second cushion leading into the anchor. Emma Dinter held on to give the Ephwomen the win (50.88).

Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault (49.68) and Ella Roberson (49.33) both did their best to catch up to Williams. They touched in 2nd and 3rd for Kenyon and MIT respectively.

Team Scores Thru Day 2

Men

1. Emory – 214
2. Kenyon – 177
3. Chicago – 167
4. NYU – 164
5. Williams – 154.5
6. Calvin – 108
7. Tufts – 92.5
8. Carnegie Mellon – 89
9. CMS – 86
10. MIT – 84
11. TCNJ – 81
12. Denison – 78
13. WashU – 51
14. Johns Hopkins – 44
15. Geneseo – 37
16. Connecticut College – 35
17. Pomona-Pitzer – 34
18. Coast Guard – 33
19. Hamilton – 30
20. Birmingham Southern – 29
21. Hope College – 24
22. Colby – 21
23. RIT – 21
24. Washington & Lee – 18
25. Brandeis – 17
26. Trinity U. – 17
27. Centre – 15
28. St. Mary’s – 14
29. Alfred State – 14
30. Rhodes/Case Western- 12
31. —
32. Bates – 11
33. Bowdoin – 6
34. Franklin & Marshall – 4
35. Chapman – 3
36. Whitworth/USMMA – 2
37. —
38. Rose-Hulman – 1

Women

1. Denison – 244
2. Kenyon – 212
3. NYU – 195
4. Williams – 189
5. MIT – 163
6. Pomona-Pitzer – 140
7. Emory – 121
8. Chicago – 110
9. Swarthmore – 82
10. Tufts – 64.5
11. Trinity U. – 59
12. Hope College – 51
13. Calvin – 40
14. Johns Hopkins – 36
15. Case Western – 36
16. Amherst – 30
17. Geneseo – 27.5
18. Ithaca – 27
19. Bates – 24
20. CMS – 20
21. Nazareth/Albion – 16
22. —
23. Austin/WashU – 15
24. —
25. Mary Washington/Middlebury/Bowdoin/Rhodes – 12
26. —
27. —
28. —
29. Springfield/Gettysburg – 10
30. RIT – 9
31. Luther – 5