2024 NCAA Division III Championships: Day 4 Prelims

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 | Day 2 Finals
  • Day 3 Prelims | Day 3 Finals

Team Scores Thru Day 3 (Top 10)

Men

1. Emory – 327
2. Kenyon – 272
3. Chicago – 264
4. Williams – 217.5
5. NYU – 208
6. Calvin – 143
7. Carnegie Mellon – 131
8. Denison – 130
9. Tufts – 111.5
10. CMS – 107

Women

1. Kenyon – 315
2. Denison – 312
3. NYU – 299
4. Williams – 277
5. MIT – 243
6. Emory – 204
7. Pomona-Pitzer – 175
8. Chicago – 133
9. Swarthmore – 95
10. Tufts – 84.5

Welcome to the final morning in Greensboro* (*except for some long course time trials that will be held on Sunday).

Competition will kick off today with the men’s 100 yard freestyle and the return of 2022 champion Tobe Obochi. Obochi withdrew from the meet on the last day in 2023 and was unable to defend his title, so in his absence Djordje Dragojlovic was crowned the winner. Their best times are exactly one-hundredth of a second apart, but Obochi did get the better of Dragojlovic in the 50 free final, and he’s typically better over the 100. 200 free champ and NCAA record-holder James McChesney is seeded in between them (43.48), and Hamilton freshman Nathaniel Taft is close behind (43.57).

The women’s 100 freestyle is without its defending champion Lily Klinginsmith, as she transferred to Brown, but 50 and 100 champion Kaley McIntyre will be on the hunt for her third title at these championships. She’s seeded first with a 49.47 and two other women have joined her under 50-seconds this season: Alex Turvey and Ella Roberson.

The women’s 200 backstroke is shaping up to be a duel at the top between Kate Augustyn and Sophia Verkleeren. Augustyn just won her first individual national title last night, tying her own national record in the 100 back, but Verkleeren is the defending champion and has bested her twice before in an NCAA final of this event.

Jake Meyer and Derek Maas will clash once again in the men’s breaststroke events, this time in the longer distance. Meyer is seeded first with a 1:55.02, two seconds clear of Maas’ season best time.

Men’s 100 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Division III Record: 42.98, Oliver Smith (Emory), 2018
• 2023 Champion: 43.32, Djordje Dragojlovic (Kenyon)

Top 8:

1. Tobe Obochi (MIT) – 43.13
2. Aleksa Dobric (Kenyon) – 43.42
3. Djordje Dragojlovic (Kenyon) – 43.50
4. Nathaniel Taft (Hamilton) – 43.62
5. James McChesney (TCNJ) – 43.73
6. Nick Goudie (Emory) – 43.82
7. James Collishaw (Ithaca) – 43.88
8. Sebastian Vernhes (Chicago) – 44.21

Drew Sheib of RIT won the first heat, shaving nine-tenths of a second off his seed time to punch the first 44-point swim of the morning (44.79).

Nathaniel Early (Trinity U.) was just off his entry time, stopping the clock in 45.24 to win the second heat.

The fastest time out of the early heats will belong to Kenyon’s Marko Krtinic, who punched 44.49 from lane 8 to take heat three.

Djordje Dragojlovic hung with the field for the first half of his swim, but really separated himself coming off of the final wall. He clocked 43.50, lowering his seed time by a hundredth. Sebastian Vernhes (44.21) and Soeren Euvrard (44.45) touched 2nd and 3rd.

Aleksa Dobric kept the Kenyon streak going in the next heat, overcoming second-seed James McChesney 43.42 to 43.73, and raising the bar again. Williams’ Oliver Schalet touched 3rd (44.34).

In the final heat, Tobe Obochi lowered his best time by two-tenths to 43.13. If USA Swimming databases are to be believed, that moves him up to the #2 performer in D3 behind national-record holder Oliver Smith.

All-Time Top DIII Performers, Men’s 100 Freestyle:

1. Oliver Smith, Emory – 42.98 (2018)
2. Tobe Obochi, MIT — 43.13 (2024)
   
3. Zack Turk, Kenyon — 43.16 (2012)
4. Jesse Novak, Rowan — 43.29 (2017)
5. Trey Kolleck, Emory — 43.31 (2019)

It nearly took a 43-point to make the final, but Verhnes sneaks in as the 8th seed.

Women’s 100 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Division III Record: 48.98, Kendra Stern (Amherst), 2010
• 2023 Champion: 49.28, Lily Klinginsmith (Tufts)

Top 8:

1. Kaley McIntyre (NYU) – 49.39
2. Alex Turvey (Pomona-Pitzer) – 49.81
3. Hannah Fathman (Albion) – 50.41
4. Jillian Cudney (Tufts) – 50.47
5. Ella Roberson (MIT) – 50.53
6. Valerie Mello (Pomona-Pitzer) – 50.58
7. Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault (Kenyon) – 50.67
8. Amy Benson (Trinity U.) – 50.93

The women’s 100 free looked fast this morning, as there were a streak of 51-points swam in outside lanes before we even got to the circle seeded heats.

Kelsie Miller (St. Mary’s) got things rolling in the first heat, lowering her seed time by nearly four seconds in the process (51.77).

In heat two, Jade Matthias (Hamilton) got the win from lane 4 (51.88), but Lauren Ryle (Hope) was close behind from lane seven (51.93).

Gwen Eisenbeis outsided-smoked the field in heat three, dropping a 51.79 from lane 8.

Next up, Lucy Smith (Amherst) got the win from the center of the pool (51.31), dropping just over a tenth from her seed time.

In the final non-circle seeded heat it looked like Penelope Helm had pulled off another outside-smoke, but the board revealed she had been disqualified. Sydney Sonday (Calvin) got the win instead (51.39), followed close behind by Sydney Geboy (51.47) and Alex Sotek (51.52).

The first circle seeded heat went to MIT freshman Ella Roberson (50.53), hitting the first 50-point of the morning, followed closely by Amy Benson (50.93), who hit the second.

Alex Turvey shaved two hundredths off her entry time to stop the clock in 49.81. Jillian Cudney (50.47) and Valerie Mello (50.53) rounded out the top three.

Unsurprisingly, Kaley McIntyre won the final heat, also lowering her seed time (49.39). She will be your top seed tonight.

There will be a swim-off for 16th place between Francesa Coppo and Sydney Sonday, who tied in 51.39 this morning.

Swim-off Results:

1. Francesca Coppo (Pomona-Pitzer) – 51.52
2. Sydney Sonday (Calvin) – 51.70

Coppo wasn’t out quite as fast as she was this morning (24.63 versus 24.06), but she still led Sonday by 0.25-seconds at the 50. Sonday charged on the second 50, but it was still Coppo at the finish. Both swimmers were both slightly slower than their times from this morning. Notably, Sonday anchored Calvin’s 400 free relay that qualified 6th just a few heats earlier.

Men’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Prelims

• Division III Record: 1:41.17 Tanner Filion (Whitman), 2023
• 2023 Champion: 1:41.17 Tanner Filion (Whitman)

Top 8:

1. Yurii Kosian (Kenyon) – 1;45.03
2. Alex McCormick (WashU)/David Bajwa (Calvin) – 1:45.45
3. —
4. Ryan Higgins (TCNJ) – 1:45.74
5. Kyle Wolford (WashU) – 1:45.79
6. Ryan Soh (Emory) – 1:46.03
7. Eric Lundgren (Tufts) – 1:46.12
8. Brayden Morford (CMU) – 1:46.46

There are only four heats of the men’s 200 backstroke this morning. Leo Han got things rolling from heat one, dropping 1.5-seconds from his entry time (1:47.50).

Next up are the circle-seeded heats. Ryan Higgins upset 3rd-seed Eric Lundgren (1:46.12) for the win, using a strong last 50 to pull into the lead (1:45.74). Higgins dropped 14-hundredths from his entry time, while Lundgren added to his 1:45.05 from NESCACs.

The third heat went to Yurii Kosian. He swam a well-split 1:45.03 for the win. Behind him was Kyle Wolford (1:45.79) and Brayden Morford (1:46.46).

The announcer said the final heat was too close to call between Alex McCormick and David Bajwa, and it literally was: the two swimmers tied (1:45.45). Bajwa had a big final 50 to pull himself even with McCormick.

Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke – Prelims

• Division III Record: 1:55.67, Crile Hart (Kenyon), 2018
• 2023 Champion: 1:57.66, Sophia Verkleeren (Williams)

Top 8:

1. Sophia Verkleeren (Williams) – 1:58.33
2. Caleigh Wukitch (Kenyon) – 1:58.89
3. Kate Augustyn (MIT) – 1:59.01
4. Savannah Xu (CMU) – 1:59.27
5. Sammi Thiele (Austin) – 1:59.67
6. Megan Jungers (Emory)  – 1:59.69
7. Isabel Huang (Emory) – 2:01.07
8. Madison Hagberg (Tufts) – 2:01.27

It looked like the first heat would go to Irene Yang of Williams, but the board showed a disqualification after the touch. Instead, the heat win went to Nicole Ranile, who placed 4th in the 200 fly last night (2:02.35).

The next heat saw three sub-2:00 performances, lead by 3rd seed Caleigh Wukitch (1:58.89) who swam under 1:59 for the first time. She was joined by Savannah Xu (1:59.27), who punched that time from lane 1, and Sammi Thiele (1:59.67).

The next heat came down to earth a bit, except for defending champion Sophia Verkleeren. The junior looked dominant in her heat, finishing in a time of 1:58.33 over three seconds clear of the field.

In the final heat, Kate Augustyn led wire-to-wire, finishing over two seconds from her entry time at 1:59.01. It looked like Megan Jungers started to reclaim some ground in the third 50, but she settled for second in 1:59.69.

Strangely, there were no 2:00-point swims this morning, as the qualifiers skip straight from 1:59 to 2:01.

Men’s 200 Yard Breaststroke – Prelims

• Division III Record: 1:50.80, Andrew Wilson (Emory), 2017
• 2023 Champion: 1:53.77, Jason Hamilton (Emory)

Top 8:

1. Jake Meyer (Emory) – 1:56.36
2. Derek Maas (NYU) – 1:57.18
3. Anthony Fitzgerald (Wheaton) – 1:57.63
4. Patrick Daly (Denison) – 1:57.97
5. Ryan Vandeveen (TCNJ) – 1:58.21
6. Larry Yu (Pomona-Pitzer)/Liyang Sun – 1:58.46
7. —
8. Jacob Grover (Williams) – 1:58.63

The first heat went to Matthew Hartshorn of Johns Hopkins, who dropped over four second from his entry time (2:01.03). Next up, Pomona-Pitzer’s Isaac Pan got under 2:00 for the first time, punching a new personal best of 1:59.26. The race was in the top three lanes, as Liam Nelson (1:59.32) and Christian Lanuza (2:00.71) touched second and third from lanes 1 and 3 around Pan.

Liyang Sun claimed the first circle seeded heat win, finishing just under his seed time (1:58.46). #3 seed Jacob Grover was right behind (1:58.63), followed by Brandon Stride (1:58.90).

Derek Maas was in the water next, and he swam a very controlled race to clock 1:57.18. Wheaton’s Anthony Fitzgerald wasn’t far behind, joining Maas under 1:58 (1:57.63). Larry Yu dropped about a second and a half from his seed time from lane 1 to touch 3rd (1:58.46).

To close out the event, top seed Jake Meyer swam 1:56.36 to qualify first out of prelims. He looked to be in a league of his own the whole race. Patrick Daly of Denison was 2nd, followed by Ryan Vandeveen (1:58.21).

It took 1:59.72 to make the B-final this year, compared to 2:00.98 in 2023.

Women’s 200 Yard Breaststroke – Prelims

• Division III Record: 2:10.06, Jordyn Wentzel (St. Kate’s), 2022
• 2023 Champion: 2:11.22, Jennah Fadely (Kenyon)

Top 8:

1. Charlotte Wishnack (Williams) – 2:13.31
2. Jennah Fadely (Kenyon) – 2:14.22
3. Gabriella Wei (Kenyon) – 2:14.56
4. Drue Thielking (Denison) – 2:15.13
5. Neely Burns (Trinity U.) – 2:16.17
6. Fiona Arwood (Emory) – 2:16.72
7. Taylor Rohovit (Johns Hopkins) – 2:17.10
8. Evangeline Soerens (Messiah) – 2:17.20

Emmie Appl of Pomona-Pitzer had the fastest time of the early heats, clocking 2:18.07 to drop over two seconds from her seed time.

In the first circle seeded heat, Gabriella Wei nearly matched her seed time for the win (2:14.56). Neely Burns (2:16.17) and Fiona Arwood (2:16.72) were 2nd and 3rd, improving their entry times in the process. 100 breast runner-up Edenna Chen was 4th (2:18.24).

Williams’ Charlotte Wishnack was dominant in the penultimate heat, swimming just over her seed time for the win (2:13.31). Denison’s Drue Thielking was 2nd, dropping 0.8-seconds from her seed time (2:15.13).

Top seed Amanda Wager‘s lane was empty in the final heat, leaving defending champion Jennah Fadely with no challengers. She swam to 2:14.22 to claim the 2nd seed for tonight.

Men’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Prelims

• Division III Record: 2:53.59, Kenyon (D. Somers, Z. Turk, C. Ramsey, I. Richardson) 2012
• 2023 Champion: 2:54.34, Kenyon

Top 8:

1. Kenyon – 2:56.09
2. NYU – 2:56.73
3. Chicago – 2:57.76
4. Calvin – 2:58.32
5. Emory – 2:58.42
6. MIT – 2:58.59
7. Tufts – 2:58.81
8. Williams – 2:59.05

Aleksa Dobric (44.03), Marko Krtinic (44.62), Daniel Brooks (43.74), and Djordje Dragolovic (43.70) are in position to defend the Owls’ title from last year.

The fastest flat-start split came from James McChesney, who split 43.60 on TCNJ’s 16th-place relay. Sebastien Vernhes had the fastest flying start, anchoring Chicago in 43.10.

Women’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay – Prelims

• Division III Record: 3:18.46, Emory (F. Muir, C. Cheng, Ming-fen Ong, M. Taylor), 2018
• 2023 Champion: 3:21.66, Tufts

Top 8:

1. Pomona-Pitzer – 3:22.80
2. Kenyon – 3:23.36
3. MIT – 3:23.88
4. Denison – 3:24.11
5. NYU – 3:24.13
6. Calvin – 3:25.66
7. Williams – 3:25.74
8. Swarthmore – 3:26.69

The quartet of Sabrina Wang (51.48), Alex Turvey (50.09), Katie Gould (51.23), and Valerie Mello (49.95) held onto their top seed to give Pomona-Pitzer the middle lane in tonight’s final. They’ll look to pick up the Sage Hens’ second relay title of the meet.

Kaley McIntyre had the fastest flying split of the morning, anchoring NYU’s 5th qualifying relay in 49.17. The fastest lead-off was swam by MIT’s Ella Roberson (50.19), undercutting her individual time from earlier this session.

Tufts, the defending champions, were disqualified in the final heat for an early takeover from their anchor leg.

Men’s 1650 Yard Freestyle – Timed Finals

• Division III Record: 14:56.44, Arthur Conover (Kenyon), 2016
• 2023 Champion: 15:15.86, Kellen Roddy (Johns Hopkins)

Top 8 (Early Heats):

1. Luke Landis (Denison) – 15:23.17
2. Samuel Dienstag (Brandeis) – 15:28.56
3. Tyler Distenfeld (Denison) – 15:35.23
4. Sean Lyman (Coast Guard) – 15:39.71
5. Samuel Myaard (Denison) – 15:42.44
6. Peter Meng (Case Western) – 15:45.69
7. Maxwell Nonnenmacher (Kenyon) – 15:50.29
8. Ryan Hillery (WashU) – 15:52.55

Luke Landis, a two-time All-American in this event, led the early heats with a time of 15:23.17. That time would be seeded third in the top heat that will swim tonight, so it looks likely that he will pick up some more points for Denison once the dust settles.

His teammate Tyler Distenfeld also had a strong swim, dropping over seven seconds from his entry time to place 3rd. Sandwiched between them is Samuel Dienstag of Brandeis, who also had a big drop (15:28.56).

Women’s 1650 Yard Freestyle – Timed Finals

• Division III Record: 16:21.44, Sarah Thompson, 2015
• 2023 Champion: 16:29.78, Kristin Cornish (Johns Hopkins)

Top 8 (Early Heats):

1. Caitlin Marshall (NYU) – 16:41.99
2. Jada Chatoor (Emory) – 16:52.28
3. Chloe Katz (Middlebury) – 16:59.96
4. Frances Hayward (Williams) – 17:04.78
5. Maeve Kelley (Amherst) – 17:10.12
6. Morgan Main (Emory) – 17:11.30
7. Meredith Liu (Emory) – 17:12.75
8. Sarah Hoffman (Kenyon) – 17:13.22

Caitlin Marshall had the top time of the early heats, clocking 16:41.99 to undercut her 5th place time from last year by almost 15 seconds. Jada Chatoor, who was 6th last year, clocked the second fastest time.

Women’s 3-meter Diving – Prelims

• Division III Record: 517.10, Haley Emerick (Trinity U.), 2010
• 2023 Champion: 486.45, Ava Lowell (Ithaca)

Top 8:

1. Veronica Fong (Chicago) – 496.00
2. Kailee Payne (Ithaca) – 469.35
3. Abigail Wilkov (Case Western) – 451.10
4. Fiora Beratahani (MIT) – 450.65
5. Kerstyn Johnson (Denison) – 450.40
6. Lilia Atanda (Chicago) – 446.95
7. Alexis Radhakrishnan (Denison) – 444.60
8. Tess Klugherz (Emory) – 442.90

Veronica Fong earned 496.00 points to top the rankings in the prelims. 1-meter champion Kailee Payne qualified 2nd. Denison has two women in the championship final, which will provide a boost to the Big Red in the team race.