2025 NAIA National Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2025 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving National Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 5–Saturday, March 8
• Times: Prelims 9AM Eastern, Finals 5PM Eastern
• Location: Elkhart Aquatic Center, Elkhart, IN
• Defending Champions: Keiser women (3x); St. Thomas men (1x)
• Championship Program
• Post-cut Psych Sheet
• Quaifiers per School: Women ׀ Men
• Schedule of Events
• Live Results on Meet Mobile
• Live Stream (free)
• Championship Central

Women’s Top 10 After Day 1

1. Keiser 80
2. Lindsey Wilson 68
3. Cumberlands 60
4. Bethel (IN) 54
5. Olivet Nazarene 48
6. SCAD 46
7. Union Commonwealth / Milligan 42
8. –
9. Indiana Wesleyan 36
10. St Thomas / St Ambrose 30

Men’s Top 10 After Day 1

1. Keiser 100
2. SCAD Savannah 64
3. Milligan 62
4. St Ambrose 61
5. William Carey 60
6. Cumberlands 56
7. The Master’s 48
8. Lindsey Wilson 42
9. Bethel (IN) 32
10. St Thomas / Aquinas 30

Day 2

Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record: 4:52.24 – Alex Peters, Concordia Irvine (2011)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Rachel Bradley, Keiser 4:56.86

Podium:

1. Haley Vanbuskirk, St. Thomas 5:00.87
2. Michelle Weiss, Cumberlands 5:02.15
3. Rachel Bradley, Keiser 5:03.08
4. Riley Renaud, Milligan 5:05.08
5. Sophie Urias, St. Thomas 5:05.57
6. Grace Barnhart, Olivet Nazarene 5:07.06
7. Nathalie Medina, Lindsey Wilson 5:08.05
8. Juliana Lopez Morales, Cumberlands 5:11.62

Grace Barnhart from Olivet Nazarene was out first at the 100, followed by Juliana Lopez Morales from Cumberlands, then Haley Vanbuskirk of St. Thomas and Michelle Weiss from Cumberlands, who had posted the morning’s fastest time.

Vanbuskirk moved to the front of the pack and the 200 and never let go of her lead. Behind her were Weiss and Rachel Bradley, the defending champion from Keiser. They finished in that order, with Vanbuskirk going 5:00.87, Weiss touching in 5:02.15, and Bradley posting a 5:03.08 for third.

Ugne Takuseviciute of Cumberlands won the consolation final with 5:08.84.

Keiser led Cumberlands by 1 point in the team standings at the end of the 500 free, 98 to 97.
Lindsey Wilson (80), St Thomas (76), and Olivet Nazarene (61) rounded out the top 5.

Men’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record: 4:20.35 – Joel Thatcher, SCAD (2017)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Daniel Laureyssens, St. Thomas 4:25.32

Podium:

1. Mate Miszlai, William Carey 4:23.81
2. Kevin Keil, SCAD 4:26.50
3. Alex Menzel, Keiser 4:29.21
4. Braedan Jacobs, William Carey 4:31.10
5. Jonas Friess, St Ambrose 4:31.29
6. Fabio Martin Rojo, Lindsey Wilson 4:32.18
7. Abel Eszenyi, Union 4:35.20
8. Elliot Best, St. Thomas 4:36.09

Mate Miszlai from William Carey, a newcomer to the NAIA this season, came into the meet with the top seed time in the 500 free but was swimming in lane 5 after finishing second to SCAD’s Kevin Keil this morning. Miszlai went out quickly on the first 50, while Keil flipped in fifth place. Keil moved up to second place at the 100, and took over the lead at the 200. He held his position, followed by Miszlai and Keiser’s Alex Menzel, for the next 200 yards.

Miszlai put it into another gear at the 350 and outsplit Keil on the 8th 50. He then moved to the lead at the 450 and continued to build through to the finish. Miszlai clocked in at 4:23.81, winding up his 20 laps with a two body length margin. Keil came in second with 4:26.50, while Menzel made it in at third in 4:29.21.

William Carey earned fourth place, too, with Braden Jacobs touching out St Ambrose’s Jonas Freiss, 4:31.10 to 4:31.29.

Carlos Trinidad Sancho from Keiser won the consolation final with 4:31.10.

Keiser led the team standings at the end of the 500 free with 125 points. William Carey (95), SCAD (86), St Ambrose (75), and Milligan (68) made up the rest of the top 5.

Women’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• Meet Record: 2:02.38 – Katherine Dyer, Master’s (2025)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Halle Briner, Olivet Nazarene 2:05.08

Podium:

1. Katherine Dyer, The Master’s 2:01.49
2. Kirsten de Goede, Lindsey Wilson 2:02.92
3. Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser 2:03.98
4. Luiza Bersi, Keiser 2:04.19
5. Alessia Claessen, St Thomas 2:04.30
6. Stella Warborn, St Thomas 2:04.51
7. Emma Phillips, Union 2:05.54
8. Nikki Hahn, SCAD 2:06.17

It was Kirsten de Goede who set the pace on the first half of the race, leading on the fly leg with 24.67 and splitting 31.0 on the back. Keiser’s Luiza Bersi was in second place with 26.10/31.7, just .17 ahead of Katherine Dyer from The Master’s.

Dyer, who set the meet record in prelims this morning with 2:02.38, had a monster back half, catching de Goede and Bersi on the breast and barreling home, moving ahead by a body length, on the free. Dyer split 26.57/31.4/35.1/28.3 to lower the new meet mark to 2:01.49.

De Goede sat all alone in second place, stopping the clock at 2:02.92. Keiser’s Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen passed her teammate Bersi on the second half and picked up third place in 2:03.98.

St. Thomas went 5-6 with Alessia Claessen and Stella Warborn, while Emma Phillips of Union Commonwealth touched out Nikki Hahn of SCAD for seventh.

Alicja Sedlak from Cumberlands won the consolation final with 2:08.05.

Team scores after the 200 IM: Keiser (129), Cumberlands (110), St Thomas (105), Lindsey Wilson (97), Olivet Nazarene (67).

Men’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:46.76 – Alex Kusik, Keiser (2024)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Alex Kusik, Keiser 1:46.76

Podium:

1. Fynn Kunze, Keiser 1:47.85
2. Robert Adam, Milligan 1:48.09
3. Alex Kusik, Keiser 1:48.12
4. Adam Conrad, St Thomas 1:48.95
5. Marcelo Rojas Ariza, Cumberlands 1:50.26
6. Xavier Trovesi, West Virginia Tech 1:50.79
7. Jack Fries, ONU 1:51.03
8. Bo Kasten, SCAD 1:51.34

Robert Adam, the freshman from Milligan, blasted off with a 23.69 butterfly and was up half a body at the fly-to-back turn, with SCAD’s Bo Kasten .26 behind him from out in lane 8 and top seeded Fynn Kunze of Keiser in third place with 24.06.

Kunze took over the lead with a 26.5 backstroke leg, while St Thomas’s Adam Conrad moved into second place with a 26.7 split on the second 50. It looked to be a battle between Kunze and Conrad, but no one told that to Adam. He came home in 31.0/25.7 on the back half to pass Conrad and nearly catch Kunze. At the same time, meet record-holder and defending champion Alex Kusik of Keiser went from fourth place at the 150 to third at the finish (1:48.12), nearly catching Adam (1:48.09), who nearly caught Kunze (1:47.85)

St. Thomas’s Conrad dropped to fourth (1:48.95), a body length ahead of the next wave of finishers.

Jet Fuhrmann of Keiser was victorious in the consolation final (1:50.21), while Charley Sears from The Master’s was disqualified for a stroke violation.

Top 5 teams after the 200 IM: Keiser (170), SCAD (102), William Carey (95), Milligan (92), Cumberlands (88).

Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record: 22.29 – Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific (2012)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Maaike Broersma, Lindsey Wilson 23.25

Podium:

1. Maaike Broersma, Lindsey Wilson 23.16
2. Ines Laurent, Keiser 23.39
3. Marta Sinsabaugh, Indiana Wesleyan 23.82
4. Danai Sofoulis, Keiser 23.85
5. Jaylyn Harrison, Bethel (IN) 23.89
6. Katie Gorno, St Thomas 24.16
7. Kylee Sears, The Master’s 24.32
8. Catherine Streeter, Loyola New Orleans 24.87

Lindsey Wilson’s Maaike Broersma defended her 2024 50 free title with a 23.16, making her .09 than she had been a year ago. Keiser’s Ines Laurent repeated her role as runner-up, this time with 23.39 (vs 23.45 in 2024). Indiana Wesleyan’s Marta Sinsabaugh was third in 23.82, getting her hand to the wall just ahead of Keiser’s Danai Sofoulis (23.85) and Bethel’s Jaylyn Harrison (23.89).

Katie Gorno of St. Thomas, who won the swim-off to earn the right to swim in lane 8 of the championship final, placed 6th with 24.16.

Timea Aspegren of Keiser, the third-place finisher in the three-person swim-off for 8th place, won the consolation final with 24.00.

The top 5 teams after the 50 free were Keiser (176), St. Thomas (124), Lindsey Wilson (117), Cumberlands (110), and Bethel Indiana (77).

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record: 19.57 – Noel de Geus, Keiser (2024)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Noel de Geus, Keiser 19.57

Podium:

1. Noel de Geus, Keiser 19.47
2. Hanno Boeckmann, Keiser 19.72
3. Matheus Queiroz, Keiser 19.83
4. Jake Hutchinson, Keiser 19.97
5. Cory Werrett, St Ambrose 20.05
6. Alex Marrero, St Thomas 20.09
7. Enzo Constable, Union, 20.31
8. Agustin Rasche, Cumberlands 20.53

For the third year in a row, Keiser’s Noel de Geus was the NAIA National Champion in the 50 free. The first to flip at the 25 wall, he came home with 19.47 to lower his own NAIA national meet record by one-tenth of a second.

Keiser also took 2nd, 3rd, and 4th for a full sweep of the top steps of the podium. Hanno Boeckmann was runner-up (as in 2024) with 19.72, Matheus Queiroz touched third in 19.83, and Jake Hutchinson came in fourth with 19.97.

Milligan’s Caleb Fry won the consolation final by .29 with 20.08.

The top 5 teams at the conclusion of the 50 free were Keiser (241), SCAD Savannah (108), Milligan (107), Cumberlands (99), William Carey (95).

Women’s 3-Meter Diving – Finals

• Meet Record: 444.81 – Cynthia Miller (1987)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Macy Schmidtgall, Indiana Wesleyan 193.10

Podium:

1. Mireya Bonilla Flores, St Thomas 222.55
2. Macy Schmidtgall, Indiana Wesleyan 181.35
3. Sarah Graves, Union Commonwealth 174.55
4. Emma Nibbelink, Aquinas 169.45
5. Jada Shorter, Jamestown 164.95

Mireya Bonilla Flores of St Thomas led the six rounds of diving from start to finish, tallying 215.55 points at the end to win the national title. Bonilla Flores score at least 36.5 points on all of her dives, with two that notched 39.6: a 105B to start with and a 404C in round 5.

Defending champion Macy Schmidtgall of Indiana Wesleyan finished in second place with 181.35 points. She had a big dive in round 1 that earned her 38.40 points, but she averaged only 28.59 points on her next five dives and finished just shy of her morning performance.

Union Commonwealth freshman Sarah Graves improved by 20.30 points over prelims to finish third overall with 174.55 points. She swapped places with Jada Shorter of Jamestown, who scratched out of this event last year, but came in fifth (164.95) this time.

Between them was Emma Nibbelink of Aquinas with 169.45 points for fourth place.

It was Keiser (176), St. Thomas (144), Lindsey Wilson (117), Cumberlands (110), and Bethel Indiana (77) at the end of diving.

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet Record: 1:32.15 – Oklahoma Baptist (2014)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: St. Thomas 1:33.91

Podium:

1. Lindsey Wilson 1:33.83
2. Keiser 1:34.14
3. Cumberlands 1:36.22
4. St Thomas 1:36.29
5. SCAD Savannah 1:36.46
6. Bethel IN 1:36.73
7. Milligan 1:37.05
8. TIE Olivet Nazarene / Indiana Wesleyan 1:37.74

Keiser led for the first 150 yards but it was Lindsey Wilson who came from behind to get the win. Natalia Gorska (24.34), Natascha Evreinoff Salinas (24.40), Kirsten de Goede (22.35), and Maaike Broersma (22.74) combined for 1:33.83 to touch out the Seahawks for the win.

Keiser used Ines Laurent (23.31), Timea Aspegren (23.74) Danai Sofoulis (23.90), and Luiza Bersi (23.19).

Cumberlands (1:36.22) touched out St. Thomas (1:36.29), SCAD (1:37.46), and Bethel (1:36.73) for third place.

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet Record: 1:18.43 – Oklahoma Baptist (2014)
• 2024 NAIA National Champion: Champion: St. Thomas 1:18.76

Podium:

1. Milligan 1:19.82
2. SCAD Savannah 1:20.99
3. Cumberlands 1:22.44
4. William Carey 1:23.37
5. The Master’s 1:23.78
6. Lindsey Wilson 1:25.09
7. Life 1:25.35
8. Olivet Nazarene 1:25.97
9. Loyola New Orleans 1:27.42
10. Union 1:26.68

DQ St Thomas
DQ St Ambrose
DQ Keiser

Keiser led from wire to wire, followed by Milligan, SCAD, St Thomas, and St Ambrose. But when the waves settled down and the swimmers exited the pool, it was obvious the officials were discussing something. A few minutes later it was announced that lanes 2 (St Ambrose), 3 (St Thomas), and 4 (Keiser) had been disqualified for either a false start or an early takeoff. The crowd alternately groaned and cheered and the podium was reshuffled, with Milligan on top, followed by SCAD and Cumberlands.

The winning quartet consisted of Paxton Smith (20.70), Caleb Fry (19.87), Joash Mckonie (19.69), and Stephen Gilbert (19.56). SCAD’s runner-up team included Zoltan Tompos (20.60), Jake Litchfield (20.02) Jan Gastal (19.92), and Sam Carlson (20.45).

Cumberlands had Mateus Cruz (20.92), Leon Irmer (20.65), Ruthilk Satti (20.53) and Agustin Rasche (20.34).

Women’s Top 10 After Day 2

1. Keiser 210
2. St Thomas 174
3. Lindsey Wilson 157
4. Cumberlands 142
5. Bethel IN 103
6. SCAD Savannah 90
7. Indiana Wesleyan 89
8. Milligan 88
9. Olivet Nazarene 87
10. Union Commonwealth 83

Men’s Top 10 After Day 2

1. Keiser 241
2. Milligan 147
3. SCAD Savannah 142
4. Cumberlands 131
5. William Carey 125
6. Lindsey Wilson 91
7. St Ambrose 89
8. St Thomas 77
9. The Master’s 76
10. Union Commonwealth 64