2025 NCAA Division III Championships: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2025 NCAA DIII Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 19-22, 2025
• Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• Times: Prelims 10:00 AM / Finals 6:00 PM (ET)
• Defending Champs: Kenyon women (1x) & Emory men (3x)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Streaming on NCAA.com
• Live Results
• “NCAA DIII Championships” on Meet Mobile

The 2025 NCAA DIII Championships are here, and with women’s DI held on the West Coast this year, we have the site all to ourselves this morning.

The session kicks off with the 500 freestyle. Both defending champions are in their respective fields, but neither have the top seed. Instead, it’s last year’s 5th-place finishers who lead the field: Quinn Brown (Denison) and Ryan Nunez (Williams). In the women’s event, both Brown and freshman phenom Natalie Garre (Bowdoin) are seeded faster than the winning time Bengisu Caymaz (Kenyon) swam for her first NCAA title last year. That time also represents Caymaz’s personal best, so she’ll have to find about a second to stay in a position to defend. For the men, Nunez upset reigning champion Justin Finkel (Connecticut College) at NESCACs. In fact, Finkel only took bronze in that field. Finkel did set a best time leading off his team’s 800 free relay, however, so his freestyle appears to be in form. No one has been faster than the senior’s winning time from last year.

Next, we’ll move on to the 200 IM. Senior Sophia Verkleeren (Williams) leads the women’s field by over a second. She set a new best at NESCACs and is now knocking on the door of a 1:58-point swim; only four women in D3 history have done so. It’s mostly seniors at the top of this event, save for Allison Greeneway (Emory) who has already improved her best time by nearly four seconds this season. We’ll also see D3 record-holders Kate Augustyn (MIT) and Jennah Fadely (Kenyon) in action. They set records in the 100 back and 100 breast earlier this season and will be ones to watch as the meet continues.

The men will see a new champion, as record-holder Derek Maas (NYU) has graduated from swimmer to coach this season. NYU still has a strong presence in this event from first-year Maksym Nechydyuk and senior Jaeden-Hans Yburan, but it’s Carnegie Mellon sophomore Brayden Morford who holds the top seed. Morford finished 3rd last year and is the highest returning finalist. He’s the only swimmer under 1:46 this season, a strong position to take home his first national title.

The women’s 50 free looks to be all Kaley McIntyre (NYU). Though on paper she’s only six-hundredths ahead of Hannah Fathman (Albion), the junior won the event in NCAA record fashion last year, almost two-tenths faster than her seed time. McIntyre has already broken a national record this season, lowering her own 100 free record twice at UAAs, so it’s reasonable to expect another big performance here. Lurking down in 14th is 2024 runner-up Alexandra Turvey. Formerly of Pomona-Pitzer, Turvey is spending her fifth-year with MIT while pursuing an M.D.-Ph.D. If she’s on her best, she could play huge spoiler in this event, leapfrogging her former Sagehen teammates in the process.

Six men in D3 have broken 20-seconds in the 50 this season, but only five are competing here. Luke Schwenk (St. Mary’s-MD) is the top seed, but #2 Max Cory (Bates) threw down the fastest 50 free relay split in Division III history earlier this season. David Bajwa (Calvin) rounds out the trio of 19.6s, and #4-16 are separated by just 0.18-seconds. It will be a race you won’t want to miss. Keep an eye out for Nathaniel Taft (Hamilton), seeded down in 20th. The sophomore finished 6th last year. He hasn’t quite matched his sprint speed this season, but his best times put him in the mix for the A final.

The swimming session will close with the 400 medley relay, a schedule change from the last few years. We’ll also see prelims of men’s 3-meter diving.

Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Division III Record: 4:43.37, Kendra Stern (Amherst), 2011
• 2024 Champion: 4:48.65, Bengisu Caymaz (Kenyon)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Natalie Garre (Bowdoin) – 4:48.26
2. Bengisu Caymaz (Kenyon) – 4:50.56
3. Quinn Brown (Denison) – 4:51.78
4. Madeline Dunne (Tufts) – 4:52.09
5. Clementine Robins (Williams) – 4:52.72
6. Nora Lee Brown (Kenyon) – 4:52.78
7. Penelope Helm (Emory) – 4:53.05
8. Aanya Wala (NYU) – 4:53.80
9. Caitlin Marshall (NYU) – 4:53.81
10. Molly Haag (Kenyon) – 4:54.71
11. Elle Motekaitis (NYU) – 4:54.94
12. Bethany Spangler (NYU) – 4:54.94
13. Elodie Mitchell (Emory) – 4:55.53
14. Meredith Liu (Emory) – 4:57.61
15. Lily Codd (Williams) – 4:58.06
16. Taryn Wisner (Denison) – 4:58.09

Only one swimmer made finals out of the early heats: 2022 champion Taryn Wisner (Denison) sits at 16th with her morning effort of 4:58.09 from heat 3.

2024 runner-up Caitlin Marshall (NYU) took heat 4 by just under a second over Molly Haag (Kenyon), and the pair will swim side-by-side tonight as the 9th and 10th qualifiers. Marshall’s time would end up being a heartbreaking 0.01-seconds back of her sophomore teammate Aanya Wala (4:53.80).

In heat 5, Natalie Garre (Bowdoin) jumped out ahead of the field. Emory’s Penelope Helm tried to keep it close, but was unable to match the freshman’s pace as the race wore on. Garre split 29-lows until the final 50, dropping to 28.57 to clock 4:48.26. That is faster than last year’s winning time by over three-tenths. Tufts’ Madeline Dunne ended up sneaking by Helm for 2nd in the heat (4:52.09).

In the final heat, defending champion Bengisu Caymaz (Kenyon) out-dueled top seed Quinn Brown (Denison). The pair qualified in 2nd and 3rd and will give chase to Garre tonight.

Men’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Division III Record: 4:18.35, Arthur Conover (Kenyon), 2017
• 2024 Champion: 4:21.32, Justin Finkel (Connecticut College)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Sean Lyman (Coast Guard) – 4:24.62
2. Alexander Schwartz (Chicago) – 4:25.51
3. Justin Finkel (Connecticut College) – 4:25.59
4. Lucas Lang (CMS) – 4:26.02
5. Connor Vincent (NYU) – 4:26.26
6. Ryan Nunez (Williams) – 4:26.37
7. Grant Hu (MIT) – 4:27.30
8. Tyler Distenfeld (Denison) – 4:27.85
9. Luke Fender (Trinity-TX) – 4:27.86
10. Steven Bendoraitis (TCNJ) – 4:28.19
11. Carter Anderson (Williams) – 4:28.36
12. John Drumm (CWRU) – 4:28.39
13. Matthew McIntire (Denison) – 4:28.51
14. Lucas Conrads (Denison) – 4:28.80
15. George Goins (Denison) – 4:29.24
16. Thomas Langlois (Whittier) – 4:29.55

There were only four heats of the men’s 500 free. Evan Jue (NYU) won the only non-circle seeded heat, improving from his seed time by about half a second (4:31.83).

Defending champion Justin Finkel (Connecticut College) featured in heat 2, but it was Coast Guard’s Sean Lyman who stole the show. Finkel was first to the 100, but Lyman set a 26-point pace to reel him in. At the 200 mark they flipped dead even (1:43.82), and Lyman continued to pull away from there. He stopped the clock in 4:24.62, improving on his previous best set at the NEWMAC Championships. Finkel turned in a 4:25.59, easily earning a lane in the top heat. Lyman’s time gives him lane 4 in tonight’s championships final.

First-year Grant Hu (MIT) set a blistering pace to open heat 3, turning at the 200 in 1:43.07. He continued to lead the field through the 400, but his early speed caught up to him along with Lucas Lang (CMS) and Connor Vincent (NYU).

First-year Alexander Schwartz (Chicago) had a big swim in the final heat. He swam past top seed Ryan Nunez (Williams) at the 150 and didn’t look back. He kept his splits sub-27 until the final three 50s. If he wants to catch Lyman tonight, he’ll have to hang onto his speed in the closing yards. Nunez made it through in 6th overall, adding over three seconds from his entry time.

Women’s 200 Yard IM – Prelims

• Division III Record: 1:57.76, Crile Hart (Kenyon), 2022
• 2024 Champion: 1:59.59, Sophia Verkleeren (Williams)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Sophia Verkleeren (Williams) – 1:58.73
2. Jennah Fadely (Kenyon) – 2:00.50
3. Kate Augustyn (MIT) – 2:01.74
4. Emily Harris (Denison) – 2:02.09
5. Gabriella Wei (Kenyon) – 2:02.36
6. Greta Gidley (Hope) – 2:02.45
7. Phoebe Ferguson (Denison) – 2:02.53
8. Mackenzie Mayfield (CMS) – 2:02.63
9. Allison Greeneway (Emory) – 2:02.68
10. Caitlin Crysel (Emory) – 2:02.95
11. Drue Thielking (Denison) – 2:03.41
12. Charlotte Wishnack (Williams) – 2:04.19
13. Anna Durak (Loras) – 2:04.32
14. Quinn Weygandt (Swarthmore) – 2:04.35
15. Sydney McCallie (Salisbury) – 2:04.40
16. Sydney Stasz (Tufts) – 2:04.47

Charlotte Wishnack (Williams) had a strong swim in heat 1, dropping over six seconds from seed and almost half a second from her best time (2:04.19). That time stood as the fastest time before the circle-seeded heats and earned her a B final berth.

In the first of the circle-seeded heats, Kate Augustyn (MIT) looked strong through the 100. Gabriella Wei (Kenyon), the defending champion in the 200 breast, dropped a 34.05 breast split to pull near even with Augustyn. Augustyn closed strong to hang onto her lead and take the heat.

Allison Greeneway (Emory) and Greta Gidley (Hope) looked even in heat 3, but the Hope senior closed slightly faster to win the heat. The 0.23-seconds separating the two ended up being key, as Greeneway found herself on the outside looking in at 9th.

In the final heat, Sophia Verkleeren (Williams) looked fully in control from start to finish. Even when pushed by 100 breast record-holder Jennah Fadely (Kenyon), Verkleeren was less than 0.5-seconds slower on the 50 breast split. The Williams senior hit the wall in 1:58.73, becoming the fifth women in Division III history to break 1:59. She also moves up to the 4th-fastest performer of all time. Fadely dropped exactly a second from her entry time to secure the 2nd fastest time of the morning.

Men’s 200 Yard IM – Prelims

• Division III Record: 1:42.97, Derek Maas (NYU), 2024
• 2024 Champion: 1:42.97, Derek Maas (NYU)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Patrick Daly (Denison) – 1:46.23
2. Brayden Morford (CMU) – 1:46.73
3. Kirill Sidorko (Kenyon) – 1:46.99
4. Jaeden-Hans Yburan (NYU) – 1:47.28
5. Cooper Costello (Chicago) – 1:47.34
6. Maksym Nechydyuk (NYU) – 1:47.54
7. Oliver Schalet (Williams) – 1:47.59
8. Devin Testin (Denison) – 1:47.74
9. McKee Thorsen (Emory) – 1:47.79
10. Gavin Jones (Denison) – 1:48.01
11. Eric Lundgren (Tufts) – 1:48.33
12. Kevin Fitzgerald (Grinnell) – 1:48.52
13. Jason Wang (MIT) – 1:48.61
14. Ryan Higgins (TCNJ) – 1:48.66
15. Marco Minai (WashU) – 1:48.68
16. Peter Meng (CWRU) – 1:48.71

Gavin Jones (Denison) held the top time before the circle seeded heats, dropping exactly a second from his best time (1:48.01).

Maksym Nechydyuk (NYU) won the first circle seeded heat, adding just under a second from seed time. He was almost caught by Oliver Schalet (Williams) on the strength of his breaststroke leg, but managed to hold on by just 0.05-seconds.

Patrick Daly (Denison) improved on his best time to win heat 5. The senior was 6th in this event last year. He was joined under 1:47 by Kirill Sidorko (Kenyon).

In the final heat, Brayden Morford was about a second off his entry time, but the CMU sophomore still easily turned in a 1:46 swim to qualify 2nd into finals.

Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Division III Record: 22.46, Kaley McIntyre (NYU), 2024
• 2024 Champion: 22.46, Kaley McIntyre (NYU)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Kaley McIntyre (NYU) – 22.30 Division III Record
2. Ava Kennedy (Emory) – 22.79
3. Francesa Coppo (Pomona-Pitzer) – 22.88
4. Genine Collins (Swarthmore) – 22.90
5. Ella Roberson (MIT)/Grace Kadlecik (Denison)- 22.97 (TIE)
6. —
7. Annika Naveen (MIT) – 23.02
8. Hannah Fathman (Albion) – 23.03
9. Alex Turvey (MIT) – 23.04
10. Alex Sotek (Geneseo) – 23.05
11. Valerie Mello (Pomona-Pitzer) – 23.08
12. Anna McGrew (Middlebury) – 23.19
13. Jillian Cudney (Tufts) – 23.22
14. Sydney Geboy (Kenyon) – 23.27
15. Amy Benson (Trinity-TX) – 23.28
16. Lauren Ryle (Hope)/Braelyn Wilson (Kean) – 23.30 (TIE) Swim-Off Required

The first NCAA record of these championships has fallen, perhaps predictably at the hands of NYU junior Kaley McIntyre. She is the 2x defending champion in this event and already held the record from her winning time last year. She sliced 0.16-seconds from that time in her swim this morning the fastest time by 0.49-seconds over Ava Kennedy (Emory).

There were four other 22-point swims this morning from Francesa Coppo (Pomona-Pitzer) Genine Collins (Swarthmore), Ella Roberson (MIT), and Grace Kadlecik (Denison).

It took 23.19 to make the A final last year; this year it was 23.03. That leaves last year’s runner-up Alex Turvey on the outside looking in by just one-hundredth of a second.

There will be a swim-off between Lauren Ryle (Hope) and Braelyn Wilson (Kean) to make it into the B final, as both swimmers turned in matching times of 23.30. (If you require more evidence for swimflation, 23.50 placed 16th out of prelims last year.)

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Division III Record: 19.37, Oliver Smith (Emory), 2018
• 2024 Champion: 19.66, Tobe Obochi (MIT)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Max Cory (Bates) – 19.56
2. Luke Schwenk (St. Mary’s-MD) – 19.59
3. Djordje Dragolovic (Kenyon) – 19.66
4. David Bajwa (Calvin) – 19.69
5. Casey Jacobs (Pomona-Pitzer) – 19.74
6. Jacob Dzurica (Saint Vincent) – 19.82
7. Nathaniel Taft (Hamilton) – 19.93
8. Kyle Reitan (UC Santa Cruz) – 19.95
9. Sebastien Vernhes (Chicago) – 19.97
10. Nick Hensel (Denison) – 19.99
11. Dylan Yin (Emory) – 20.10
12. Mike Atanasoff (RIT) – 20.13
13. Soeren Euvrard (Tufts) – 20.14
14. Brian Pabisch (Geneseo) – 20.15
15. Jonathan Tang (Chicago) – 20.17
16. Emil Lasia (CWRU)/Jack Hill (Denison) – 20.18 (TIE) (Swim-Off Required)

Continuing the swimflation trend, 10 men broke 20 seconds in prelims this morning. Last year, we saw 10 19-second swims, total, across prelims and finals of this event.

Leading the way is Max Cory (Bates), who tied the fastest time in D3 this season with a 19.56. That slices exactly a tenth off his best time set at 2024 NESCACs. Close behind is Luke Schwenk (St. Mary’s-MD), who shaved 0.05-seconds from his best time.

There must have been something in the water, because 2024 runner-up Djordje Dragolovic (Kenyon) also improved on his best time to round out the top three. David Bajwa tied his personal best from the MIAA Championships earlier this season.

There will also be a swim-off for 16th in the men’s event between Emil Lasia (CWRU) and Jack Hill (Denison), who both clocked 20.18. That’s just a touch faster than what 16th (more accurately, 15th as there was a tie) qualified in last year (20.22).

Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Prelims

• Division III Record: 3:38.05, Kenyon (O. Smith, J. Fadely, C. Hart, E. Mirus), 2022
• 2024 Champion: 3:39.17 Williams (S. Verkleeren, A. Wager, S. Kilcoyne, E. Dimter)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. NYU – 3:40.13
2. Kenyon – 3:40.78
3. Chicago – 3:40.82
4. Denison – 3:41.53
5. MIT – 3:41.55
6. Emory – 3:43.08
7. Williams – 3:43.40
8. Hope – 3:43.41
9. Calvin – 3:45.63
10. CMS – 3:45.78
11. Tufts – 3:45.82
12. Pomona-Pitzer – 3:46.93
13. Johns Hopkins – 3:47.36
14. Swarthmore – 3:47.72
15. WashU – 3:47.82
16. Amherst – 3:48.35

NYU held onto their top seed in the women’s 400 medley relay, powered by Kaley McIntyre on the anchor leg. Just around 30 minutes after lowering her own national record in the 50 freestyle, she split 48.36 for the fastest freestyle leg in the field. She was joined by teammates Nicole Ranile (54.48), Anna Li (1:03.19), and Hope Xayaveth (54.10).

Kenyon also maintained their #2 position. Jennah Fadley had the fastest breaststroke split of the field (59.75), and the only athlete to split sub-1:01.

MIT had a field-leading split from Sydney Smith (53.88) on the butterfly leg, but the Engineers slipped from their #3 seeding position.

Chicago (3:40.82) and Denison (3:41.53) jumped up to 3rd and 4th overall.

Sophia Verkleeren clocked the fastest 100 back split (53.62), just 0.14-seconds faster than D3 record-holder Kate Augustyn (53.76). They will be in adjacent lanes tonight, so keep an eye out for them to push each other tonight. This will be the only time we’ll watch the pair swim a head-to-head 100 back, as Verkleeren elected to swim the 400 IM over the 100 back.

Men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Prelims

• Division III Record: 3:09.78, Kenyon (Y. Kosian, A. Dobric, M. Krtinic, D. Dragojlovic), 2024
• 2024 Champion: 3:09.78, Kenyon (Y. Kosian, A. Dobric, M. Krtinic, D. Dragojlovic)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. CMU – 3:12.65
2. Bates – 3:12.76
3. Emory – 3:12.83
4. Kenyon – 3:13.65
5. Denison – 3:13.88
6. Tufts – 3:14.01
7. Calvin – 3:14.42
8. Connecticut College – 3:15.20
9. NYU – 3:15.23
10. MIT – 3:15.55
11. Johns Hopkins – 3:15.71
12. WashU – 3:15.80
13. RIT – 3:16.20
14. TCNJ – 3:16.29
15. Hope – 3:16.38
16. CMS – 3:17.43

Men’s 3-Meter Diving — Prelims

• Division III Record: 645.70, Connor Dignan, Denison, 2014
• 2024 Champion: 606.65, Israel Zavaleta (Kenyon)