2026 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships
- Dates: Wednesday, March 4–Saturday, March 7
- Times: Prelims 9AM Eastern, Finals 5PM Eastern
- Location: Elkhart Aquatic Center, Elkhart, IN
- Defending Champions: Keiser women (4x); Keiser men (1x)
- Championship Program
- Psych Sheet
- Qualifiers per School: Men | Women
- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Championship Central
- Recaps
- Finals: Day 1
Women’s Top 10 After Day 1
- Keiser, 80
- SCAD, 68
- Masters, 64
- St Thomas (FL), 58
- Cumberlands, 56
- Bethel (IN) , 52
- Lindsey Wilson, 46
- Milligan, 36
- William Carey, 34
- Olivet Nazarene, 28
Men’s Top 10 After Day 1
- Keiser, 121
- SCAD, 64
- William Carey, 62
- Milligan, 58
- Masters, 56
- St Thomas (FL), 54
- St Ambrose, 50
- Aquinas College, 46
- (tie) Lindsey Wilson / Cumberlands, 34
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Two of last year’s champions, both of whom set new meet records in their events, are back this year, and they will be highlighting the events on day one.
The Master’s University swimmer Katherine Dyer was last year’s women’s 200 IM champion, and her time of 2:01.49 set a new NAIA Championships record in the event. She has already been sub-200 this season, swimming 1:59.73 in November and will be looking for a new meet record this year.
In the men’s 50 freestyle, Noel de Geus has won the event three years in a row, and he will be hunting his 4th and final win in the event this season. His winning swim of 19.47 from last year broke his own Championship Record of 19.57 from the year prior.
Women’s 500 Freestyle — Prelims
- Meet Record: 4:52.24 — Alex Peters, Concordia (2011)
- 2025 Champion: Haley Vanbuskirk (St. Thomas), 5:00.87
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
- Bea Moron Alonso (St. Thomas), 5:01.99
- Juliana Lopez Morales (Cumberlands), 5:03.83
- Bella Hoare (Cumberlands), 5:04.00
- Riley Renaud (Milligan), 5:06.01
- Hannah Jyawook (Arizona Christian), 5:06.22
- Alanis Santiago (Keiser), 5:07.25
- Lena Gerl (SCAD), 5:07.27
- Nathalie Medina (Lindsey Wilson), 5:07.77
St. Thomas senior Bea Moron Alonso paced the prelims of the women’s 500 freestyle this morning in a time of 5:01.99, undercutting her previous best of 5:03.18, set at last month’s Sun Conference Championships, where she finished 5th.
The swim exemplifies the improvement Alonso has made over the last 12 months, having placed 10th in the 500 free at the 2025 NAIA Championships in a time of 5:10.08.
Cumberlands’ sophomore Juliana Lopez Morales, who was 8th in the event last season, logged a time of 5:03.83 to qualify 2nd for the final, marking her fourth career swim sub-5:04. Morales set her lifetime best of 5:03.18 at the Centre Invitational in November.
SCAD freshman Lena Gerl, who owns the fastest time in the NAIA this season at 4:57.29, added nearly 10 seconds from that mark and advanced 7th into the ‘A’ final in 5:07.27.
Cumberlands’ Bella Hoare is the only other NAIA swimmer sub-5:00 this season in 4:57.52, and she comfortably qualified 3rd into the final in 5:04.00.
Men’s 500 Freestyle — Prelims
- Meet Record: 4:20.35 — Joel Ax, SCAD (2017)
- 2025 Champion: Mate Miszlai (William Carey), 4:23.81
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
- Titouan Bernot (Cumberlands), 4:24.91
- Izaiah Trevino-Iozano (Masters), 4:26.49
- Alex Menzel (Keiser), 4:29.90
- Sergio Ybarra (Lindsey Wilson), 4:30.92
- Marat Usov (St. Ambrose), 4:32.98
- Alan Gonzalez Torres (St. Thomas), 4:32.99
- Ethan Butler (Lindsey Wilson), 4:33.07
- Miguel Leal Vieira (William Carey), 4:33.12
Cumberlands freshman Titouan Bernot knocked more than four seconds off his personal best time to claim the top seed for tonight’s final of the men’s 500 free, clocking 4:24.91 out of the penultimate heat.
Bernot, a French native, set his previous best at last month’s Mid-South Conference Championships, where he won the title.
The Masters University sophomore Izaiah Trevino-Iozano was the top seed coming in after winning the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference title last month in 4:27.96, and he lowered that best time down to 4:26.49 to win the final heat and qualify 2nd overall into tonight’s session. Trevino-Iozano is coming off setting a best time of 1:36.69 in the 200 free leading off the Masters 800 free relay last night.
Women’s 200 IM — Prelims
- Meet Record: 2:01.49 — Katherine Dyer, The Master’s (2025)
- 2025 Champion: Katherine Dyer (The Master’s), 2:01.49
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
- Katherine Dyer (Masters), 2:02.09
- Luiza Bersi (Keiser), 2:03.89
- Louise Jones (SCAD), 2:04.43
- Emma Phillips (St. Thomas), 2:05.27
- Alessia Claassen (St. Thomas), 2:05.28
- Rachel Bradley (Keiser), 2:05.52
- Nikki Hahn (SCAD), 2:06.97
- Jette Haedicke (SCAD), 2:07.29
The top teams really began separating from the pack in the women’s 200 IM. The entire A-Final was comprised of swimmers from Masters, Keiser, SCAD, and St. Thomas, the top four teams in the team standings after Wednesdays relay events, led by Masters sophomore Katherine Dyer.
Dyer is defending her title in both this 200 IM and the 400 IM this week. She hit a 28.73 split in the last 50 to lock up the middle lane for finals.
About half of the A-Final from last year returns this season, including Keiser’s Luiza Bersi. The Brazilian swam 2:01.60 mid-season at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, and is the most likely candidate to upset Dyer – though Dyer has been under two minutes this season already.
Men’s 200 IM — Prelims
- Meet Record: 1:46.76 — Alex Kusik, Keiser (2024)
- 2025 Champion: Fynn Kunze (Keiser), 1:47.85
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
- Isaiah Aleksenko (Keiser), 1:46.20
- Evan Nail (Masters), 1:47.47
- Robert Adam (Milligan), 1:49.16
- Xavier Trovesi (Life), 1:49.34
- Adam Conrad (St. Thomas), 1:49.61
- Elijah Holliman (Milligan), 1:49.83
- Yusuf Balaban (William Carey), 1:50.51
- Jack Fries (Olivet Nazarene), 1:50.93
Keiser sophomore Isaiah Aleksenko, the 2025 NAIA Swimmer of the Year, is back in a new event this year. He swam a best time to lead prelims of the 200 IM on Thursday morning. That’s a race that wasn’t one of his three wins at last year’s meet (100 fly, 100 back, 200 fly), all of which came in NAIA Records.
This swim shaved a few tenths off his lifetime best from his mid-season invite.
Evan Nail, a transfer from Arizona State to The Master’s University, is the 2nd seed in 1:47.47, while last year’s runner-up Robert Adam qualified 3rd in 1:49.16.
Women’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims
- Meet Record: 22.29 — Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific (2012)
- 2025 Champion: Maaike Broersma (Lindsey Wilson), 23.16
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
- Valle Gonzalez Ares (SCAD), 23.32
- Natalia Janiszewska (Keiser), 23.34
- Clara Patterson (Masters), 23.43
- Jaylyn Harrison (Bethel), 23.52
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- Megan Sutanto (Masters), 23.60
- Natalie Gorska (Lindsey Wilson), 23.60
- Boglarka Zsunics (Keiser), 23.80
- Sophie Bell (Brenau), 23.90
The top two seeds enterting the meet are the top two seeds entering the final in the women’s 50 free – albeit in reverse order.
Valle Gonzalez Ares from SCAD took the #1 seed in heats in 23.32, followed by Keiser’s Natalia Janiszewska in 23.34. Both swimmers have been faster this season.
The revelation of the morning heats was Master’s’ Clara Patterson, who knocked two tenths off her personal best to qualify 3rd in 23.43.
Men’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims
- Meet Record: 19.47 — Noel de Geus, Keiser (2025)
- 2025 Champion: Noel de Geus (Keiser), 19.47
‘A’ Final Qualifiers:
- Levente Mozsarik (SCAD), 19.65
- Caleb Fry (Milligan), 19.91
- Alexander Poulsen (Cumberlands), 19.93
- Noel de Geus (Keiser), 20.02
- Hanno Boeckmann (Keiser), 20.10
- Zoltan Tompos (SCAD), 20.21
- Cory Werrett (St. Ambrose), 20.24
- Jet Fuhrmann (Keiser), 20.28
Last year, Keiser went 1-2-3-4 in the men’s 50 free at the NAIA Championships. This year, the top of the podium could look very different.
SCAD’s Levente Mozsarik took the top spot in prelims in 19.65, leading three under 20 seconds. Milligan’s Caleb Fry finished 2nd in 19.91, a new best time, and Cumberlands’ Alexander Poulsen was 3rd in 19.93.
But the men from Keiser are still lurking. Last year’s champion Noel de Geus made the A-Final in 20.02, along with his teammates Hanno Bocekmann and newcomer to the group Jet Fuhrmann, who didn’t swim this race at last year’s meet.
