2026 NAIA National Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

After winning the 200 IM on Thursday in a new NAIA National Record, Keiser sophomore Isaiah Aleksenko will be out for more on Friday as the top seed in the 100 fly.

That is one of two races in which he has already set the NAIA National Record this season, though he chose the 100 fly over the 100 back. He is seeded almost two seconds ahead of the next-best competitor.

Meanwhile, his teammate Noel de Geus will be looking for redemption in the 100 breaststroke, an event where he’s the national record holder, after being unable to defend his title in the 50 free on Thursday.

On the women’s side, Masters’ Katherine Dyer is heavily favored for her second title. After slipping to 2nd in the 200 IM, falling to a big best time by Keiser’s Luiza Bersi, Dyer is a nine-second favorite in the women’s 400 IM on Thursday.

Women’s 100 Fly – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 53.70, Lisa Tixier, Biola – 2017
• 2025 Champion: Ines Laurent, Keiser – 54.33

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Luiza Bersi (Keiser) – 54.25
2. Zselyke Papp (Keiser) – 55.75
3. Valle Gonzalez Ares (SCAD) – 55.84
4. (TIE)
   • Ella Sherwood (Bethel) – 56.92
   • Eliza Nuet (Bethel) – 56.92
6. Chloe Rhodenizer (Indiana Wesleyan) – 57.08
7. Abby Maniace (Milligan) – 57.29
8. Irene Artabe Abasalo (St. Ambrose) – 57.45

After pulling off a big upset in the women’s 200 IM on Thursday night, Keiser’s Luiza Bersi entered the heats of the women’s 100 fly as the favorite – and secured the top seed in prelims with a 54.25. That’s about six-tenths off her season best in the race.

She is trailed by her teammate Zselyke Papp (55.75) as the dominant Keiser team chases their first 1-2 finish of the 2026 championships in either a men’s or women’s race.

Lurking and looking for an upset is SCAD’s Valle Gonzalez Ares, who won the 50 free on Thursday night. She cruised to a 55.84 in prelims.

A pair of Bethel swimmers Ella Sherwood and Eliza Nuet tied for 4th in prelims. Sherwood used a new personal best to get there.

Indiana Wesleyan’s Chloe Rhodenizer gave the Wildcats their first A-Final swimmer of the meet by qualifying 6th in 57.08. They did previously have a diver Macy Schmidtgall finish 5th in the 3-meter springboard event.

Men’s 100 Fly – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 45.93, Isaiah Aleksenko, Keiser – 2025 (midseason)
• 2025 Champion: Isaiah Aleksenko, Kesier – 46.01

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Isaiah Aleksenko (Keiser) – 45.49 (NAIA RECORD)
2. Christoph Haenel (Milligan) – 47.77
3. Dawid Malik (Keiser) – 47.88
4. Bo Kasten (SCAD) – 47.99
5. Jayen Viscaino (St. Thomas) – 48.52
6. Alexander Poulsen (Cumberlands) – 48.55
7. Nedas Giedraitis (William Carey) – 48.57
8. Sergio Tudor (Milligan) – 48.59)

Keiser University’s Isaiah Aleksenko, already with a 200 IM title and record under his belt, wasted no time on Friday morning in the heats of the men’s 100 fly.

He posted a 45.49 in prelims, taking .44 seconds off his own NAIA Record and sitting more than 2.2 seconds ahead of the field going into finals. Aleksenko, a native of the Northern Mariana Islands, is the only swimmer in NAIA history under 46 seconds in the race.

While he’s far out in front of the field, there were other standout performances in prelims. Milligan’s Christoph Haenel from Germany dropped 1.18 seconds to qualify 2nd in 47.77 ahead of Keiser’s Dawid Malik who qualified 3rd in 47.88, a .85 second improvement.

An international-heavy final even by NAIA standards, only one American will swim in the A-Final: 4th-place qualifier Bo Kasten from SCAD.

Women’s 400 IM – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 4:16.63, Katherine Dyer, Masters – 2024 (midseason)
• 2025 Champion: Katherine Dyer, Masters – 4:21.33

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Katherine Dyer (Masters) – 4:25.64
2. Alessia Claassen (St. Thomas) – 4:29.09
3. Rachel Bradley (Keiser) – 4:29.90
4. Bella Hoare (Cumberlands) – 4:31.78
5. Emma Phillips (St. Thomas) – 4:32.71
6. Hannah Jyawook (Arizona Christian) – 4:32.80
7. Lily Windham (Keiser) – 4:36.60
8. Greta Aldrovandi (Keiser) – 4:36.78

The top contenders were all in cruise control in prelims of the women’s 400 IM. That includes defending champion and NAIA Record holder Katherine Dyer from The Master’s University, who qualified first in 4:25.64.

While she has been off her best so far at this meet, including being the victim of an upset in the 200 IM, she is still the heavy favorite in finals.

St. Thomas’ Alessia Claassen jumped from the 4th seed to 2nd qualifier with a 4:29.09, with a pair of 4:2o-somethings from earlier this season in Rachel Bradley (4:29.90) and Bella Hoare (4:31.78) just behind her in the heats.

Men’s 400 IM – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 3:47.95, Kevin Keil, SCAD – 2025
• 2025 Champion: Kevin Keil, SCAD – 3:48.61

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Evan Nail (Masters) – 3:53.02
2. Xavier Trovesi (Life) – 3:55.16)
3. Alex Menzel (Keiser) – 3:55.77
4. Adam Conrad (St. Thomas) – 3:55.88
5. Fabizio Pacioni (Cumberlands) – 3:57.53
6. Abel Eszenyi (SCAD) – 3:58.15
7. Sergio Ybarra (Lindsey Wilson) – 3:59.09
8. Yusuf Balaban (William Carey) – 3:59.18

The top 8 seeds in the men’s 400 IM all held serve and qualified for the ‘A’ final of the event on Friday morning, led by a 3:53.02 from Evan Nail.

There was a pretty significant shakeup in the ordering, however. Xavier Trovesi (3:55.16) dropped 1.47 seconds to qualify 2nd and Alex Menzel (3:55.77) dropped 2.86 seconds to qualify 3rd.

That put them both ahead of Adam Conrad from St. Thomas, who was the top seed entering the event and who still has the best time in the NAIA this season. He qualified 4th in 3:55.88.

Women’s 200 Free – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 1:47.37, Kirsten de Goede, Lindsey Wilson – 2025
• 2025 Champion: Kirsten de Goede, Lindsey Wilson – 1:48.74

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Kylee Sears (Masters) – 1:51.32
2. Alanis Santiago (Keiser) – 1:51.63
3. Jaylyn Harrison (Bethel) – 1:52.47
4. Ugne Takuseviciute (Cumberlands) – 1:53.05
5. Lena Gerl (SCAD) – 1:53.25
6. Martine Abrahamsen (St. Thomas) – 1:53.93
7. Alyssa Osborn (Olivet Nazarene) – 1:54.03
8. Mya Nemechek (New College of Florida) – 1:54.38

The top four qualifiers in the women’s 200 free prelims went exactly to chalk. Racing in the vacuum left by Kirsten de Goede‘s absence (she’s on the team’s roster but hasn’t raced since November), Kylee Sears qualified 1st in 1:51.32, followed by Alanis Santiago, Jaylyn Harrison, and Ugne Takuseviciute.

The first crack came from St. Thomas’ Bea Moron Alonso, who added 2.70 seconds from seed to fall to the B-Final as the 14th qualifier. While there are races where a 2.70 second add is enough to stay in the top 8, this 200 free saw personal bests in prelims from 8 of the top 12 qualifiers.

Men’s 200 Free – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 1:34.89, Joel Ax, SCAD – 2017
• 2025 Champion: Jake Hutchinson, Keiser – 1:37.14

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Titouan Bernot (Cumberlands) & Izaiah Trevino-Iozano (Masters) – 1:35.75
2. –
3. Zoltan Tompos (SCAD) – 1:37.16
4. Carlos Trinidad Sancho (Keiser) – 1:38.28
5. Hanno Boechmann (Keiser) – 1:38.30
6. Adam Salama (William Carey) – 1:38.36
7. Dylan Crane (Masters) – 1:38.51
8. Mert Basaran (St. Thomas) – 1:38.58

The Cumberlands’ Titouan Bernot and Masters’ Izaiah Trevino-Iozano posted matching 1:35.75s to lead all qualifiers by over a second in the men’s 200 free.

Both swimmers swum their races nearly identical this morning, with both opening through the front half in 46-mids before closing in 49-lows.

The only other swimmer to crack 1:38 on the morning was SCAD’s Zoltan Tompos who clocked 1:37.16 to make himself the clear favorite for the bronze medal. The Hungarian native was out much closer than the top two, flipping at 47.9, but closed just as fast over the final 100.

All three swimmers’ times this morning were new lifetime bests.

Women’s 100 Breast – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 1:00.13, Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser – 2025
• 2025 Champion: Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser – 1:00.13

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Nikki Hahn (SCAD) – 1:01.11
2. Kate Vorontsova (Keiser) – 1:03.41
3. Megan Schoenlein (Cumberlands) – 1:03.97
4. Louise Jones (SCAD) – 1:04.31
5. Boglarka Zsunics (Keiser) – 1:04.38
6. Eszter Kardos (William Carey) – 1:04.50
7. Marlien Crewe-Brown (Campbellsville) – 1:04.79
8. Celin Ullern (Cumberlands) – 1:04.99

The women’s 100 breaststroke final is shaping up to have two storylines: how fast can SCAD’s Nikki Hahn go, and the barn-burner race among the other seven swimmers for the remaining two spots on the podium.

Hahn blasted a lifetime-best 1:01.11 to lead all qualifiers into tonight’s final by a whopping 2.3 seconds, with Keiser’s Kate Vorontosva (1:03.41) and the Cumberlands’ Megan Schoenlein (1:03.97) the only other swimmers to dip under 1:04.

Vorontosva has been as quick as 1:03.05 in her career, while Schoenlein’s time marks her first-ever venture under 1:04.

SCAD, Cumberlands, and Keiser each put two “up”, with William Carey and Campbellsville each qualifying a representivie into the championship heat.

Men’s 100 Breast – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 51.43, Noel de Geus, Keiser – 2024
• 2025 Champion: Noel de Geus, Keiser – 51.73

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Noel de Geus (Keiser) – 52.76
2. Caleb Fry (Milligan) – 53.76
3. Hunter Boudreau (William Carey) – 53.99
4. Sam Pilkington (Ave Maria) – 54.03
5. Cory Werrett (St. Ambrose) – 54.61
6. Bence Meresz (Life) – 54.84
7. Elijah Holliman (Milligan) – 55.13
8. Eric Risland (St. Thomas) – 55.14

NAIA record holder Noel de Geus of Keiser rocked a season-best 52.76 to lead the men’s 100 breast prelims by a full second over Milligan’s Caleb Fry (53.76) and William Carey’s Hunter Boudreau (53.99), with the trio the lone swimmers to break 54 seconds.

de Geus’ record is the 51.43 he threw down at the 2024 championships, and he’s the clear favorite to make it his fourth straight national win in a few hours’ time.

Fry wasn’t far off his 53.56 best time that he swam to take runner-up behind de Geus last year, while Boudreau’s personal best is the 53.40 he clocked to nearly beat de Geus’ 53.32 at last month’s Sun Conference Championships.

Women’s 100 Back – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 52.76, Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific – 2012
• 2025 Champion: Maaike Broersma, Lindsey Wilson – 53.71

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Natalia Janiszewska (Keiser) – 54.30
2. Sophie Bell (Brenau) – 54.91
3. Jette Haedicke (SCAD) – 55.33
4. Clara Patterson (Masters) – 56.45
5. Grace Funck (William Carey) – 56.85
6. Natalia Gorska (Lindsey Wilson) – 56.97
7. Elena Wlodarczyk (SCAD) – 57.37
8. Aixa Recchioni (Bethel) – 57.58

In her NAIA debut, Keiser’s Natalie Janiszewska clocked a personal-best 54.30 to lead Brenau’s Sophie Bell (54.91) and SCAD’s Jette Haedicke (55.33) into the ‘A’ final. Those three were the only swimmers to break 56 seconds on the day.

Janiszewska’s personal best is the 53.83 she clocked at the Zippy Invitational in December, a time that, if replicated, should secure her the gold medal tonight given that Bell’s 54.91 this morning was her first time under 55.

Haedicke, meanwhile, narrowly missed her 55.07 personal best from last month’s Sun Conference Championships, where she finished second behind Janiszewska.

Men’s 100 Back – Prelims

• NAIA Record: 45.65, Isaiah Aleksenko, Keiser – 2025 (mid-season)
• 2025 Champion: Isaiah Aleksenko, Keiser – 46.12

Top 8 ‘A’ Finalists:

1. Brandon Holder (Cumberlands) – 48.76
2. Kervens Warnon (St. Thomas) – 48.92
3. Nicklas Pedersen (Keiser) – 48.96
4. Ruthiik Satti (Cumberlands) – 48.98
5. Paxton Smith (Milligan) – 49.26
6. Marcel Setlak (Keiser) – 49.34
7. Martin Sener (Midland) – 49.46
8. Maxi Jacquet (St. Ambrose) – 49.57

The men’s 100 backstroke is shaping up to potentially be the race of the night. Three swimmers broke 49 seconds this morning, with just 0.22 separating the top four and under a second covering the entire ‘A’ final.

The Cumberlands’ Brandon Holder (48.76) led the way ahead of St. Thomas’ Kervens Warnon (48.92), Keiser’s Nicklas Pedersen (48.96), and Holder’s teammate Ruthiik Satti (48.98).

Tonight’s race will likely come down to who has a 47-second swim in the tank, or perhaps even a 48-low. Warnon has been as quick as 48.34 this season, while Pedersen has clocked 48.59 and Satti 48.69, suggesting all three have more in reserve.