2026 NAIA Nationals: Day 4 Ups/Downs – SCAD, Cumberlands Men Separated by 1 Point for 2nd

2026 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving National 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
  • Day 1 Finals
  • Day 2 Prelims | Finals
  • Day 3 Prelims | Finals
  • Day 4 Prelims

Day 4

For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best at prelims. In prelims, swimmers qualify for one of two finals heats: the top 8 finishers make the A final, places 9 through 16 the B final. In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the B heat (spots 9-16) can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they put up the fastest or slowest time of any heat in the final.

With that in mind, we’ll be tracking “Ups” and “Downs” after each prelims session. “Up” refers to swimmers and divers in the A final, “Down” to B finalists.

Women’s Meet

Women’s Top 10 After Day 3

1. Keiser, 441
2. SCAD, 344
3. Cumberlands, 287
4. Thomas (FL), 264
5. Masters, 232
6. Bethel (IN), 200
7. Lindsey Wilson, 145
8. Milligan, 113
9. William Carey, 106
10. Indiana Wesleyan, 86

Keiser and SCAD came into the meet with incredible depth and lived up to their psych sheet seedings every day, getting their swimmers (and divers, in Keiser’s case) into the ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals of every event. They finished Day 4 prelims with 7 up, 6 down and 5 up, 4 down, respectively, and remain without competition for 1st and 2nd place in the standings.

St Thomas and Cumberlands are still in a very close race for 3rd place, and they both had strong mornings in Elkhart. St Thomas earned 5 ‘A’ final and ‘4’ B final slots, while Cumberlands went 4 up/3 down.

Bether and Masters both landed 4 top-8 finals slots, while Olivet Nazarene earned 3.

Day 4 Ups/Downs – Women

Scoring Day 4 Prelims (plus 1650 Free* and 400 Free Relay as seeded)

*includes results from slower heats

Projected Day 4 Scores – Women

Men’s Meet

Men’s Top 10 After Day 3

1. Keiser, 484
2. Cumberlands, 257
3. Milligan, 254
4. SCAD, 238
5. Thomas (FL), 230
6. William Carey, 209
7. St Ambrose, 184.5
8. Masters, 177
9. Life, 121.5
10. Aquinas College, 118

Keiser has remained untouchable since Day 1, and with 6 ‘A’ and 4 ‘B’ finalists tonight, the Seahawks have the 2026 title all but in the pocket.

The more exciting battle is brewing in the team race for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

At the end of Day 2, SCAD led a tight pack consisting of Milligan, William Carey, Cumberlands, St Thomas, and St Ambrose. On Day 3, Cumberlands was a the top of the group, with Milligan just 3 points behind. SCAD led St Thomas by 8, and William Carey had fallen out of the race for 2nd.

Tonight’s finals session will be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. After prelims, SCAD is projected to finish 1 point ahead of Cumberlands, while Milligan is expected to top St Thomas for 4th. SCAD and Cumberlands each picked up 5 ‘A’ finalists and 4 ‘B’ finalists.

William Carey scored 4 up, 1 down; Milligan, 3/4; and St Thomas, 3/2.

Day 4 Ups/Downs – Men

Scoring Day 4 Prelims (plus 1650 Free* and 400 Free Relay as seeded)

*includes results from slower heats

Projected Day 4 Scores – Men