2026 NCAA Division III Championships: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2026 NCAA DIII Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 18-21, 2026
• Location: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
• Defending Champs: MIT women (1x) & Denison men (1x)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Video
• Live Results

NCAA DIII Championships Day 1 Prelims Heat Sheet

It’s the opening day of action at the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships from the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis as this opening prelims session will feature the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 free, preliminary heats of the 200 medley relay, and the men’s 3-meter diving event as teams will be looking to open up the scoring column in the hopes of dethroning the MIT women and Denison men here in 2026.

Men’s 500 Freestyle

• NCAA Division III Record: 4:18.35 – Arthur Conover, Kenyon (2017)

Top 8:

1. George Goins (DEN)- 4:22.17
2. Teodor Jaworski (KEN)- 4:25.57
3. Parker Chan (WSTL)- 4:25.73
4. Luke Fender (TRIN)- 4:25.90
5. Grant Hu (MIT)- 4:26.34
6. Steven Bendoraitis (TCNJ)- 4:26.36
7. Alex Schwartz (CHIC)- 4:26.54
8. Ben Pritchard (EMOR)- 4:26.56

In the first of the three circle seeded prelims heats, Denison’s George Goins looked to be in championship final form, swimming under the 2025 NCAA DIII Championship winning time of 4:22.43 in a prelims 4:22.17, nearly three and a half seconds better than anyone else in that heat. That swim is already near a full second faster than his career best, set at these championships in 2025 in 4:23.37. The next closest finisher to Goins was Trinity’s Luke Fender, who was still more than a second better than his seed time in 4:25.90.

Three swimmers battled it out in the 4th heat, as Chicago freshman Spencer Gray and TCNJ’s Steven Bendoraitis stormed to a sprint finish, despite being being half a second behind Gray heading into the final 50, Bendoraitis would use every ounce of remaining energy to get ahead of Gray on the final 15 yards and touch first in 4:26.36, just ahead of Grayin 4:26.70. Williams’ Ryan Nunez kept himself in the mix throughout, consistently turning with both Bendoraitis and Gray until the final 75 yards, finishing 3rd in the heat in 4:27.21.

In the final heat of the men’s 500 free prelims, Washington University (Missouri) freshman Parker Chan used his closing power to surge past a tight heat field that included Chicago’s Alex Schwartz (4:26.54) and Emory’s Ben Pritchard (4:26.56), who each snuck into the top 8 for tonight’s final. Chan never truly held a comfortable lead in this morning swim, and it was not until the 450 that he began to pick up the pace, splitting 25.77 on that final 50 to secure the heat win in 4:25.73.

Heat two saw a tight battle between Rafae Shafi of Tufts and Teodor Jaworski of Kenyon. Shafi controlled this race for the first 400 yards, but Jaworski, out of lane 3, stayed within half a body length of Shafi throughout the race and used a strong final 100 (53.53) to fully separate himself from Shafi and take the heat 2 win in 4:25.57. Shafi would finish 2nd in 4:28.55.

The first heat was all Evan Lyons of Connecticut College, as he would take over four seconds off of his entry time to touch first in 4:28.50.

Women’s 500 Freestyle

• NCAA Division III Record: 4:43.37 – Kendra Stern, Amherst (2011)

Top 8:

1. Emily Harris (DEN)- 4:49.19
2. Molly Haag (KEN)- 4:51.63
3. Llew Ladomirak (NYU)- 4:52.21
4. Nora Lee Brown (KEN)- 4:52.91
5. Quinn Brown (DEN)- 4:52.93
6. Madeleine Dunn (TUFT)- 4:53.30
7. Aanya Wala (NYU)- 4:54.36
8. Emery Muller (NYU)- 4:54.59

The final heat featured overall top seed Emily Harris of Denison, who comes into this meet with her top time of 4:49.89, which she swam late last month at the Kenyon Last Chance meet. Here, she looked the part of a top seed, as she and her teammate Quinn Brown consistently held those top two spots throughout the heat. Harris was smooth and consistent, holding sub-58s for the first 300 and sub-1:00s for the final 200 yards, ultimately swimming a career best in 4:49.19. Brown held off a charging Madeleine Dunn of Tufts (4:53.30) to notch a runner-up finish in the heat in 4:52.93.

Nora Lee Brown of Kenyon and Llew Ladomirak battled in heat five of these prelims; neither swimmer was able to gain an inch on the other. At the 300, the two were separated by two-tenths of a second. It wasn’t until the 400 where Ladomirak began to put some space between herself and Brown, as she managed to hammer home a big last 100 (59.41) to get her hand on the wall before Brown in 4:52.21. Brown was just seven-tenths behind in 4:52.91.

Kenyon’s Molly Haag quickly got herself into the lead in heat 4, turning nearly two seconds ahead of the field at the 150 mark. Hagg never looked out of control, cruising to the heat win in 4:51.63. NYU’s Aanya Wala looked as though she may have turned on the afterburners a tad too late, moving up slightly closer to Haag but still not posing any threat to her heart win, still managing to swim a solid morning swim of 4:54.36 for 2nd.

DePauw’s Edith Patterson left nothing up to chance in the 3rd prelims heat here, turning three seconds faster than the field at the 200 mark. Swarthmore’s Katherine Hallmark (5:00.55) was the next closest to contest Patterson at the 300 mark, potentially, but still sat multiple body lengths behind. Patterson continued to impress in the final non-circle-seeded heat, though fading a touch towards the finish, as that was her only 100 over 1:01, at 1:01.49, after consistently holding sub-1:00 splits through the first 300 and needing to be fast to potentially earn a spot in this evening’s top 8, ultimately touching in 4:55.63.

The 2nd women’s heat saw a battle between lanes 8 and 7 as Amherst freshman Ava Insteness and Claremont senior Kathryn Shaw traded leads at the 300 mark, as Shaw really shut the door with 200 to go over Insteness to claim the heat win in 4:58.27. Insteness would be passed by Middlebury’s Isla Johnston (5:02.52), but still finished 3rd in 5:04.45.

Men’s 200 IM

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

Top 8:

1. Marco Minai (WSTL)- 1:46.33
2. Brayden Morford (CMU)- 1:46.47
3. Jack Hill (DEN)- 1:46.55
4. Cooper Costello (CHIC)- 1:46.78
5. Conner Dean (NYU)- 1:46.94
6. Devin Testin (DEN)- 1:47.15
7. Carson Kalish (EMOR)- 1:47.46
8. McKee Thorsen (EMOR)- 1:47.58

NYU freshman Conner Dean fired open a blistering 23.17 fly leg and carried it through the backstroke leg to turn in the lead of the first circle seeded heat at the halfway mark (49.24, 2617 backstroke). He managed to use a serviceable breaststroke leg (31.30) to maintain a seven-tenth lead over the field, before ripping a 26.30 free leg to take the heat win in 1:46.94.

The 2nd circle seeded heat was significantly tighter as Juniors Devin Testin, Jack Hill (both Denison), and Marco Minai (Wash U) were all virtually even through the first 150. Still, a big final 50 from Minai (25.30) would surge him ahead of the two Denison men to take the heat win in 1:46.33. Hill held on as best as he could, coming up just short of Minai in 1:46.55, while Testin would finish 3rd in the heat in 1:47.15.

Carnegie Mellon’s Brayden Morford managed to hold off Cooper Costello (1:46.78 )of Chicago for the final heat win in 1:46.47. Morford really took control of this race on the backstroke, splitting 26.90 compared to Costello’s 27.36. From there, it was a foot race, as Morford reached that final wall just three tenths quicker.

Women’s 200 IM

• NCAA Division III Record: 1:57.76 – Crile Hart, Kenyon (2022)

Top 8:

1. Greta Gidley (HOPE)- 2:01.07
2. Sophie Phelps (WILL)- 2:01.39
3. Kelsey Van Eldik (KEN)- 2:01.42
4. Samantha Thiele (EMOR)- 2:02.17
5. Bennett Jones (PP)- 2:03.08
6. Savannah Xu (CMU)- 2:03.28
7. Allison Greenway (EMOR)- 2:03.62
8. Olivia Chow (KEAN)- 2:03.64

Hope’s Greta Gidley proved her top-seed status with a modest 2:01.07, over half a second off her entry time, but still managed to take the top spot for tonight’s final in 2:01.07. Her 33.94 breast leg was nearly two seconds faster than that of #2 prelims swimmer Sophie Phelps from the heat prior.

Sophie Phelps of Williams College capitalized on a a big breaststroke split (35.78) to space herself from the heat 5 field, pairing that penultimate 50 with a closing freestyle split of 28.12 to snag the heat win and .. fastest time of the prelims, Pomona-Pitzer’s Bennett Jones was one hundredth faster than her seed time to snag the runner-up finish in the heat in 2:03.08.

In the first of three circle-seeded heats, Kenyon’s Kelsey Van Eldik got her hand on the wall first ahead of a pair of Emory swimmers in Samantha Thiele (2:02.17) and Allison Greeneway (2:03.62). Van Eldik swam over two seconds faster than her entry time of 2:03.64, which also stood as her career best from the Total Performance Invitational in November.

Kean’s Olivia Chow used a big middle 100 (29.65, 37.88) to secure a heat five win and hold off Ashlyn Widmer of Kenyon (2:03.97) in 2:03.64.

Heat 4 saw Emory’s Caitlin Crysel swim nearly two seconds better than her seed time to take the early heat win in 2:03.67 after being entered with a 2:05.52.

Men’s 50 Freestyle

• NCAA Division III Record: 19.37 – Oliver Smith, Emory (2018)

Top 8:

1. Djordje Dragojlovic (KEN)- 19.59
2. John Butler (CHIC)- 19.64
3. Max Cory (BATE)- 19.71
4. Jacob Dzurica (SVC)- 19.73
5. Nickolas Hensel (DEN)- 19.77
6. Kyle Reitan (UCSC)- 19.86
7. MJ Hoban (TCNJ)- 19.87
8. Hayden Tupper (EMOR)- 20.03

Seven of the top eight swimmers were under 20 in the men’s 50 free prelims, as Kenyon’s Djordje Dragojlovic surged to the top seed for tonight’s final in 19.59, sitting just six hundredths off of his career best from the total Performance Invitational in November.

Chicago’s John Butler finished with the 2nd fastest time of the morning in 19.64, besting his newly minted top time from the UAA Championships in February, where he won this event in 19.72.

The next three, Max Cory of Bates (19.71), Jacob Dzurica of Saint Vincent (19.73), and Denison’s Nickolas Hensel (19.77), are separated by just sixth hundredths, and each is looking to battle for high podium spots this evening.

Women’s 50 Freestyle

• NCAA Division III Record: 22.15 – Kaley McIntyre, NYU (2025)

Top 8:

1. Genine Collins (SWAT)- 22.53
2. Kaley McIntyre (NYU)- 22.59
3. Anna McGrew (MIDD)/Ava Kennedy (EMOR)- 22.77
4. (tie)
5. Maeve O’Donnell (NYU)- 22.85
6. Braelyn Wilson (KEAN)- 22.89
7. Francesca Coppo (PP)- 23.01
8. Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault (KEN)- 23.02

Swarthmore’s Genine Collins swam a career best 22.53 to secure the top seed in the women’s 50 free finals, outpacing reigning champion and NCAA DIII record holder Kaley McIntyre for those top honors, as McIntyre finished well off her best in 22.59.

Middlebury’s Anna McGrew and Emory’s Ava Kennedy each tied for the 3rd fastest times of the morning in 22.77, with each looking to make a charge for the podium this evening.

Six of the eight championship finalists were under 23 seconds this morning, though none looked to be major threats to that DIII record from last season’s championships of 22.15.

Men’s 400 Medley Relay:

• NCAA Division III Record: 3:09.78 – Kenyon (2024)

Top 8:

1. Bates- 3:09.93
2. Chicago- 3:11.67
3. Emory- 3:12.16
4. TCNJ- 3:12.58
5. NYU- 3:13.14
6. Kenyon/Denison- 3:13.86
7. (tie)
8. Rhodes- 3:14.89

The Bates relay of Timothy Johnson (47.98), Marrich Somridhivej (51.49), Nathaniel Oppenheim (47.44), and Max Cory (43.02) nearly downed the two-year-old Division III record in prelims in 3:09.93, just 15 hundredths away from Kenyon’s 2024 mark of 3:09.78, building the excitement for this evening’s final.

TCNJ battled with NYU to earn the first heat win in the men’s 400 medley relay, as it came down to anchor leg MJ Hoban, who split 43.42 to keep Pierce Downs (43.77) and NY at bay, in 3:13.14. NYU was not far behind at all, touching 2nd in the heat by a good margin in 3:13.14.

The 2nd heat was highlighted by a very strong middle 200 from Chicago, as Ethan Taylor (53.55) and Cooper Costello helped move Chicago from the middle of the pack to a sizeable lead following Costello’s roaring 46.21 fly leg. Butler, fresh off a 50 free swim 20 minutes prior, held the anchor responsibility, splitting 43.15 for a combined 3:11.67.

Women’s 400 Medley Relay

• NCAA Division III Record: 3:38.05 – Kenyon (2022)

Top 8:

1. Kenyon- 3:40.09
2. Emory- 3:42.11
3. NYU- 3:43.01
4. Denison- 3:43.13
5. Claremont- 3:43.56
6. Williams- 3:43.68
7. Swarthmore- 3:43.86
8. Colby- 3:44.63

Kenyon fully asserted themselves in the final heat, after sitting just ahead of a very tight backstroke field. Kelsey Van Eldik‘s breaststroke leg of 1:00.74 put them in the driver’s seat. From there, it was clear that Kenyon was in top form, as Nora Kortuem (54.70) and Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault (49.85) helped lead Kenyon to the top prelims time in 3:40.09.

Emory and Kean’s backstokers (Penny Celtnieks of Emory (54.57), and Braelyn Wilson of Kean (54.94)) got their relays off to strong starts through the first 100 yards of the 3rd heat. But Emory’s breaststroke leg, Katie Cohen (1:01.57), would not be contested in the slightest, as she had gotten her relay into a more than full second lead over the field at the 200 mark. The rest of the relay would stay much of the same as Allison Greenway (55.43) and Caitlin Crysel (50.54) would stamp home the heat win in 3:42.11 for Emory.

Sydney Smith opened strongly for MIT, and that momentum would be carried through the breaststroke by Sarah Bernard (1:04.01) to give the early lead to MIT through the first 200 yards of the first circle seeded heat. Williams College would then take over the lead through a strong butterfly leg from Esme Van Orden in 54.58. Sophie Phelps (50.00) was tasked with the anchor but would battle Swarthmore’s charge from Genine Collins (49.50) and ultimately take the heat win in 3:43.68.

Men’s 3-meter Diving

• NCAA Division III Record: 645.70 – Connor Dignan, Dension (2014)

Top 8:

1. Nick Fogle (DEN)- 511.50
2. Chase Smith (KEN)- 511.30
3. Solomon Berkenwald (EMOR)- 505.30
4. Conor Compton (ALFST)- 502.45
5. Daniel Barrientos (HOB)- 493.95
6. Greg Meder (GEN)- 487.30
7. Rowan Fitzsimmons (CEN)- 481.30
8. Garrett George (CEN)- 479.70

Denison’s Nick Fogle and Kenyon’s Chase Smith battled it out through all 11 rounds of the men’s 3-meter diving prelims, as both divers were consistently at the top of the leaderboard round after round, ultimately only being separated by .20 points after prelims ahead of tonight’s championship final.

Emory’s Solomon Berkenwald (505.30) and Alfred State’s Conor Compton (502.45) each just got over that 500 point mark to finish 3rd and 4th and secure their championship final appearances.