2026 NCAA Division III Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2026 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 18-21, 2026
• Location: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
• Defending Champs: MIT women (1x) & Denison men (1x)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Results on Meet Mobile: “NCAA DIII Championships”
• Live Video
• Live Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1
• Day 2 Prelim Heat Sheets

The second day of action from the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships in Indianapolis kicks off this morning with preliminary heats in the 200 free, 100 fly, 400 IM and 200 free relay.

The NYU women enter the day holding a 12.5-point lead over Kenyon after Kaley McIntyre claimed her fourth straight title in the 50 free last night, though the Owls are coming in with some momentum after breaking the Division III record in the 400 medley relay to close the first finals session.

On the men’s side, Denison sits 21 points clear of Emory after picking up two event victories last night—George Goins in the 500 free and Nick Fogle in the 3-meter diving event.

Women’s Team Standings – Thru Day 1

1. NYU, 121
2. Kenyon, 108.5
3. Emory, 92.5
4. Denison, 63.5
5. Swarthmore, 48
6. Williams, 45
7. Hope, 38
8. Claremont, 35
9. Tufts/Pomona-Pitzer, 28
10. –

Men’s Team Standings – Thru Day 1

1. Denison, 118
2. Emory, 97
3. Chicago, 96
4. Kenyon, 83
5. NYU, 71
6. Bates, 57
7. TCNJ, 48
8. Williams, 37
9. Wash U. MO, 32
10. Centre College, 30

Thursday morning kicks off with the 200 free, where McIntyre comes in as the three-time defending champion in the women’s event and the men’s race is headlined by Denison’s Jack Hill and Chicago’s John Butler, who rank 1-2 in the nation this season at 1:35-low.

The 100 fly will feature both defending champions, with MIT’s Sydney Smith on the women’s side and Chicago’s Cooper Costello for the men, while both titles are vacant in the 400 IM with last year’s winners having graduated.

The NYU duo of Maksym Nechydyuk and Conner Dean head up the men’s 400 IM field as the top two seeds and the only ones under 3:50 this season, while the women’s race features three swimmers seeded in the 4:20 range, led by Denison senior Emily Harris, who was 3rd last year.

In the women’s 200 free relay, NYU is the big favorite as the defending champion and top seed, while the men’s race sets up for an interesting showdown with Denison, Carnegie Mellon and NYU all having broken 1:19 this season. Chicago is the defending champion, but only returns half of last year’s winning squad.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 1:34.74, James McChesney (TCNJ) – 2023
• 2025 Winner: Colin Twiss (Coast Guard), 1:36.68

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Jack Hill (DEN), 1:35.20
2. John Butler (CHIC), 1:36.13
3. Charles Platt (CALV), 1:36.39
4. Teodor Jaworski (KEN), 1:36.92
5. George Goins (DEN), 1:37.00
6. Jack Goepfrich (AMHE), 1:37.10
7. Nickolas Hensel (DEN), 1:37.28
8. Harrison Parsons (DEN), 1:37.46

The top three seeds delivered in the heats of the men’s 200 free, as Denison’s Jack Hill, Chicago’s John Butler and Calvin’s Charles Platt won each of the three circle-seeded heats to advance 1-2-3 into tonight’s ‘A’ final.

Hill, a junior who leads the nation this season after setting a best time of 1:35.18 at the Denison Invite in December, was just two one-hundredths shy of his lifetime best in 1:35.20, earning him the top spot in the session by nearly a full second. He was the runner-up in this event last season.

Butler, a sophomore who was 3rd last year as a freshman, clocked 1:36.13 to win the penultimate heat and advance 2nd into the final. He set a best time of 1:35.20 at the Phoenix Fall Classic in November to rank 2nd to Hill in the nation this season.

Platt, who didn’t even race this event last year at NCAAs, clocked 1:36.39 to win Heat 3 and qualify 3rd overall, just shy of his lifetime best of 1:36.27 set at last month’s MIAA Championships.

Kenyon senior Teodor Jaworski knocked more than a second and a half off his lifetime best in 1:36.92 to advance in 4th, while Denison sophomore George Goins, who won last night’s 500 free, also dropped big—1.44 seconds off his PB—to qualify 5th in 1:37.00.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 1:44.74, Kaley McIntyre (NYU) – 2026
• 2025 Winner: Kaley McIntyre (NYU), 1:44.88

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Kaley McIntyre (NYU), 1:46.29
2. Llew Ladomirak (NYU), 1:48.45
3. Elizabeth Burkhardt (PP), 1:49.62
4. Mary Feliz (MIT), 1:49.96
5. Molly Haag (KEN), 1:50.06
6. Nina Aballea (PP), 1:50.29
7. Emery Muller (NYU), 1:50.39
8. Natalie Boorjian (EMOR), 1:50.58

The top three qualifiers and four of the eight swimmers advancing into the ‘A’ final of the women’s 200 free came out of the sixth and final heat, and it was a pair of NYU Violets leading the way.

Three-time defending champion and Division III record holder Kaley McIntyre cruised to the fastest time by more than two seconds in 1:46.29, going out fast—turning in 51.37 at the 100—before coming home comfortably. The senior is coming off resetting the D3 record last month in a time of 1:44.74.

Her freshman teammate Llew Ladomirak had a phenomenal swim to touch 2nd in 1:48.45, improving on her previous best of 1:48.93 set nearly two years ago at the 2024 CIF Central Coast Section Championships. Ladomirak had previously been 1:49.62 this season, which ranked her 6th in the country.

Pomona-Pitzer freshman Elizabeth Burkhardt tied her personal best on the number to advance 3rd overall from Heat 6 in a time of 1:49.62. She previously went that time at the 2025 CIF Central Coast Section Championships.

MIT sophomore Mary Feliz (1:49.96) out-touched Kenyon senior and 2025 NAA runner-up Molly Haag (1:50.06) to win the first circle-seeded heat as they qualified 4th and 5th into the final, while Pomona-Pitzer junior Nina Aballea topped the penultimate heat in 1:50.29 to advance in 6th.

Salisbury first-year Rowan O’Donoghue came into the meet seeded 5th with her time of 1:49.26 from last month’s NJAC Championships, but she ended up on the outside looking in, tying for 9th with Emory’s Emma Lunn in 1:50.74. It’s possible the two will have a swim-off for the first alternate slot in the ‘A’ final, though both will be racing tonight regardless.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 45.97, Cooper Costello (Chicago) – 2025
• 2025 Winner: Cooper Costello (Chicago), 45.97

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Cooper Costello (CHIC), 46.06
2. Brayden Morford (CMU), 46.70
3. Cami Wilson (SWAT), 47.10
4. Noah Reice (CGA), 47.21
5. Joe McChesney (TCNJ), 47.27
6. Ethan Bonow (ASBU), 47.69
7. Cam Blevins-Mohr (DEN), 47.81
8. Owen Hancock (GRO), 47.85

Defending champion and NCAA record holder Cooper Costello threw down a blistering swim in this morning’s prelims of the men’s 100 fly, coming within a tenth of his all-time mark.

The Chicago junior put up a time of 46.06 to fall just nine one-hundredths shy of the 45.97 D3 record he set last year. Costello came into the meet as the fastest swimmer in the nation this season with his 46.39 from last month’s UAA Championships.

Carnegie Mellon junior Brayden Morford, who was 4th in the 2025 NCAA final, joined Costello under 47 seconds by clocking 46.70 in Heat 5, undercutting his season-best by two-tenths. He owns a personal best time of 46.44, set in November 2024.

Swarthmore senior Cami Wilson grabbed the third seed for the ‘A’ final after winning the first circle-seeded heat in a time of 47.10, just shy of his 46.91 season-best. He was 8th in last year’s final.

There will be a swim-off for the last spot in the ‘B’ final between MIT junior Bryce Roberts and Denison freshman Sam Hibbert after they produced matching times of 48.21 to tie for 16th.

UPDATE: Both Roberts and Hibbert were faster in the swim-off, As ROberts would touch just ahead in 48.06 while Hibbert was only five hundredths behind in 48.11.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 52.64, Kirsten Nitz (Wheaton) – 2014
• 2025 Winner: Sydney Smith (MIT), 53.96

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Madeleine Kan (CMS), 53.81
2. Haley Zelen (CSB), 54.19
3. Maggie Farley (WILL), 54.30
4. Sun Young Byun (CMS), 54.56
5. Audrey Gil (CMU), 54.60
6. Sydney Smith (MIT), 54.76
7. Ken Lee (JHU), 54.87
8. Esme Van Orden (WILL), 54.88

Claremont Mudd-Scripps senior Madeleine Kan dropped a half-second off her personal best time to claim the top seed for tonight’s final of the women’s 100 fly.

Kan, who won the SCIAC title last month in a PB of 54.30, clocked 53.81 to lead the prelims and establish herself as the only woman under 54 seconds. Her swim is notably quicker than what Sydney Smith went to win the 2025 NCAA title (53.96), when Kan placed 13th out of the ‘B’ final in 55.23.

Saint Benedict freshman Haley Zelen won the penultimate heat in 54.19 to advance 2nd overall, while defending champion Smith was 2nd in the heat in 54.76 to advance 6th overall.

Williams freshman Maggie Farley set a new best time of 54.30 to win the first circle-seeded heat over CMS senior Sun Young Byun (54.56) and Carnegie Mellon first-year Audrey Gil (54.60) as they advanced 3rd, 4th and 5th overall.

The shocker of the morning thus far came from Rowan senior Ella Pennington, the top seed coming in, who added nearly two seconds from her nation-leading time in 55.78 to finish 24th overall. Pennington established her PB of 53.87 back in November and won the NJAC title last month in 54.53.

MEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 3:46.62, Harrison Curley (Kenyon) – 2015
• 2025 Winner: Kirill Sidorko (Kenyon), 3:48.75

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Maksym Nechydyuk (NYU), 3:48.60
2. Conner Dean (NYU), 3:48.99
3. Owen Vale (AMHE), 3:50.06
4. Crow Thorsen (EMOR), 3:50.63
5. Evan Graham (GETT), 3:51.69
6. Grant Hu (MIT), 3:51.72
7. Ethan Manske (KEN), 3:52.31
8. Marco Minai (WSTL), 3:52.68

The NYU duo of Maksym Nechydyuk and Conner Dean set themselves up for an exciting showdown in tonight’s final of the men’s 400 IM after the teammates posted the top two times of the morning by a wide margin.

Dean, a freshman, won Heat 2 in a new lifetime best of 3:48.99, improving on the 3:49.97 mark he established at last month’s UAA Championships, where he beat Nechydyuk head-to-head for the conference title.

Nechydyuk, who was the runner-up in last year’s NCAA final, answered in the next heat, trailing Dean’s pace by a touch at the halfway mark before gaining a second on the back half to clock 3:48.60 and qualify 1st into the final.

Nechydyuk came into meet ranked 1st in the country with his time of 3:49.12 from November. He owns a best time of 3:48.42, set back in December 2023 at Winter Juniors – East.

Amherst freshman Owen Vale topped the first heat in a time of 3:50.06, improving on his month-old best time of 3:50.78 from the NESCAC Championships to advance 3rd overall.

Emory fifth-year Crow Thorsen, who won the NCAA Division III title in this event in 2024, set a new season-best of 3:50.63 to move through to the final in 4th.

WOMEN’S 400 IM – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 4:11.23, Sophia Verkleeren (Williams) – 2025
• 2025 Winner: Sophia Verkleeren (Williams), 4:11.23

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Emily Harris (DEN), 4:20.16
2. Quinn Weygandt (SWAT), 4:20.78
3. Neely Burns (TRIN), 4:21.25
4. Sophie Phelps (WILL), 4:21.70
5. Ashlyn Widmer (KEN), 4:22.58
6. Bethany Spangler (NYU), 4:23.02
7. Madeleine Dunn (TUFT), 4:23.04
8. Tess Boyer (WETN), 4:23.20

Denison senior Emily Harris claimed the top seed heading into tonight’s session in the women’s 400 IM after posting a time of 4:20.16 to win the fourth and final heat, just one-tenth off her nation-leading season-best set in January (4:20.06).

Harris is the top returner from last year’s final, having placed 3rd at the 2025 NCAAs in a personal best time of 4:18.40. She’s coming off a runner-up finish in last night’s 500 free, setting a new lifetime best of 4:48.82.

Swarthmore senior Quinn Weygandt, who finished one spot behind Harris in last year’s final in 4th, led the first circle-seeded heat in 4:20.78 to advance 2nd overall, adding seven one-hundredths from the time she produced to win the Centennial Conference title last month (4:20.71). She set a PB of 4:20.51 in the 2025 final.

Weygandt ran down Trinity senior Neely Burns on the freestyle leg to win that heat, with Burns close behind to advance 3rd overall in 4:21.25. Burns won the 2024 NCAA D3 title in a personal best of 4:15.67 before placing 8th last year (4:24.11).

Williams freshman Sophie Phelps was the fourth woman to break 4:22 this morning, winning the penultimate heat in 4:21.70 to advance 4th overall. Phelps set a personal best of 4:20.58 last month en route to winning the NESCAC title.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE RELAY – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 1:18.06, Kenyon – 2012
• 2025 Winner: Chicago, 1:18.51

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Denison, 1:18.78
2. Bates, 1:19.02
3. Chicago, 1:19.51
4. Kenyon, 1:19.62
5. Tufts, 1:19.71
6. Carnegie Mellon, 1:19.87
7. UC Santa Cruz, 1:20.12
8. NYU, 1:20.15

The fastest team in the nation this season defended their top seed in the heats of the men’s 200 free relay, as Denison put up the top time of the morning in 1:18.78.

The swim falls just over three-tenths shy of their season-best of 1:18.42, set en route to winning the NCAC title last month.

Jack Hill led off the Big Red in 20.03, and he was followed by Nick Hensel, who produced a blistering 19.18 leg, before Cam Blevins-Mohr (19.84) and Harry Parsons (19.73) closed things out as they won Heat 3 over Chicago (1:19.51), which advanced 3rd overall thanks in large part to a sizzling 19.13 anchor leg from John Butler.

In Denison’s NCAC title-winning swim, Hill (19.90), Hensel (19.13) and Blevins-Mohr (19.74) were all slightly faster, while Sam Hibbert split 19.65 on the anchor leg.

Winning Heat 2 and qualifying 2nd overall was Bates, which is riding high after setting a new D3 record in the 400 medley relay last night.

The Bobcats got off to a strong start with John Weigel (20.38), Nathaniel Pierce (19.75) and Benjamin Wolking (20.05) putting them in a good position through the first three legs, and then Max Cory dropped the hammer with a standout 18.84 anchor leg.

Cory split 19.05 to help Bates win the NESCAC title in this relay last month in a time of 1:19.47.

Kenyon won the first heat in 1:19.62 to qualify 4th overall, keeping all four legs under 20 seconds.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE RELAY – PRELIMS

• Division III Record: 1:30.00, MIT – 2025
• 2025 Winner: MIT, 1:30.00

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. NYU, 1:30.45
2. Emory, 1:31.95
3. Kenyon, 1:32.44
4. Hope College, 1:32.63
5. Pomona-Pitzer, 1:32.65
6. Denison, 1:32.76
7. MIT, 1:32.97
8. Chicago, 1:32.99

The addition of a pair of freshman swimmers has made the NYU women’s 200 free relay a formidable squad.

Last season, despite having 50 free record holder Kaley McIntyre split 21.96 on the second leg, the Violets placed 7th in the 200 free relay at NCAAs in 1:32.26, with no one else on the team splitting under 23 seconds.

At last month’s UAA Championships, NYU dropped a time of 1:30.66 to win the 200 free relay, putting them within two-thirds of a second of the D3 record, and this morning they went even faster.

After Lian Jeong Engle led off in 23.41, first-year swimmers Maeve O’Donnell (22.48) and Llew Ladomirak (22.81) followed with quick legs, and then McIntyre closed the show with a scintillating 21.75 anchor to give the Violets a final time of 1:30.45. At the UAA Championships, McIntyre anchored in 21.69.

That performance gives NYU a 1.5-second buffer over the next-fastest team, Emory, heading into tonight’s final.

The Eagles clocked 1:31.95 to win Heat 2 behind the quartet of Ava Kennedy (22.84), Caitlin Crysel (23.07), Penny Celtnieks (22.85) and Sammi Thiele (23.19). They came into the meet seeded 6th in 1:32.40, a time they produced at the UAA Championships. Kennedy was nearly four-tenths faster on the lead-off leg, which was their biggest difference maker.

Kenyon led the penultimate heat in a time of 1:32.44, led by a 22.73 anchor leg from Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault.

Pomona-Pitzer and Hope College came into the meet ranked 2nd and 3rd in the nation with 1:31-high times from their respective conference meets, and both made it comfortably through to the final, with the Flying Dutchmen clocking 1:32.63 and the Sagehens close behind in 1:32.65.

Defending champion MIT made it through to the ‘A’ final in 7th, clocking 1:32.97 with a pair of sub-23 legs from Sydney Smith (22.98) and Annika Naveen (22.71). Smith and Naveen are the only two returners from the 2025 winning relay, with Alex Turvey graduating and Ella Roberson having not raced since January.