The NCAA has released the Division III Swimming and Diving qualifying standards for the 2026 Championships.
The cutlines are determined based on various 3-year averages.
- The A-cuts are based on the 3-year average of the top finisher’s time from finals.
- The B-cuts are calculated by the 3-year average of the 32nd place time from the meet
entry system, unless such calculation is slower. - The relay cuts are calculated by the 3-year average of the 20th place time for the men
and 24th for the women from the meet entry system, unless such calculation is slower.
On the men’s side, many of the cuts got slower from last year with the 1650 freestyle ‘A’ cut jumping from 15:02.59 last year to 15:17.12 for this season. This nearly 15 second add came after nobody earned the ‘A’ cut time. The new standard is still faster than any athlete swam last season with Lucas Lang from the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swimming the fastest DIII mile at 15:18.01.
Other men’s events that will have slower ‘A’ cut times than last year are the men’s 50 free, 500 free, 100 and 200 backstroke, 100 and 200 breaststroke, and the 400 IM.
The 500 free, 1650 free, and 100 back ‘B’ cuts will remain the same while all the other events got slightly faster from last year.
On the women’s side, the cuts saw the same trend as the men with many getting slower from last year. The 200 fly got nearly two seconds slower to go from 1:56.90 to 1:58.70. This comes after the cut got three seconds faster last season. The 500 free, 200 back, 100 and 200 breast, 100 fly, and 200 and 400 IM times all got slower as well.
The women’s ‘B’ cuts got faster in all but two individual events and one relay: the mile, 200 back, and 400 free relay.
**The bold indicates cuts that have changed from last season.
Men’s Cuts
| Event | Men A (yards) | Men B (yards) | Men Inv (yards) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | |||
| 50 Free | 19.56 | 20.36 | 20.14 |
| 100 Free | 43.15 | 44.97 | 44.44 |
| 200 Free | 1:35.12 | 1:39.21 | 1:38.08 |
| 500 Free | 4:21.39 | 4:31.24 | 4:27.59 |
| 1650 Free | 15:17.12 | 15:50.88 | 15:37.60 |
| 100 Back | 46.42 | 49.28 | 48.67 |
| 200 Back | 1:42.91 | 1:48.83 | 1:47.09 |
| 100 Breast | 52.44 | 55.19 | 54.49 |
| 200 Breast | 1:54.89 | 2:00.92 | 1:59.71 |
| 100 Fly | 46.25 | 48.58 | 48.15 |
| 200 Fly | 1:43.50 | 1:49.64 | 1:48.12 |
| 200 IM | 1:44.71 | 1:50.08 | 1:48.95 |
| 400 IM | 3:50.06 | 3:58.49 | 3:54.62 |
| Relays | |||
| 200 FR | NA | 1:21.31 | 1:20.86 |
| 400 FR | NA | 3:00.68 | 2:59.71 |
| 800 FR | NA | 6:39.86 | 6:36.90 |
| 200 MR | NA | 1:29.45 | 1:28.38 |
| 400 MR | NA | 3:17.69 | 3:15.93 |
Women’s Cuts
| Event | Women A (yards) | Women B (yards) | Women Inv (yards) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | |||
| 50 Free | 22.46 | 23.53 | 23.40 |
| 100 Free | 48.87 | 51.35 | 51.04 |
| 200 Free | 1:46.12 | 1:52.06 | 1:51.54 |
| 500 Free | 4:48.70 | 5:00.16 | 4:58.89 |
| 1650 Free | 16:27.43 | 17:21.20 | 17:19.75 |
| 100 Back | 53.60 | 56.58 | 56.18 |
| 200 Back | 1:56.50 | 2:03.17 | 2:02.09 |
| 100 Breast | 59.96 | 1:04.12 | 1:03.54 |
| 200 Breast | 2:11.38 | 2:20.09 | 2:19.45 |
| 100 Fly | 53.69 | 55.86 | 55.52 |
| 200 Fly | 1:58.70 | 2:04.77 | 2:03.93 |
| 200 IM | 1:59.63 | 2:05.61 | 2:05.42 |
| 400 IM | 4:14.21 | 4:29.18 | 4:26.91 |
| Relays | |||
| 200 FR | NA | 1:34.93 | 1:34.29 |
| 400 FR | NA | 3:29.09 | 3:27.55 |
| 800 FR | NA | 7:37.07 | 7:34.48 |
| 200 MR | NA | 1:44.23 | 1:43.88 |
| 400 MR | NA | 3:49.72 | 3:48.38 |
You can find the official document here:
Comparing to last year’s standards
Men’s ‘A’ Cut Standards Comparison
| Event | 2025-26 ‘A’ Cut (yards) | 2024-25 ‘A’ Cut (yards) | Diff (s) | % Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Free | 19.56 | 19.46 | +0.10 | +0.51% |
| 100 Free | 43.15 | 43.31 | –0.16 | –0.37% |
| 200 Free | 1:35.12 | 1:36.16 | –1.04 | –1.08% |
| 500 Free | 4:21.39 | 4:20.26 | +1.13 | +0.43% |
| 1650 Free | 15:17.12 | 15:02.59 | +14.53 | +1.61% |
| 100 Back | 46.42 | 46.29 | +0.13 | +0.28% |
| 200 Back | 1:42.91 | 1:42.02 | +0.89 | +0.87% |
| 100 Breast | 52.44 | 52.11 | +0.33 | +0.63% |
| 200 Breast | 1:54.89 | 1:53.85 | +1.04 | +0.91% |
| 100 Fly | 46.25 | 46.52 | –0.27 | –0.58% |
| 200 Fly | 1:43.50 | 1:43.96 | –0.46 | –0.44% |
| 200 IM | 1:44.71 | 1:44.94 | –0.23 | –0.22% |
| 400 IM | 3:50.06 | 3:47.19 | +2.87 | +1.26% |
Women’s ‘A’ Cut Standards Comparison
| Event | 2025-26 ‘A’ Cut (yards) | 2024-25 ‘A’ Cut (yards) | Diff (s) | % Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 Free | 22.46 | 22.65 | –0.19 | –0.84% |
| 100 Free | 48.87 | 49.31 | –0.44 | –0.89% |
| 200 Free | 1:46.12 | 1:47.13 | –1.01 | –0.94% |
| 500 Free | 4:48.70 | 4:45.33 | +3.37 | +1.18% |
| 1650 Free | 16:27.43 | 16:27.52 | –0.09 | –0.01% |
| 100 Back | 53.60 | 53.70 | –0.10 | –0.19% |
| 200 Back | 1:56.50 | 1:55.94 | +0.56 | +0.48% |
| 100 Breast | 59.96 | 59.84 | +0.12 | +0.20% |
| 200 Breast | 2:11.38 | 2:10.99 | +0.39 | +0.30% |
| 100 Fly | 53.69 | 52.92 | +0.77 | +1.46% |
| 200 Fly | 1:58.70 | 1:56.90 | +1.80 | +1.55% |
| 200 IM | 1:59.63 | 1:58.27 | +1.36 | +1.15% |
| 400 IM | 4:14.21 | 4:13.77 | +0.44 | +0.17% |
Meet Selection Process
First, the top 20 women and top 16 men in each individual event are selected. After that, members of the top 20 women’s and top 16 men’s relays receive invites. If the maximum invite of 319 women and 260 men is not yet met, swimmers are added one by one in individual events until the invite capacity is reached. There are 24 men’s and 29 women’s diving spots reserved out of the total invites from their respective meets. Invite selection for divers takes place according to regional placements
The meet will take place from March 18-21, 2026 at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hot take: regardless of the average of the last 3 years, A cuts should never get slower.
Testament to the top end speed of D3!
D3 A cuts can get slower because of how they are calculated. If you have outliers like Andrew Wilson or Arthur Conover who shatter records, when those times are out of the 3-year calculation, the A cuts will get slower. The real testament of the improvement in D3 is in the invited times getting so much faster.
Wonder what year of D1 swimming these cuts are the closest to
I gotta lock in
Dawg who exactly are you? Tried looking on swimcloud multiple times never found anyone on there who has a 2:03 LC 2 fly or faster
15 seconds slower in the men’s mile is wild. Obviously, it’s due to changing to past 3 years average versus fastest 3 year average, but it’s interesting how little the Breaststroke times changed with dropping off Andrew Wilson’s times.
I mean d3 A cuts are essentially meaningless. I’m not even sure why they have them. B cuts, unsurprisingly, continue to get faster. The depth in lots of these events is really something. We’re all set up for another exciting year of d3 swimming!
Seems like a very deceiving sub-headline. If A-cuts are a rolling average of the 1st place time from the previous 3 years, it’s practically a moot point to point out whether A-cuts are faster or slower. A small handful of athletes, most of whom may be no longer swimming, can control the fate of those cuts. However, if the B-cuts are getting faster, then the meet is getting faster. Period. Compare those times instead.
The change year to year of the Invited Times is really what shows the changes in D3 swimming. It wasn’t long ago when 1:50 made NCAAs in the 200 back. Last year it took 1:47.0. All events are like that and with the situation in D1, we are likely to see faster swimmers in D3 especially on the men’s side.