2026 Women’s NCAA Division I Championship: Day 2 Prelims Preview

2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Wednesday, March 18 – Saturday, March 21, 2026
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• Defending Champions: Virginia (5x)
• Championship Central
• Preview Index
• Psych Sheet
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheets

Day 2 Event Lineup:

• 100 fly
• 400 IM
• 200 free
• 100 breast
• 200 free relay

Day 2 of 2026 NCAAs will feature the first time in which only eight swimmers battle to make finals. The 9th-16th place finishers in the morning will score points for the team.

Kicking off the morning is the 100 butterfly where Stanford’s Torri Huske enters as the top seed with a 48.26. Huske will look to win her first NCAA title in the event as she finished 2nd in the event in 2022, 3rd in the event in 2023, and 2nd in the event in 2025. Claire Curzan of Virginia had a huge 21.51 50 fly split last night for the team’s 200 medley relay and enters the 100 fly as the #2 seed with a 48.47.

Indiana freshman Alex Shackell will make her individual NCAA debut as the #3 seed in the 100 fly as she enters with a 49.95, tied with Stanford’s Gigi Johnson who also is the #3 seed. Shackell has been as fast as 49.49 before during her time in high school. Johnson broke the 50-second mark for the first time with her 49.95 at ACCs last month.

The 400 IM will feature three individual NCAA champions as the top three seeds. Bella Sims of Michigan enters as the top seed with a 3:58.02. Sims has not raced the 400 IM at NCAAs the last two years but was a 2024 NCAA Champion in the 200 and 500 frees. 2025 NCAA Champion in the 200 breast Lucy Bell of Stanford comes into the 400 IM as the #2 seed with a 3:59.11. She was 3rd in the event a year ago in a 4:00.24.

Last year’s champion in the 400 IM Caroline Bricker of Stanford will look to defend her title. Bricker swam to a 3:57.36 a year ago and has been as fast as 3:59.70 this season.

The women’s 200 free looks to be a close battle after some of the top swims were posted last night in the 800 free relay. Virginia sophomore Anna Moesch anchored the team to a win last night, posting the top relay split all-time with a 1:39.03. Moesch enters this morning as the top seed and #4 performer all-time with a 1:39.72. Last night, Indiana’s Liberty Clark posted a 1:39.70, the #3 performance all-time and is the #3 seed with a 1:40.84. In between the two is Minna Abraham who is entered with a 1:40.47. Abraham is the top returner from last year’s event as she was 2nd in a 1:40.56 a year ago.

NC State freshman Eneli Jefimova will look to win her first NCAA title as the top seed in the 100 breast with a 56.77. Just behind her is Florida’s Anita Bottazzo who has been as fast as 56.87 this season. Louisville’s Anastasia Gorbenko swam to the #4 split all-time in the 50 breast last night for Louisville’s 200 medley relay and enters the 100 breast as the #3 seed with a 57.03.

The 200 free relay will conclude the morning with the top eight being saved for finals. Alabama was the #9 seed coming into the meet with a 1:26.39 while Texas is the #10 seed with a 1:26.62. Both teams made the top eight last night in the 200 medley relay.