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
- Psych Sheet (Updated 3/11)
- Live Results
- Live Video
USC’s Ashley McMillan has withdrawn from the upcoming NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. She will be replaced by UCLA junior Sarah Bennetts, who was the first alternate to the meet.
McMillan, also a junior, was scheduled to swim the 100 breast (#38 seed), the 200 breast (#22 seed), and the 200 IM (#18 seed). She had a breakthrough meet at the Big Ten Championships, swimming best times in all three races: 59.61 in the 100 breast, 2:08.11 in the 200 breast, and 1:56.03 in the 200 IM.
She also swam on four USC relays at the Big Ten Championships: the 200 free, 400 free, 200 medley, and 400 medley relay.
SwimSwam has reached out to USC to ask about McMillan’s absence. The NCAA Championship manual says that if a swimmer scratches from the meet, they are not allowed to be used as an uninvited relay swimmers.
Update: McMillan released the following statement: Really sad to say I will not be racing my last NCAA Championships. I’ll be cheering my teammates on from LA with my whole heart. I got injured in January and was recovering well, but BIG’s ended up being too much too soon.
USC declined to elaborate on the nature of her injury.
Without McMillan, the Trojans will still have freshman Bella Brito to fill those spots. Brito, in fact, was faster than McMillan this season in the 100 breaststroke (59.10 to 59.61). McMillan, in fact, swam the backstroke legs of the 400 medley relay at Big Tens and the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley relay (with Brito on anchor). In a time trial, though, they swam McMillan-Brito-Sage Miller–Nicole Maier, which resulted in a slower time.
USC’s has lots of creative options on their medley relays with lots of speed that is not necessarily bound to one stroke. Abraham (50.91 backstroke) and Lindsay Barnes (52.59 backstroke) are other options.
Bennetts, meanwhile, enters the meet in similar events*. She will be the #35 seed in the 100 breaststroke (59.55), the race that earned her the alternate spot, and #45 seed in the 200 breaststroke. She knocked about three-tenths of a second off her previous best time in each event at the Big Ten Championships.
* The fact that one breaststroker scratched and another got in is just a coincidence. Bennetts was the first alternate regardless of what event a scratched swimmer came from.
She also swam the 100 free at Big Tens, but her 49.82 in that race wasn’t under the NCAA qualifying standard, so she will have no third event in Atlanta.
Bennetts was bound for NCAAs as part of UCLA’s 200 and 400 medley relays anyway, so the late notice won’t necessarily impact her training plans much.
She is the fifth UCLA swimmer to individually qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2025-2026.
UCLA Roster, 2025-2026 NCAA Championships
- Sarah Bennetts, Junior
- Jada Duncan, Freshman
- Fay Lustria, Senior
- Rosie Murphy, Senior
- Claudia Yovanovich, Sophomore
USC’s roster falls to 8 individual athletes with the swap.
USC Roster, 2025-2026 NCAA Championships
- Minna Abraham, Junior
- Lindsay Barnes, Junior
- Isabella Brito, Freshman
- Jutina Kozan, Senior
- Nicole Maier, Grad Student
- Dora Molnar, Freshman
- Alisee Pisane, Freshman
- Claire Tuggle, Senior
It is not unusual for scratches to happen after official entry lists are released. There are typically between two and six alternates pulled in to each meet annually, give-or-take.
Updated Alternates List
| Swimmer | Age | School | Time | Line | Percentage of NCAA standard. |
Event
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| De | Goeij, Fernanda | 25 | Kentucky, University of-SEC | 4:09.43 | 40 | 1.015114461 |
400 Individual Medley
|
| Reese, | Addison | 20 | Florida, University of-SEC | 1:56.28 | 40 | 1.007137943 | 200 Butterfly |
| Driscoll, | Tyler | 21 | North Carolina State University ACC | 21.93 | 41 | 1.015959872 | 50 Freestyle |
| Wozniak, | Julia | 22 | Arizona, University of-Big 12 | 21.93 | 41 | 1.015959872 | 50 Freestyle |
| Muzzy, | Ava | 20 | North Carolina, University of, Chapel Hill-ACC | 4:09.45 | 41 | 1.015033073 |
400 Individual Medley
|
| Eden, | Jessica | 22 | Ohio State University-B1G | 4:09.45 | 41 | 1.015033073 |
400 Individual Medley
|
| Parker, | Maddy | 21 | Southern Methodist University (W)-ACC | 47.94 | 41 | 1.013767209 | 100 Freestyle |
| IGNATOVA, | Xeniya | 20 | Louisville, University of-ACC | 1:53.35 | 41 | 1.012792236 | 200 Backstroke |
| Furse, | Shea | 21 | Georgia, University of-SEC | 1:44.31 | 41 | 1.011695906 | 200 Freestyle |
Where is Maria Ramos?
The Prechampionships Manual says, “If an institution scratches a student-athlete after selections, that student-athlete cannot be used as an uninvited relay swimmer.” I would think this means that McMillan cannot be a relay swimmer.
Oh good catch.
Injury I believe. Did not compete most of there meets since Texas HOF.