NCAA Division II Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2026 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships

• March 10-14, 2026
• Deaconess Aquatic Center — Evansville, Indiana
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Defending Champions
  • Women: Nova Southeastern (3x)
  • Men: vacant
• Psych Sheets
  • Men
  • Women
• Live Video
• Live Results
• Live Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

It’s the 3rd day of finals in Evansville for the 2026 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships. Tonight, we will crown the champions in the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, women’s 3-meter diving, and the 400 medley relays.

Entering these finals, the Nova Southeastern women hold a solid 33.5-point lead over Tampa with 163 points, while the Drury and Tampa men are separated by only three points, with Drury holding the upper hand with 153 points.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY

• NCAA DII Record: 51.78, Luna Mertins (Lynn) – 2025
• Meet Record: 51.78, Luna Mertins (Lynn) – 2025

Top 8:

1. Kristina Orban (NSU)- 52.79
2. Emily Mears-Bentley (UFIN)- 53.14
3. Mathilda Sandberg (WIN)- 53.56
4. Lydia Douthit (LYNN)- 53.66
5. Caprice Schlieter (INDY)- 54.08
6. Tehani Kong (CSEB)- 54.20
7. Madalee Roberts (TAMP)- 54.51
8. Olivia Scheibelhoffer (UFIN)- 55.62

Nova Southeastern sophomore Kristina Orban continued her great day 3 showing, after swimming a career best this morning in 52.77, she was right on that time tonight in 52.79. She opened up three seconds faster than Wingate’s Mathilda Sandberg (3rd, 53.56), and carried through on a strong 3rd 25 to further separate herself from the field.

Findlay’s Emily Mears-Bentley managed to use a big back half of her race (28.35) to finish runner-up in 53.14, nearly a second quicker than her prelims swim of 54.06.

Zinna Nimander of Delta State took the win in the consolation final, improving on her morning swim of 54.78, and demolished her lifetime best from the New South Championships of 54.52 with her time of 53.95.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY

• NCAA DII Record: 44.32, Marius Kusch (Queens) – 2019
• Meet Record: 44.32, Marius Kusch (Queens) – 2019

Top 8:

1. Maurice Grabowski (LYNN)- 45.34
2. Camilo Marrugo Montano (UFIN)- 45.47
3. Gabriel Morales (CN)- 46.26
4. William Beckstead (TAMP)- 46.46
5. Oskar Sawicki (MESA)- 46.52
6. Tibor Tistan (TAMP)- 46.58
7. Antonie Pieterse (RWU)- 46.67
8. Vitaly Kostin (LYNN)- 46.73

Both Maurice Grabowski of Lynn and Camilo Marrugo Montano were dead even at the first turn at 20.72 a piece. But a massive final 50 from Grabowski in 24.62 leveraged him ahead of Marrugo Montano to seal the deal and win his 2nd individual win of the meet.

Marrugo Montano just slipped on the back half of the race, finishing 2nd in 45.47, but did best his former career best of 45.70 from November.

Carson-Newman’s Gabriel Morales finished 3rd in 46.26, largely in part to a big 2nd 50, in which he moved up four spots from the first turn in 24,51, the fastest 2nd 50 of the field.

The shock of the event came in the consolation finals as Indianapolis’ Elias Noe fired off a shocking 45.43, a time that would have given him the top seed entering these finals, and made him just the second person in NCAA Division II (prior to the championship final) this season to break 46 seconds. His time would have finished 2nd overall.

WOMEN’S 400 IM

• NCAA DII Record: 4:08.56, Patricia Castro Ortega (Queens) – 2016
• Meet Record: 4:08.56, Patricia Castro Ortega (Queens) – 2016

Top 8:

1. Burlingtyn Bokos (TAMP)- 4:14.09
2. Celina Schmidt (INDY)- 4:16.20
3. Katie O’Connell (GVSU)- 4:18.22
4. Vittoria Proietti (GVSU)- 4:18.69
5. Maria Fe Munoz (DRUR)- 4:18.87
6. Gwen Bergum (DRUR)- 4:20.14
7. Megan Corcoran (CN)- 4:21.67
8. Jessica Dreghici (SFU)- 4:23.88

Tampa’s Burlingtyn Bokos opened strong in 56.66 on the butterfly leg, and carried that speed through the backstroke in, turning more than two seconds ahead of the field in 2:00.34.

Through 300 yards, Bokos was the only swimmer in frame, splitting 35.91/36.83 on the breaststroke leg, before turning for the final quarte of the race. She had built a strong enough lead that it would take a monumental split for anybody to challenge her on the finish, ultimately touching more than two seconds faster than the field in 4:14.09.

Indianapolis’ Celina Schmidt, out of lane 2 looked to be the only swimmer with the potential to catch Bokos, charging away from the rest of the field on the freestyle with 30.66/29.94 to earn the silver in 4:16.20, over five and a half seconds better than her prelims performance of 4:21.85. Grand Valley’s Katie O’Connell was right on her morning’s swim of 4:18.04 to take 3rd in 4:18.22.

MEN’S 400 IM

• NCAA DII Record: 3:40.22, Ben Sampson (Colorado Mesa) – 2024
• Meet Record: 3:40.22, Ben Sampson (Colorado Mesa) – 2024

Top 8:

1. Jeremias Pock (INDY)- 3:42.95
2. Belhassen ben Miled (DRUR)- 3:44.99
3. Tyler Bardak (MKU)- 3:45.68
4. Nico Basten (INDY)- 3:46.54
5. Connor Bichsel (MS&T)- 3:47.25
6. Ben Vester (MESA)- 3:48.74
7. Jules Remy (CATC)- 3:48.76
8. Joao Nogueira (DRUR)- 3:48.78

Drury’s Belhassen Ben Miled used his fly skill to get out to a quick stet in 50.21, more than a body length ahead of the field at the first 100. He controlled the first 200 yards of this race, turning in 1:46.70, two second faster than he was in the prelims.

Indianapolis’ Jeremias Pock, the 2025 Champion in this event used a big breaststroke leg (1:01.09) to get within two hundredths of Ben Miled. He found another gear to turn on the late jets and surge to a big lead after the first 50 yards of the freestyle (26.92) to get more than a full body length ahead of Ben Milled, and stamped home his win with his 52.73 freestyle split and take the win in 3:42.95.

McKendree’s Tyler Bardak clawed his way onto the podium, closing in 53.26 to her ahead of Indy;s Nico Basten (3:46.54) in 3:45.68.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE

• NCAA DII Record: 1:44.44, Patricia Castro Ortega (Queens) – 2016
• Meet Record: 1:45.27, Patricia Castro Ortega (Queens) – 2015

Top 8:

1. Kristina Orban (NSU)- 1:46.34
2. Emilia Ronningdal (NSU)- 1:46.82
3. Lucy Hedley (GVSU)- 1:46.88
4. Maria Morales (DRUR)- 1:47.25
5. Lindsey Louder (TAMP)- 1:48.05
6. Ada Qunell (MESA)- 1:48.46
7. Luz Tapia Sahagun (LYNN)- 1:48.66
8. Hanna Sasivarevic (MESA)- 1:48.75

Eyes were on the middle of the pool as Orban was racing her 2nd championship final in less than an hour, while Grand Valley’s Lucy Hedley, who was the top qualifier this morning was looking to take a big leap and claim the win.

Hedley began to pick it up on the 2nd 50, and was lading through the first 150, but that is when Orban began to fins something deep, consistently moving up from 6th at the first 50 (25.45), 3rd at the 100 (26.67) , 2nd at the 150 (26.91) and ultimately getting her hand on the wall final wall first (27.31), claiming the win in 1:46.34.

Her teammate Emilia Ronningdal split a game-changing 27.19 to overtake Hedley and finish 2nd in 1:46.82. Hedley wound up 3rd in 1:46.88.

Nova Southeastern’s Maxine Egner held of a charging Mckenna Patrick (1:48.71) from Tampa to take the consolation final win 1:48.22

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE

• NCAA DII Record: 1:32.40, Vova Gavrysh (McKendree) – 2026
• Meet Record: 1:32.40, Vova Gavrysh (McKendree) – 2026

Top 8:

1. Vova Gavrysh (MKU)- 1:32.50
2. Jacob Hamlin (TAMP)- 1:33.10
3. Guillaume Guth (MESA)- 1:33.48
4. Maksymilian Minichowski (CATC)- 1:35.03
5. Matteo Vissotto (DRUR)- 1:35.44
6. Daniel Meszaros (FSC)- 1:35.44
7. Joshua Noll (TAMP)- 1:35.79
8. Lucas Minuer (DRUR)- 1:35.91

After breaking the men’s 200 free NCAA DII record two days ago leading off the 800 free relay, Mckendree’s Vova Gavrysh got off to a hot start, opening in 21.53, at the 100, he led the field in 44.98, holding a half body length lead over the field.

Gavrysh would be tested hardest on the final 75, as Tampa’s Jacob Hamlin began to really pick up his tempo, splitting 23.69 on the 3rd 50 to get himself into striking distance. Despite outsplitting Gavrysh on the back half of this race (47.48 to 47.52), the McKendree sophomore would bee to much to topple, taking the win in 1:32.50, just missing his two-day-old record of 1:32.40.

Colorado Mesa’s Guillaume Guth closed in the 3rd fastest time of the final to secure the individual bronze in 1:33.48, a second and a half faster than he was in prelims at 1:35.03.

Women’s 3-meter Diving:

• NCAA DII Record: 555.70, Elizabeth Rawlings (Queens) – 2015
• Meet Record: 555.70, Elizabeth Rawlings (Queens) – 2015

Top 8:

1. Colleen Hudson (CLAR)- 512.45
2. Taelyn Thomas (CLAR)- 498.00
3. Luna Vejarano (CLAR)- 495.95
4. Kenya Meyer (MESA)- 494.80
5. Avery Lommel (AU)- 474.35
6. kaitlyn Madigan (CLAR)- 463.05
7. Olivia Nelson (UFW)- 450.00
8. Amelia Licht (MESA)- 420.90

It was all Clarion in the women’s 3-meter diving final, as Colleen Hudson led the way as the only diver to surpass 500 points in the final at 512.45. Her teammates Taelyn Thomas and Luna Verjarano each closed their programs with a series of strong dives to complete the medal sweep in 2md and 3rd in 498.00 and 495.95, respectively.

Women’s 400 Medley Relay:

• NCAA DII Record: 3:35.70 (Queens) – 2019
• Meet Record: 3:35.70 (Queens) – 2019

Top 8:

1. West Florida- 3:35.21 *NCAA DII and Championship Records
2. Indianapolis- 3:38.03
3. Wingate- 3:38.97
4. Nova Southeastern – 3:39.17
5. Findlay- 3:39.19
6. Colorado Mesa- 3:39.21
7. Tampa- 3;39.63
8. Delta State- 3:41.16

West Florida immediately asserted their dominance here, as backstroker Agata Naskret finished over ten yards ahead of the field in 51.24, breaking the NCAA D2 and meet record in the 100 backstroke. They continued through the breaststroke as Alena Rozova took over and split a solid 1:01.08 to keep West Florida firmly in the driver seat. Findlay also got production out of the breast leg as Helmi Kakela got the Oilers into contention at the halfway point, only trailing West Florida with her 1:00.33 split.

Indianapolis managed to get the greyhounds onto the runner-up position thanks to a big butterfly leg from Caprice Schlueter (53.70), but still could not get enough ground made up for anchor leg Kirabo Namutebi (49.18) to mount the comeback as it was West Florida who would take the big win as fly leg Livia Rodrigues (53.31) and anchor Sofija Kendzior (49.58) would combine with Naskret and Rozova to swim the fastest ever 400 medley relay in Division II history in 3:35.21.

Despite stog efforts throughout, Indianapolis would finish 2nd in 3:38.03

Wingate was quick in the penultimate heat, dominating that race in 3:38.97, the fastest time of either of the first two heats by over three seconds.

Men’s 400 Medley Relay:

• NCAA DII Record: 3:06.75 (Drury) – 2025
• Meet Record: 3:06.75 (Drury) – 2025

Top 8:

1. Indianapolis- 3:06.12 *NCAA DII and Championship Records
2. Drury- 3:06.54
3. Lynn- 3:06.65
4. Tampa- 3:08.37
5. Colorado Mesa- 3:08.93
6. Florida Southern- 3:09.95
7. Grand Valley- 3:10.13
8. McKendree- 3:10.84

Drury opened their relay hard with Alvaro Zornoza leading heading into the lead at the first exchange in 46.21. Joao Nogueira took over with the tall task of holding off Pock of Indianapolis, Nogueira held on as much as could with a string 51,27 split, but Pock was just too strong from the start, swimming nearly a second faster than his Drury foe in 50.35, completely closing the gap.

Elias Noe, fresh off of a big swim in the consolation final of the 100 fly dove in and swam an energizing 45.55 to give the Greyhounds a small cushion with 100 yards to go. It all came down to Zachary Anthony (42.79)to close the door and get his hand on the wall first, and touch first he did, in the fastest ever men’s 400 medley relay in D2 history in 3:06.12, more than half a second faster than Drury’s record from last season of 3:06.75, marking Indianapolis’ first 400 medley relay national title in school history.

Anthony did not win without some strong challengers, Drury anchor Yuri Cabral nearly took over the lead at three different points in the final 100 yards closing in 42,80 to give Drury the 2nd place finish. Lynn had a late race surge as reliable Maurice Grabowski was by far the fastest split of the event in 41,49, bringing Lynn back from seemingly nowhere to finish 3rd in 3:06.65

All three of the top three relays were under that former NCAA Division II record.

Women’s Standings through Day 3:

1. Nova Southeastern- 265
2. Tampa- 209.5
3. Colorado Mesa- 160.5
4. Drury- 158
5. Indy- 153
6. West Florida- 143
7. Findlay- 128.5
8. Grand Valley- 111
9. Wingate- 103
10. Delta State- 87

Men’s Standings through Day 2:

1. Drury- 253
2. Tampa- 244
3. Indy- 228
4. Colorado Mesa- 214
5. McKendree- 151.5
6. Lynn- 124
7. Findlay- 95
8. Wingate- 92
9. Grand Valley- 91
10. Florida Southern- 90