2026 NCSA Spring Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2026 NCSA Spring Championships

• March 17-21, 2026
• Rosen Aquatic and Fitness Center, Orlando, FL
• SCY (25 yards)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Video
• “NCSA Spring Swimming Championships -cop” on Meet Mobile

It’s the first night of the NCSA Spring Championships from Orlando. Tonight, we will crown champions in the women’s 1650 freestyle, men’s 1000 free, 100 free, 200 backstroke, 50 butterfly, and the men’s and women’s 200 medley relays.

Women’s 1650 Free

• Meet Record: 15:40.38 – Katie Ledecky  (2011)
• 15-16 NAG: 15:15.17 – Katie Ledecky (2013)
• 17-18 NAG: 15:13.30 – Katie Ledecky (2014)

Top 8:

1. Alex Siegel (LIAC)- 16:15.48
2. Zayda Miehl (CAT)- 16:15.77
3. Clare Herfel (CLPR)- 16:23.31
4. Ella Hafner (PA)- 16:25.52
5. Mia Eubank (NOVA)- 16:29.35
6. Emma Rudowsky (AQJT)- 16:33.76
7. Sasha Karafin (LIAC)- 16:37.83
8. Catherine Dorsey (BBA)- 16:41.30

Alex Siegel and Zayda Miehl battled from start to finish. The two exchanged the top spot multiple times throughout the final heat of the event. Siegel held a slight advantage at the 1000 (9:50.03 to 9:50.88) and was actually outsplit on the final 650 by Miehl, but managed to have just enough left to hold her off coming home and keep Miehl just behind her in 16:15.77.

This time was a career best for Siegel, besting her former top time of 16:21.89 from this meet last year. Miehl demolished her best time from the Speedo Junior National Championships in August of 16:37.99.

Clare Herfel claimed the 3rd place finish in 16:23.31, just over three seconds slower than her career best of 16:20.13 from the CLPR Sidney Day Mid-Winter meet in January.

Men’s 1000 Free:

• Meet Record: 8:45.11 – Matthew Hirschberger (2015)
• 15-16 NAG: 8:32.83 – Luka Mijatovic (2026)
• 17-18 NAG: 8:42.25 – Ethan Ekk (2025)

Top 8:

1. James Darcy (LIAC)- 8:53.54
2. Kai Joyner (RSC)- 8:55.06
3. Owen Miklos (NOVA)- 8:57.86
4. Evan Gluck (COR)- 8:58.02
5. Tyler Kominski (NCAP)- 8:59.69
6. Leopold Nurit (NCAP)- 9:01.45
7. Johnny Macko (LIAC)- 9:03.64
8. Sam Marsteiner (WAVE)- 9:05.34

Long Island Aquatic Club made it two for two on the opening events of day 1 as James Darcy separated himself from the event field late in this race, consistently splitting sub-54-second 100s for the final 500. He opened in 4:27.00, but closed better than anyone in the field to take the win here in 8:53.54.

At the halfway mark in this race, Kai Joyner only trailed Darcy by .38 in 4:27.38. He began to fall back from Darcy in the next two 100s, splitting 54.27 and 53.80, but would ultimately finish runner-up in his first sub-9-minute time of 8:55.06.

Owen Miklos, Evan Gluck, and Tyler Kominski each turned in sub-9-minute times to give themselves shots at a top-three spot. Miklos ended up taking that 3rd place spot in a 13-second time improvement in 8:57.86.

Women’s 100 Free

• Meet Record: 47.09 – Simone Manuel (2014)
• 15-16 NAG: 47.23 – Claire Curzan (2020)
• 17-18 NAG: 46.09 – Simone Manuel (2014)

Top 8:

1. Adalyn Biegler (EDI)- 49.34
2. Abby Chan (HSA)- 49.45
3. Jane Garlock (MAC)- 49.47
4. Paige Kowal (ACAD)- 49.49
5. Ella Antoniewski (WEST)- 49.77
6. Lane Francis (NOVA)- 49.86
7. Maddie Bynum (NOVA)- 50.09
8. Leah Nebraska (NAAC)- 50.21

Adalyn Biegler led a very tight ‘A’ final in a strong 49.34. She took this race out hard, opening in 23.49, and held on long enough to outlast the next three swimmers in the field, which were separated by .04.

Abby Chan, Jane Garlock, and Paige Kowal looked as though they could have touched ahead of the others, but ultimately it was Chan who outlasted the others in 49.45 to secure the runner-up finish.

Garlock used a much faster opening 50 to outlast Kowal, charging off the blocks in 23.66 compared to the 23.99. The 2nd 50 was a different story, as Kowal would nearly overtake Garlock with her 25.50 closing speed, but would come up two hundredths shy in 49.49.

Men’s 100 Free:

• Meet Record: 42.54 – Hudson Williams (2023)
• 15-16 NAG: 41.96 – Kaii Winkler (2023)
• 17-18 NAG: 41.23 – Ryan Hoffer (2015)

Top 8:

1. Mattaus Rammel (WAVE)- 43.08
2. Yaron Li (NCAP)- 43.49
3. Micah Davis (AQJT)- 43.62
4. London Rising (GTAC)- 43.70
5. Henry Anstine (SSC)/Aidan Kaplan (WILD)- 44.06
6. (tie)
7. Matthew Karasek (PPD)- 44.42
8. Ethan Holloway (WAVE)- 44.66

This race was all Mattaus Rammel from start to finish. Opening in a blistering 20.42, and further building his lead from there. That opening split was already a third of a second faster than his prelims split (20.75), and would close nearly a half second faster than in the prelims in 22.66, compared to 23.13. That time demolished his previous best time of 44.46 from the NCISAA Division 1 State Championships in February.

Yaron Li was unable to match Rammel’s opening speed (20.91), but did outsplit him on the 2nd 50 (22.58), giving him just enough space between himself (43.49) and Micah Davis of Aquajets (43.62), who finished 3rd.

We had a tie in the final heat as Henry Anstine and Aidan Kaplan finished equally as fast in 44.06, each earning a share of 5th place.

Women’s 200 Back

• Meet Record: 1:49.85 – Kylie Stewart (2014)
• 15-16 NAG: 1:48.30 – Regan Smith (2018)
• 17-18 NAG: 1:47.16 – Regan Smith (2019)

Top 8:

1. Alyssa Sagle (NCAP)- 1:50.96
2. Sadie Buckley (NCAP)- 1:51.59
3. Emma Cigna (NCAP)- 1:52.81
4. Mia Buff (GTAC)- 1:53.93
5. McKenzie Cory (NCAP)- 1:54.15
6. Lane Francis (NOVA)- 1:54.91
7. Emma Young (NCAP)- 1:56.58
8. Una Diaz (LIAC)- 1:57.23

Alyssa Sagle turned at the 100 mark with a body length lead over the field, but would be pushed hard on the final 100 by Sadie Buckley, which made this race a bit more interesting. Sagle opened in 53.57 and appeared only to be building her momentum. But the lead she had built was not insurmountable.

Her teammate, Sadie Buckley, opened just under a full second behind Sagle, but really made strides on Sagle in the final 75 yards. She would end up falling off of comeback pace at the 175 mark and settled with a runner-up finish in 1:51.59, as Sagle held on to take the win in 1:50.96.

Nation’s Capital was dominant in this event, with Emma Cigna (3rd, 1:53.81), McKenzie Cory (5th, 1:54.15), and Emma Young (7th, 1:56.58), joining Sagle and  Buckley in the top 8.

Men’s 200 Back:

• Meet Record: 1:40.05 – Jack Conger (2013)
• 15-16 NAG: 1:40.58 – Baylor Stanton (2024)
• 17-18 NAG: 1:37.35 – Ryan Murphy (2014)

Top 8:

1. Luke Vatev (HOSC)- 1:40.85
2. Griffin Oehler (RMSC)- 1:41.06
3. Brayden Capen (ACAD)- 1:43.55
4. Christian Wester (HSA)- 1:44.40
5. Pablo Pareja (FMC)- 1:44.59
6. Joe Warnagiris (NOVA)- 1:44.71
7. Jack Murphy (ACAD)- 1:45.03
8. Max Garbacz (MAC)- 1:45.42

The men’s 200 back nearly saw the first meet record of these championships, as Luke Vatev and Griffin Oehler duked it out in the middle of the pool with both trading blows and swapping the lead.

Vatev entered these championships as the top seed, but Oehler claimed the top seed heading into these finals. The two opened up in a pair of 23.9s, as Vatev was just a touch quicker, in 21.91 compared to Oehler’s 23.94. At the 100, it was Oehler who had the .02-second lead in 49.42 over Vatev. One of the biggest swings in the race was Vatev swimming nearly four tenths faster than Oehler on the 3rd 50 (25.50) to get himself into the lead with just a 50 to go. Oehler showed strength off the penultimate turn, but Vatev carried his speed through to the 15-meter mark, where he popped up half a body length ahead and would get his hand on the wall first in 1:40.85.

This time marks a major career best for Vatev, having previously been 1:42.72 at this meet last season. Oehler was also more than a second quicker than his former best of 1:42.70 from December.

Women’s 50 Fly:

• Meet Record: 22.96 – Torri Huske (2019)

Top 8:

1. Abby Chan (HSA)- 23.42
2. Mia Buff (GTAC)- 23.79
3. Aubrial Mackay (OLY)- 24.35
4. Vanya Gojakovic (WILD)- 24.45
5. Lara Braganza (FAST)/ Adalynn Biegler (EDI)- 24.47
6. (tie)
7. Leah Nebraska (NAAC)- 24.48
8. Mallory Ferguson (CBSC)- 24.52

It was a two-swimmer race as Abby Chan and Mia Buff were the only swimmers under 24 seconds here. From the jump, it looked as though Abby Chan was going to take this one, and that she did, storming to a new career best in 23.42, besting her former time from this meet last year of 23.73.

Buff was significantly faster than her lifetime best, touching over a second faster than her 24.88 from December’s Winter Junior Championships East to finish 2nd here in 23,79.

Men’s 50 Fly:

• Meet Record: 20.54 – Scotty Buff (2022)

Top 8:

1. Mattaus Rammel (WAVE)- 20.75
2. London Rising (GTAC)- 21.16
3. Micah Davis (AQJT)- 21.21
4. Tyler Phillips (NCAP)- 21.32
5. Luke Vatev (HOSC)- 21.47
6. Ethan Holloway (WAVE)/ Teddy O’Donnell- 21.85
7. (tie)
8. Ian Disosway (FAST)- 21.98

Rammel secured his 2nd win of the meet here, narrowly missing Scotty Buff‘s meet record of 20.54 in 20.75. Rammel, similar to 100 free an hour earlier, was the fastest man in the pool from the start, powering off the blocks and first to the turn.

London Rising, Micah Davis, Luke Vatev, and Ethan Holloway were all swimming in their 2nd championship final of the evening and battling for a top-three finish. Rising would get himself ahead in the final few strokes to take 2nd in 21.16.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay

• Meet Record: 1:36.77 – Elmbrook Swim Club (2022)

Top 8:

1. Nation’s Capital ‘A’- 1:39.40
2. Nation’s Capital ‘B’- 1:40.34
3. Nasa Wildcat Aquatics- 1:40.52
4. Excel Aquatics- 1:41.46
5. Academy Bullets Swim Club- 1:41.62
6. Edina Swim Club- 1:41.72
7. Long Island Swim Club- 1:41.93
8. Aquajets Swim Team- 1:42.41

Nation’s Capital completed their successful day 1 of competition with a 1-2 finish in the women’s 200 medley relay. Sagle opened in 24.28 to give the ‘A’ relay an early advantage before passing the momentum to Maya McCarney, where she would maintain control through the breaststroke in 28.06.

Emma Cigna would kick off the back half of the ‘A’ relay in 24.40 on the fly leg, before Sadie Buckley, who finished 2nd to her relay opening teammate Sagle earlier in the evening in the 200 back, would close things out in 22.66, combining for a meet-winning 1:39.40.

The ‘B’ relay for NCAP, consisting of McKenzie Cory (24.86), Lilla Wilbur (28.03), Haley Edenburg (24.65), and Emma Young (22.80), finished just behind in 1:40.34.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay

• Meet Record: 1:26.47 – Nation’s Capital Swim Club (2015)

Top 8:

1. Nation’s Capital Swim Club ‘A’- 1:28.36
2. New Wave Swim Team- 1:28.63
3. Nasa Wildcat Aquatics ‘A’- 1:28.79
4. Nasa Wildcat Aquatics ‘B’- 1:29.27
5. Aquajets Swim Team- 1:29.44
6. FMC Aquatics- 1:29.60
7. Nova of Virginia- 1:29.90
8. Nation’s Capital Swim Club ‘B’- 1:30.22

Sweeping the night 1 relays, NCAP’s ‘A’ relay delivered, as Andrew Vanas (24.35), Joey Coleman (23.36), Tyler Phillips (21.04), and Yaron Li (19.61) banded together to hold off a pair of strong relays from New Wave and Nasa Wildcats to claim the first men’s relay win of the meet in 1:28.36.

New Wave got going quickly as Drew Sito (22.88) opened things up early, taking a near half-second lead into the first turn over Nation’s Capital. The same can be said for NASA Wildcat Velizar Filipov, who was faster than both Sito and Vanas, posting a 22.70.

The x-factor of the relay was the middle 100 for the Nation’s capital, as Coleman was able to inch them closer to the lead, with Phillips helping propel them into that position. Li then just needed to give it his all to hold on, and his 19.61 split was too much to overcome.