2026 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships
- March 18-21, 2026
- Location: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
- Defending Champs: MIT women (1x) & Denison men (1x)
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results
- Results on Meet Mobile: “NCAA DIII Championships”
- Live Video
- Live Recaps:
SwimSwam recently posed the question: How much do ‘B’ finals matter? If you are a top 16 swimmer, I would argue they matter immensely!
During Wednesday morning’s prelims of the men’s 50 freestyle at the NCAA Division III Championships, where the top seven swimmers went under 20 seconds, another showdown was shaping up a little further down the field.
Kenyon’s Spencer Stluka, Denison’s Cam Blevins-Mohr and Pomona-Pitzer’s Casey Jacobs found themselves in a three-way tie for 16th place, each touching the wall in 20.15.
With the last spot in the ‘B’ final on the line, the three swimmers returned to the blocks for a thrilling three-way swim off, held after the morning’s 400 medley relays. Incredibly, the race ended in another tie between Stluka and Blevins-Mohr, who both hit the pad in 20.17. Jacobs touched third in 20.31.
A second swim-off was scheduled for 30 minutes later to settle the score. The third time was the charm for Stluka, who won the second showdown in 20.08 over Blevins-Mohr’s 20.39.
Stluka had lowered his personal best of 20.34 in the original prelim swim, and with his showing in the second swim-off, he had dropped nearly three-tenths from his PB over the course of the session.
How much does a ‘B’ final matter? Enough to swim the same event three times in a morning session, for a chance to swim it again at night.
In last night’s consolation final, Stluka ended up placing 15th overall in 20.39.
This was some of the most exciting swimming I’ve seen in my entire life, this is why D1 needs B finals…..congrats to all 3 swimmers, can’t wait to see Blevins-Mohr and Stluka and NCAC’s next year! GBR!
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who needs finals when you can just swim in prelims and 2 swim offs?! Such exciting swims! Congratulations to all the swimmers!
WOW! So very exciting and exhausting for those swimmers! Anyway, a 3 way tie – how often does something like that happen? I think all three should have won, but I guess that’s pretty unrealistic! Anyway spectators saw some pretty excting swimming today, which is what it’s all about! So congrats for the 3 way winners and all the others who swam or are swimming today!
I love this story! D lll swimmers are true student athletes who swim for love of the sport. Anyone who thinks getting the last spot in B finals isn’t important hasn’t raised a swimmer.
There was another swim-off today to break another tie for 16th in the men’s 100 fly. Both swimmers went faster in the swim-off, trying to grab the last spot in the B final!