2026 NCAA Division III Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

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:
    • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
    • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

Welcome to the penultimate night of the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, where we have a full slate of events on tap. Tonight’s session will feature finals of the 200 medley relay, 200 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 1-meter diving, and 800 freestyle relay for both men and women, making for a packed night of racing.

The NYU women and Denison men enter the night holding commanding leads in the team standings, with the Violets up by 71.5 points on Emory in the women’s race and the Big Red men up by 47 points on Chicago.

Women’s Team Standings Through Day 2:

1. NYU – 260
2. Emory – 188.5
3. Kenyon – 176.5
4. Denison – 114.5
5. MIT – 102
6. Williams – 98
7. Pomona-Pitzer – 91
8. Swarthmore – 82
9. Hope College – 75
10. Claremont/Chicago – 73

Men’s Team Standings Through Day 2:

1. Denison – 226
2. Chicago – 179
3. NYU – 169
4. Kenyon – 150
5. Emory – 134
6. Bates – 90
7. Carnegie Mellon – 69
8. TCNJ – 60
9. Williams – 58
10. Wash U. MO – 52

Stay tuned for live updates.

MEN’S 200 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• Division III Record: 1:25.57, Bates – 2026
• 2025 Winner: Tufts/Emory, 1:26.72

Top 8 Finishers:

1. NYU – 1:26.18
2. Carnegie Mellon – 1:26.39
3. Kenyon – 1:27.08
4. Emory – 1:27.17
5. Johns Hopkins – 1:27.36
6. TCNJ – 1:27.93
7. Salisbury – 1:29.15
8. Grove City – 1:28.02

DQ – Bates – 1:25.51 *NCAA DIVISION III RECORD*

The Bates men touched the wall with a time of 1:25.51 to undercut their own NCAA Record from earlier in the season by six hundredths, but it was soon revealed that the team was disqualified.

It’s unclear at the time of writing which swimmer jumped early.

Beyond the drama, the race was fast. The top three teams to touch the wall (two when you exclude Bates) went under last year’s winning time of 1:26.72, when Tufts and Emory shared the win.

The DQ elevates NYU to gold, with Teddy McQuaid (21.66), Sean Li (24.20), Teddy Cross (20.97), and Greg Wehbe (19.35) combining for a 1:26.18.

Carnegie Mellon’s Arnav Despande (21.90), Aaron Lee (24.32), Brayden Morford (20.48), and Noah Barrett (19.69) combined for 1:26.39, which will promote them to silver.

Kenyon’s Pete Dunson (22.71), Noel Tumbasz (24.41), Roman Savage (20.99), and Djordje Dragojlovic (19.37) stopped the clock at 1:27.08 and will move from fourth to third

WOMEN’S 200 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• Division III Record: 1:39.51, MIT – 2025
• 2025 Winner: MIT, 1:39.51

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Emory – 1:39.72
2. Kenyon – 1:39.89
3. Denison – 1:40.53
4. NYU – 1:40.85
5. Chicago – 1:41.68
6. Williams – 1:42.40
7. Colby – 1:42.47
8. Wash U. MO – 1:42.73

Emory touched the wall first in the women’s 200 medley relay, but not without a fight.

Kenyon’s Gwen Eisenebis (25.45), Kelsey Van Eldik (27.33), and Maggie Grespin (24.27) built an eight-tenth lead heading into the anchor leg, but Emory’s Ava Kennedy ripped a 21.85 to run down Kenyon’s Kate Bogan (22.84) and take the win by 0.17, 1:39.72 to 1:39.89. Emory’s Penny Celtnieks (25.54), Katie Cohen (27.80), and Allison Greeneway (24.53) set the table for Kennedy’s anchor.

Denison rounded out the podium in 1:40.53, with Jasmine Park (25.73), Riley Tofflemire (27.83), Phoebe Ferguson (24.15), and Hailey Kaminski combining for the bronze.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• Division III Record: 1:42.64, Justin Finkel (Connecticut College) – 2025
• 2025 Winner: Justin Finkel (Connecticut College), 1:42.64

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Cooper Costello (CHIC) – 1:42.98
2. McKee Thorsen (EMOR) – 1:45.52
3. Marco Minai (WSTL) – 1:45.91
4. Avery Clapp (JHU) – 1:45.96
5. Noah Reice (CGA) – 1:46.63
6. Honza Zika (WHIT) – 1:47.73
7. John Drumm (CWRU) – 1:48.68
8. Parker Chan (WSTL) – 1:48.86

UChicago junior Cooper Costello won the men’s 200 butterfly in 1:42.98, splitting 22.62/26.03/26.95/27.38 to take the title by just under three seconds.

Costello was a hair off his career best of 1:42.91 from last month’s UAA Championships and improves on his runner-up finish from a year ago.

Emory junior McKee Thorsen earned silver in 1:45.52, slicing just over two tenths off his best of 1:45.75 from UAAs, while WashU junior Marco Minai rounded out the podium in 1:45.91, a bit off the 1:45.21 he swam in the 2025 NCAA final.

Both improved on their finishes from a year ago, with Thorsen up from fifth and Minai up from fourth.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• Division III Record: 1:55.66, Logan Todhunter (Williams) – 2012
• 2025 Winner: Nicole Ranile (NYU), 1:57.72

‘Top 8 Finishers:

1. Nicole Ranile (NYU) – 1:58.51
2. Sun Young Byun (CMS) – 2:00.15
3. Maeve Kelley (AMHE) – 2:00.24
4. Elodie Mitchell (EMOR) – 2:00.79
5. Emily Harris (DEN) – 2:01.43
6. Lily Codd (WILL) – 2:01.55
7. Amelia Stevenson (KEN) – 2:01.99
8. Sofia Giordano (KEN) – 2:02.52

Defending champion Nicole Ranile led the women’s 200 butterfly from start to finish, splitting 26.61/29.72/30.59/31.59 to touch the wall at 1:58.51 as the only woman to break 2:00 on the day. The NYU senior eclipsed her season-best 1:59.38 from November, though she was about a second shy of her lifetime-best 1:57.72 from her winning swim a year ago.

Sun Young Byun of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps finished runner-up in 2:00.15, slicing nearly a second off her lifetime best of 2:01.01 from last month, after touching 16th a year ago.

Amherst junior Maeve Kelley rounded out the podium in 2:00.24, upgrading from fourth a year ago and taking down her former best of 2:00.90 set at this meet last year.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Division III Record: 45.75, Tanner Filion (Whitman) – 2023
• 2025 Winner: Brayden Morford (Carnegie Mellon), 46.61

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Brayden Morford (CMU) – 46.29
2. Teddy Cross (NYU) – 46.55
3. Charles Platt (CALV) – 46.68
4. Teddy McQuaid (NYU) – 46.82
5. Jackson Merkel (CALV) – 47.20
6. Kai Henrikson-Brandt (JHU) – 47.35
7. Arnav Deshpande (CMU) – 47.60
8. Jimmie Hester (TRIN) – 48.37

Carnegie Mellon junior Brayden Morford defended his men’s 100 back title in personal-best fashion, clocking 46.29 to undercut the 46.61 he blasted to take gold a year ago.

NYU fifth-year Teddy Cross earned silver in 46.55, slicing just over two tenths off his best time from last February when he was swimming with Virginia.

Calvin senior Charles Platt rounded out the podium in 46.68, taking down his previous best of 46.95 set in prelims and upgrading from a consolation final finish a year ago.

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• Division III Record: 53.41, Kate Augustyn (MIT) – 2025
• 2025 Winner: Kate Augustyn (MIT), 53.41

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Maeve O’Donnell (NYU) – 54.28
2. Penny Celtnieks (EMOR) – 54.29
3. Braelyn Wilson (KEAN) – 54.30
4. Elizabeth Pennington (ROWA) – 54.68
5. Sammi Thiele (EMOR) – 55.00
6. Jasmine Park (DEN) – 55.04
7. Aiden White (WILL) & Gwen Eisenbeis (KEN) – 55.12
8. (tie) for 7th

NYU freshman Maeve O’Donnell delivered the first freshman victory of the meet in the women’s 100 back, touching first in 54.28 to edge out Kean sophomore Braelyn Wilson (54.29) and Emory senior Penny Celtnieks (54.30) in the closest race of the meet thus far.

O’Donnell, who entered the meet ranked seventh before clocking a lifetime-best 54.11 in prelims, opened in 25.80 to take the early lead, with Wilson (26.04) second and Celtnieks (26.27) third before Celtnieks overtook Wilson at the 99-yard mark to steal silver.

Wilson took down her best time of 54.46 from last month and improved on her sixth-place finish from a year ago, while Celtnieks, who won the UAA title over O’Donnell last month in 54.58, sliced over two tenths off her best to upgrade from 12th a year ago.

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• Division III Record: 50.94, Andrew Wilson (Emory) – 2017
• 2025 Winner: Henri Bonnault (Emory), 52.61

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Marrich Somridhivej (BATE) – 51.82
2. Henry Bonnault (EMOR) – 52.71
3. Carrick Shea (CONN) – 53.29
4. Zachary Erb (BC) – 53.42
5. Ethan Taylor (CHIC) – 53.45
6. Tiernan Moore (CEN) & Liam Nelson (DEN) – 53.81
7. (tie) for 6th
8. Caleb Einolf (GRO) – 53.88

Bates senior Marrich Somridhivej stamped his authority on the men’s 100 breaststroke, firing off a 51.82 to win by nearly a full second over defending champion Emory senior Henri Bonnault (52.71) and Conn College sophomore Carrick Shea (53.29).

Somridhivej split 24.24/27.58 en route to the win.

Somridhivej, who was fifth in last year’s final, came into the meet as the top seed with former lifetime best of 51.85 from last month’s NESCAC Championships, and he showed he’s on incredible form earlier in the meet, throwing down a 50.41 split on Bates’ record-setting 400 medley relay.

Bonnault dipped under his season-best 52.96 from November, but was exactly a tenth off his best time of 52.61 set en route to the win last year.

Connecticut College sophomore Carrick Shea, who placed 20th in this event as a freshman, touched third in 53.29, just missing his best time of 53.04 from last month’s NESCAC Championships, where he was the runner-up to Somridhivej.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• Division III Record: 59.62, Jennah Fadely (Kenyon) – 2025
• 2025 Winner: Jennah Fadely (Kenyon), 1:00.13

Top 8 Finishers: 

1. Kelsey Van Eldik (KEN) – 1:00.10
2. Katie Cohen (EMOR) – 1:01.26
3. Drue Thielking (DEN) & Alicia Soosai (CHIC) – 1:02.02
4. (tie) for 3rd
5. Hannah Lee (WSTL) – 1:02.15
6. Isabella Klemm (YORK) – 1:02.22
7. Riley Tofflemire (DEN) – 1:02.66
8. Kellen Motti (CLBY) – 1:03.10

Kenyon sophomore Kelsey Van Eldik was the heavy favorite coming into the women’s 100 breast, and she backed that status up with a dominant win, touching in 1:00.10 to give the one-minute barrier a good scare.

Van Eldik, who touched fourth last year, improved on her lifetime-best 1:00.41 from prelims, which itself bettered her previous best of 1:00.76 from a tri-meet in January.

Emory junior Katie Cohen logged a second personal best of the day in 1:01.26, improving on her 1:01.91 from prelims, which had already broken her previous best of 1:02.03 set en route to winning the UAA title last month.

While the top two were fairly clear-cut the whole race, a fun battle for bronze unfolded behind them, with just two tenths separating third through sixth. Ultimately, it was Denison senior Drue Thielking and UChicago senior Alicia Soosai who pulled away, touching the wall with matching 1:02.02s.

Thielking replicated her third-place finish from a year ago, having clocked a season-best 1:01.94 in prelims with her lifetime best of 1:01.31 also coming at this meet last year. Soosai clipped her personal and season bests of 1:02.17 to make a huge rise from 13th a year ago.

MEN’s 1-METER DIVING – FINAL

• Division III Record: 610.20, Israel Zavaleta (Kenyon), 2023
• 2025 Champion: 528.70, Trent Makowiec (Geneseo)

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Nick Fogle (DEN) – 548.80
2. Conor Compton (ALFST) – 542.05
3. Justin Toth (CEN) – 527.90
4. Greg Meder (GEN) – 524.70
5. Carter Kov (USMMA) – 486.60
6. Chase Smith (KEN) – 474.45
7. Tommy Matheis (PP) – 462.85
8. Garrett George (CEN) – 452.85

Déjà vu?

For the second time this week, Denison senior Nick Fogle, Alfred State senior Conor Compton, and Centre senior Justin Toth stood on the podium in that exact order. Fogle scored 548.80 points to claim the men’s 1-meter title, edging Compton (542.05) and Toth (527.90) just as he had on the 3-meter earlier in the week.

All three improved on their finishes from a year ago, with Fogle up from third, Compton from fifth, and Toth from fourth.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

• Division III Record: 6:26.98, Emory/Chicago – 2023/2025
• 2025 Winner: Chicago, 6:26.98

Top 8 Finishers:

1. Denison – 6:22.37 *NCAA DIVISION III RECORD*
2. Chicago – 6:22.72
3. Kenyon – 6:27.66
4. NYU – 6:32.36
5. Carnegie Mellon – 6:33.68
6. Emory – 6:33.84
7. MIT – 6:34.94
8. Williams – 6:35.79

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE RELAY – TIMED FINAL

• Division III Record: 7:13.02, NYU – 2025
• 2025 Winner: NYU, 7:13.02

Top 8 Finishers:

1. NYU – 7:17.27
2. Pomona-Pitzer – 7:19.01
3. Denison – 7:19.14
4. Williams – 7:19.30
5. Emory – 7:21.09
6. Kenyon – 7:22.19
7. Chicago – 7:22.27
8. MIT – 7:24.91

NYU was untouchable in the women’s 800 freestyle relay, with Emery Muller (1:49.91), Lian Jeong Engle (1:50.04), Nicole Ranile (1:49.65), and Llew Ladomirak (1:47.67) combining for a 7:17.27 to win by nearly two seconds over Pomona-Pitzer (7:19.01) and Denison (7:19.14).

Williams also broke 7:20, touching in 7:19.30.

Of note, NYU left off senior Kayley McIntyre, who owns the Division III records in the 50 through 200 free and was part of the record-setting relay last month, as she is needed on the four sprint relays.

Women’s Team Standings Through Day 3:

1. NYU – 375
2. Emory – 319.5
3. Kenyon – 294
4. Denison – 239
5. Williams – 190.5
6. Chicago – 143.5
7. MIT – 140
8. Pomona-Pitzer – 125
9. Claremont MS – 121
10. Hope College – 102

Men’s Team Standings Through Day 3:

1. Denison – 313.5
2. NYU – 283
3. Chicago – 265
4. Emory – 240
5. Kenyon – 234
6. Carnegie Mellon – 168
7. Bates – 1120
8. TCNJ – 101
9. Wash U. MO – 97
10. Johns Hopkins – 95