Nova Southeastern Women Claim 4th Straight NCAA Division II Championship Crown

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 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

For the fourth consecutive season, the Sharks of Nova Southeastern sit atop the women’s NCAA Division II team standings as National Champions. Putting the final touches on the team victory with a win in the 400 free relay on the final night to bring the team total up to 486 points, nine more than they scored last season, to win their 3rd straight (475 points in 2025).

The Sharks opened the meet with a dominant 800 free relay win, touching more than five seconds ahead of runners-up Colorado Mesa (7:13.88) in 7:08.52. The quartet of Emilia Ronningdal, Zsofia Kurdi, Hailey Williams, and Kristina Orban touched just under the NCAA Division II and Championship record time of 7:08.50.

Ronningdal was the first Shark to stand atop the podium on day 2, winning the 2oo IM in 1:58.83, the only swimmer on the field to dip under 1:59. This swim moved her up four spots from this finish in 2025, where she was 5th overall at these championships in 2:00.23, and is her 2nd individual NCAA Division II title in this event, adding to her trophy case from 2023, when she picked up the win in this event as a freshman in a career best 1:57.78.

NSU’s first record-breaking swim came on night 2, as the 200 medley relay of Mollie Morfelt, Hannah Montgomery, Orban, and Maya Esparza mounted a come-from-behind victory after trailing through the 150 mark. Still, a 21.88 anchor leg from Esparza got the Sharks in front of both Findlay and West Florida to secure the National title in 1:37.95, becoming the first NCAA DII 200 medley relay under 1:38.

Orban’s individual performances were among the biggest highlights of night 2, contributing two title wins for the Sharks in less than an hour of each other. Her first came in the evening’s opening swim, the women’s 100 fly, where Orban entered as the only sub-53 swimmer, and kept it as such, swimming a career best in the prelims of 52.77, and touching right on that time again in finals in 52.79.

Two events later, Orban was back behind the blocks, looking to win her 2nd individual title of the day, this time in the 200 free. After opening the race in 6th, Orban consistently clawed her way back into contention with each 50, moving up to 2nd with a 50 to go, after digging deep, and fighting off Grand Valley’s Lucy Hedley, coming home to take a hard-fought win in 1:46.34, defending her 2025 title in the event.

The sharks did not win any individual titles on the penultimate night. Still, they closed out the session with a bang, breaking their own NCAA DII Record in the 200 free relay in 1:29.03, becoming the first relay ever under 1:30. Kurdi, Orban, Maxine Egner, and Esparza were dominant in this final, toppling the field by nearly a second and a half.

Orban returned to the winner’s circle on the final day of action, narrowly out-touching Findlay’s Emily Mears-Bentley by one hundredth of a second in the 100 free to pick up her 3rd individual title of the meet in 49.34. This improved on her 2025 placement, having finished runner-up in 2025 (48.63).

The stamp on the win came in that 400 free relay, earning their 4th consecutive team title with an NCAA DII and Meet record of 3:17.37, as Kurdi, Egner, Ronningdal, and Esparza combined to finish over two and a half seconds faster than runners-up Findlay in 3:19.98.

Nova Southeastern Event Winners:

• 800 Free Relay: Emilia Ronningdal, Zsofia Kurdi, Hailey Williams, Kristina Orban – 7:08.50
• 200 IM: Emilia Ronningdal – 1:58.83
• 200 Medley Relay: Mollie Morfelt, Hannah Montgomery, Kristina Orban, and Maya Esparza – 1:37.95 *New NCAA DII and Meet Record
• 100 Butterfly: Kristina Orban – 52.79
• 200 Freestyle: Kristina Orban – 1:46.34
• 200 Free Relay: Zofia Kurdi, Kristina Orban, Maxine Egner, Maya Esparza – 1:29.03 *New NCAA DII and Meet Record 
• 100 Freestyle: Kristina Orban – 49.34
• 400 Free Relay: Zsofia Kurdi, Maxine Egner, Emilia Ronningdal, Maya Esparza – 3:17.37 *New NCAA DII and Meet Record 

Nova Southeastern Individual Points Scorers:

• Kristina Orban, sophomore – 77
• Hailey Williams, senior – 57
• Emilia Ronningdal, senior – 53
• Zsofia Kurdi, fifth-year – 43
• Maxine Egner, sophomore – 22
• Maya Esparza, senior -15
• Viktoriia Kostomina, fifth-year – 15
• Brielle Buchanan, freshman – 8
• Danika Senekal, freshman – 5
• Sara Dowden – sophomore – 1

Final Women’s Team Scores

1. Nova Southeastern – 486
2. Tampa – 424.5
3. Colorado Mesa – 328.5
4. West Florida – 298.5
5. Drury- 284
6. Indy – 272.5
7. Findlay – 269.5
8. Grand Valley – 225
9. Catawba – 208
10. Delta State – 185.5
11. Wingate – 176
12. Simon Fraser – 143
13. Clarion – 126
14. Lynn – 116
15. UMSL – 75
16. Mines – 67
17. Carson-Newman – 46
18. CSU East Bay – 33
19. Saginaw Valley – 30
20. Concordia – 29
21. Augustana/McKendree – 28
22. (tie)
23. IUP – 26
24. Davenport – 19
25. Lewis – 18
26. Oklahoma Christian – 17
27. NMU/Emmanuel – 15
28. (tie)
29. MSU Mankato – 14
30. Wayne State – 7
31. Rollins/Westchester – 6
32. (tie)
33. Ouachita – 4
34. UNC-Pembroke – 3
35. Alaska Fairbanks- 1