INDIANAPOLIS - The 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships concluded this weekend with Southern Athletic Association athletes finishing with many All-America honors while Trinity finished in the top 25 as a team.
CENTRE:
Centre Men's Dive came away with three All-American honors on Day 1 of the 2026 NCAA Division III Swim & Dive Championships. Rowan Fitzsimmons claimed third in the 3-meter final with a composite score of 519.95 for first team All-America recognition while teammate Garrett George was also named first team All-America with a 6th place finish at 509.30.
The Colonels had a second team All-American in Brandon Anderson as he placed 16th with a score of 450.05. Justin Toth finished 21st in the prelims and did not advance to finals.
Also in day one for the Colonels was Caroline Lee competing in the 50 free where she placed 30th out of 70 competitors with a time of 23.54.
Centre returned to competition on Friday at the 2026 NCAA Division III Swim & Dive Championships where Tiernan Moore began to compete in the 100 breast where he swam 54.11 in prelims for 7th and to qualify for the final. Moore finished 6th overall swimming in lane one with a final time of 53.81 for first team All-America honors.
Lee returned to the pool on day two in the 100 back where she finished 39th at 57.05.
Diving switched to the 1-meter boards on Friday. Centre had all four of its divers from Wednesday's 3-meter competition also on the boards for Friday. In prelims, the Colonels were able to get all four into the finals round. Anderson placed 13th in prelims with 448.00 points. Fitzsimmons was just ahead in 12th (448.75). Four spots higher was George in 8th (456.80). Everyone was chasing Toth as he claimed the top spot after prelims with a score of 513.55.
In the final, Toth was chased down from behind by divers from Denison and Alfred State. Still, Toth grabbed 3rd place and 1st Team All-American honors with a final score of 527.90 points. George finished 8th in the championship final with 452.85 points to take another 1st Team honor. Fitzsimmons (461.00) and Anderson (450.15) placed 13th and 15th to stake claim to 2nd Team All-American honors.
Tiernan Moore closed out the Centre Swim & Dive season with another All-American honor on the final day of the 2026 NCAA Division III Swim & Dive Championships. He swam the 200 breast where he took 3rd place with a time of 1:57.11, just 0.31 seconds away from the runner-up spot.
Lee competed in the 100 freestyle and swam her preliminary race in a time of 52.00 seconds. The time was just 0.27 seconds off her blistering mark at the SAA Championships but was not enough to reach the final as she finished in 47th.
RHODES:
In the prelims of the 400 Medley Relay, the Lynx turned in a standout swim of 3:14.30, finishing eighth overall while securing a spot among the nation's top eight teams. Entering with a seed time of 3:15.77, Rhodes dropped significant time when it mattered most, as the relay of Josh Denckhoff, Jack Whitten, Liam Ashton, and Will Wertenberger combined for one of the fastest swims in Rhodes program history.
Returning for the championship final, Rhodes placed eighth with a time of 3:17.12 to earn All-America status, capping off an impressive showing on the national stage. Denckhoff led off the relay, followed by Whitten (breaststroke), Ashton (butterfly), and Wertenberger (freestyle) as the Lynx competed against an elite field that included top NCAA DIII talent.
SEWANEE:
Jonah Kearns competed in the 1-meter diving event at the NCAA Championships on Friday afternoon, finishing 23rd overall. The freshman posted a score of 387 across 11 dives, marking his second appearance at the NCAA Championships and concluding his season on the national stage.
TRINITY:
On day one, for the men, sophomore Luke Fender started off swimmingly in the 500 freestyle, making the A final in fourth place with a time of 4:25.90. In finals, Fender had a slight add but still came home with a 7th place trophy after an incredible last 50 that earned him this placement. That finish also makes Fender a First Team All-American in the 500 free after earning Second Team honors in last year's event.
Neely Burns advanced to finals for the women in the 200 IM, finishing 15th overall for second team All-Americ ahonors with a time of 2:04.03. Freshman Kaya Alvegaard-Struble made her debut in the 200 IM for 54th at 2:09.65.
Ava Easley also made her debut on the national stage in the 50 free touching the wall at 24.43 for 62nd overall.
Trinity's women 400 medley relay consisted of Easley, Amy Benson, Julia Carter, and Burns disqualified during the prelims.
Back on the men's side, Jack Hester swam the 50 free in 20.70 for 44th place.
The Tigers began day two of the championship meet with Neely Burns delivering a standout performance in the 400 IM. After an impressive prelims swim of 4:21.25 to qualify third overall, Burns returned in finals and secured a fourth-place finish, adding another All-American award to her impressive career.
Sophomore Luke Fender swam the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:40.11 to place 33rd overall. Kaya Alvegaard-Struble competed in the 200 freestyle prelims, placing 43rd with a time of 1:55.83.
The women's 200 freestyle relay, consisting of first-years Ava Easley and Alvegaard-Struble alongside juniors Julia Carter and Amy Benson, placed 24th in a competitive field with a time of 1:35.41.
The third day of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships concluded with the Tiger men's and women's teams keeping their momentum, as the women are in 19th and the men are 27th heading into the final day of competition.
Jack Hester swam the 100 backstroke for the Tiger men, touching in the morning at a time of 48.26 and finishing in 8th place, making the A final. In the evening, he earned All-American honors with an eighth-place trophy and a slight add from the morning, finishing off the evening's events swim for both teams.
The women's 800 freestyle relay also delivered a standout performance, placing 13th to earn Second Team All-American recognition and the highest finish in program history for the event. The relay also earned valuable points for the team while moving into third place on the program's all-time top-10 list for the event. The group of Burns, Alvegaard-Struble, Benson and Carter finished with a time of 7:32.53.
The women's 200 medley relay placed 24th with a time of 1:45.31 in prelims. The relay was made up of first-year Easley, Burns, Benson, and Carter.
Easley also competed in the 100 backstroke, finishing the race in 44th with a time of 57.96.
The 2026 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships concluded on Saturday with the Trinity University men's and women's swimming & diving teams finished 23rd and 21st, respectively, marking a stellar ending to the 2025-26 season for the Tigers.
Luke Fender closed out his season in the 1650 freestyle, placing 9th overall with a lifetime best of 15:35.93. In the process, he broke his own school record by two seconds and picked up Second Team All-American recognition.
Hester competed in the 200 backstroke prelims, qualifying for finals in 10th place with a time of 1:46.53. He returned in the evening session and finished 12th overall, capping off a strong performance on the national stage that also earned him All-American accolades.
For the women, Alvegaard-Struble, raced the 200 back where she placed 39th with a time of 2:06.30.
Senior captain Burns returned to the pool in the 200 breaststroke, placing 14th in prelims to earn a spot in the B final. She went on to finish 15th overall for another All-American award, closing out her collegiate career with a strong and memorable final swim (2:21.31).
First-year Ava Easley competed in the 100 freestyle prelims, finished 62nd overall (53.20).
The women's 400 freestyle relay of junior Carter, Alvegaard-Struble, Burns, and Benson finished 20th in the event just off their conference best-time at 3:28.78.
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