By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Wednesday, March 18 – Saturday, March 21, 2026 McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA Defending Champions: Virginia (5x) Championship Central Preview Index Psych Sheet Live Stream Live Results Live Recaps Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 Finals: Day 1Day 2 Finals Heat Sheets
It’s time for the first full finals session at the 2026 NCAA Championships. We got treated to two relays and the 1650 freestyle yesterday, but now the session will be packed with individual events, diving, and a relay. This is also the first time we’ll get to see how pressure to go fast in the morning with no ‘B’ finals effects the nighttime swims. Swimmers showed up this morning–the top 8 qualifying time for each individual event got faster, some by over a second. Anyone who had a sleepy start to the morning found themselves on the outside looking in. Now, we’ll see whether there are big time adds from this morning, or whether the top contenders were able to hold something back for tonight.
Event Lineup
100 butterfly 400 IM 1-meter diving 200 freestyle 100 breaststroke 200 freestyle relayThe session kicks off with a clash of titans in the women’s 100 butterfly. It’s a different type of exciting than this race was last year when Gretchen Walsh‘s quest for a sub-47 second swim put her body-lengths ahead of the field, but no less thrilling. Claire Curzan (49.20) and Torri Huske (49.38) separated themselves during prelims, setting up a showdown this evening between the former teammates.
Torri Huske (photo: Jack Spitser)
Huske, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100-meter butterfly, has finished on the podium in this event at every NCAA Championship in her career, but has never claimed the crown. Curzan has not won this event either; she finished 4th at the 2023 NCAA Championships and skipped this event last year in favor of the 50 freestyle and both backstrokes. Prelims suggests this will be a race between the Cavalier and the Cardinal, but Indiana’s Alex Shackell aims to make this a three-way race. Shackell, a spring semester addition to the Hoosiers, joined Curzan and Huske in swimming under 50 seconds this morning, matching her seed time with a 49.95.
The attention then shifts to the 400 IM. Defending champion Caroline Bricker played with fire this morning; she swam a 4:03.65 and was sitting 5th overall with one heat remaining. She squeaked into the final and will defend her title from lane eight tonight. That could play to her advantage, there will be plenty of action in the middle of the pool that could help her escape notice. Tennessee sophomore Ella Jansen had a big swim this morning (4:00.24) to secure lane four ahead of Bella Sims (4:01.07) and Lucy Bell (4:01.52). Cal freshman Teagan O’Dell was also sub-4:02 this morning, dropping 2.61 seconds from her seed with a 4:01.78.
While there are many familiar names in this event, only three of the championship finalists from last year are back for this year’s final: the champion Bricker, the 3rd place Bell, and 4th place Katie Grimes. Both Sims and Aimee Canny are flexing their versatility by adding the 400 IM this year after focusing elsewhere last season.
After a break for the 1-meter diving, the action in the pool picks up with the 200 freestyle, which could prove to be the race of the meet. It was a bloodbath in prelims as it took a 1:42.28 to earn a second swim.
Texas freshman Nikolett Padar popped a lifetime best 1:41.00 to lead prelims this morning, five-hundredths ahead of Anna Moesch. Moesch swam the fastest 200 freestyle split in history last night, which she closed with a monstrous 25.04 final 50 yards. But, after last night, she’s no longer the fastest active swimmer in this event; her 1:39.72 got clipped by Liberty Clark‘s 1:39.70 lead-off for Indiana. The two are now the 3rd and 4th fastest performers in event history. Clark qualified 3rd this morning (1:41.29).
Liberty Clark (photo: Jack Spitser)
Overall, six swimmers were under 1:42 seconds with Mia West (1:41.57), Claire Weinstein (1;41.59), and Madi Mintenko (1:41.61) joining the top three. All eight swimmers in this final are dangerous as the outside lanes are taken up by last year’s silver medalist Minna Abraham (1:42.22) and two-time SEC champion Camille Spink (1:42.28).
McKenzie Siroky pushed the boat out in the 100 breaststroke prelims this morning, giving Tennessee two top qualifiers for tonight. Siroky was the only woman to break 57 seconds in prelims. She swam a lifetime best 56.93, leading Florida’s Anita Bottazzo (57.34), who has been on fire in this event all season. Eneli Jefimova and Anastasia Gorbenko dueled in this race at this year’s ACC Championships and were separated by just .11 seconds this morning as they look to win their first individual event at their debut NCAA Championships. Like all these individual events, the women’s 100 breaststroke final qualifying time was much faster than last year. In 2025, it took a 58.30 to make the top 8, this year that went down to a 57.95.
The women’s 200 freestyle relay is already underway, with only the top 8 teams left to swim in finals. Texas is the clubhouse leader after Eva Okaro, Lillie Nesty, Lucy Mehraban, and Erin Gemmell combined for a 1:26.42. The Virginia women are the favorites in this relay; if they win, they’ll be three-for-three in the relays so far at this year’s NCAA Championships.
Top 10 Teams After Day 2 Prelims
Virginia — 109 Texas — 89 Louisville — 61 Stanford — 59 Michigan — 56 California/Tennessee — 52 — Indiana — 46 Ohio State — 39 NC State/Georgia — 34Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2026 Women’s NCAA Division I Championship: Day 2 Finals Preview
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