The Bates men’s swimmers provided the highlights for the NESCAC contingent on the first day of competition at the 2026 NCAA Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships at IU Natatorium at IU Indianapolis.
The Bates 400 medley relay lowered the NCAA record by a second to claim the NCAA title in the final event of the evening. The foursome becomes the first NCAA Relay Champion in team history. Senior Max Cory, who anchored the relay squad, established a new NESCAC record in the 50 freestyle en route to an NCAA Runner-Up performance to add to the impressive night for the Bobcats.
Competition continues on Thursday, March 19 with prelim swims and diving trials starting at 10 a.m. (ET). The evening session is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. (ET).
HOW TO WATCH NCAA EVENTS
All NCAA events are available via a webcast via
ncaa.com/champs-pass and the
NCAA Championships Pass App, which is available on smart TVs (Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV). In the app store on the device, search for NCAA Championships Pass, and download the app to begin watching.
Men’s 500 Freestyle
Two NESCAC swimmers qualified for the consolation finals in the opening event of the first finals session. In the 500 freestyle, Williams sophomore Nye Hanan placed 10th (4:26.26) and teammate Ryan Nunez was 12th (4:27.13).
Women’s 500 Freestyle
Tufts senior Madeleine Dunn opened her final NCAA Championship with a fifth-place finish in the championship heat of the women’s 500 freestyle. Dunn posted a time of 4:51.97, dropping 1.33 seconds from her prelim swim.
Men’s 200 IM
Conn. College’s Carrick Shea was the lone NESCAC qualifier in the 200 IM. The sophomore won the consolation final with a time of 1:47.09.
Women’s 200 IM
A pair of Ephs qualified for the finals in the women’s 200 IM. Sophie Phelps finished fifth in her NCAA debut with a time of 2:02.27, while teammate Irene Yang placed 16th overall and eighth in the consolation heat with a time of 2:04.92.
Men’s 50 Freestyle
Bates senior Max Cory set a NESCAC record and finished as the national runner-up in the 50 freestyle with a time of 19.47, five hundredths of a second off the time of 19.42 posted by Kenyon’s Djordje Dragojlovic. Seven of the eight swimmers in the championship heat broke the 20-second mark. Cory broke the mark of 19.49 held by former Tufts standout Roger Gu since 2019. In the consolation final, Williams rookie Sam Brozek finished third with a time of 19.96, while Hamilton junior Nathaniel Taft was fifth (20.16).
Women’s 50 Freestyle
Sophomore Anna McGrew of Middlebury finished fourth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.98 in the championship heat, while Amherst sophomore Sydney Thompson was fourth in the consolation final with a time of 23.20.
Men’s 3-Meter Diving
The NESCAC duo of Haochen Liu of Williams and Jay Wilkinson of Tufts qualified for the finals on the 3-meter board. Liu finished 12th with a score of 482.20 points while Wilkinson placed 13th with 461.30 points.
Men’s 400 Medley Relay
In the final event of the first day of competition, the Bates relay of Tim Johnson, Marrich Somridhivej, Nate Oppenheim, and Max Cory broke the NCAA record by more than a second. The relay posted a time of 3:08.43, lowering the record of 3:09.78 set by Kenyon in 2024. The foursome is the first relay NCAA Champion in program history. The Williams relay of Gabe Lee, Michael Grover, Ryan Nunez, and Sam Brozek finished second in the consolation final with a time of 3:14.54, lowering their prelim time by 1.67 seconds.
Women’s 400 Medley Relay
Williams finished fourth in the championship heat. The foursome of Irene Yang, Anna Doherty, Esme Van Orden, and Sophie Phelps combined for a time of 3:42.44, 1.24 seconds faster than their prelim swim. The Colby relay of Alexis Coates, Kellen Mottl, Aria Kapoor, and Eliza Marco finished seventh with a time of 3:44.19. In the consolation final, Tufts finished second. Abby Davis, Sydney Stasz, Elena Harrison, and Quinci Wheeler combined for a time of 3:43.82, dropping nearly two seconds off their prelim swim.
