The 2026 NCAA Division III Championships kicked off with a bang on Day 2, as the top seeds delivered in the preliminary heats. In the men's 200 freestyle, Denison's Jack Hill and Chicago's John Butler dominated the race, clocking in at 1:35.20 and 1:36.13 respectively. Hill, a junior, led the nation with a best time of 1:35.18, and Butler, a sophomore, set a best time of 1:35.20 at the Phoenix Fall Classic. The women's 200 freestyle saw NYU's Kaley McIntyre, the three-time defending champion and Division III record holder, cruise to the fastest time by more than two seconds in 1:46.29. Her freshman teammate, Llew Ladomirak, had a phenomenal swim to touch second in 1:48.45. The men's 100 butterfly was a close race, with Chicago's Cooper Costello, the defending champion and NCAA record holder, throwing down a blistering swim in the morning's prelims, coming within a tenth of his all-time mark. In the women's 100 butterfly, Claremont Mudd-Scripps senior Madeleine Kan dropped a half-second off her personal best time to claim the top seed for tonight's final. The men's 400 individual medley saw NYU's Maksym Nechydyuk and Conner Dean set themselves up for an exciting showdown in tonight's final, with Dean winning Heat 2 in a new lifetime best of 3:48.99 and Nechydyuk answering in the next heat with a time of 3:48.60. The women's 400 individual medley was led by Denison senior Emily Harris, who claimed the top seed with a time of 4:20.16. The men's 200 freestyle relay was won by Denison, who put up the top time of the morning in 1:18.78, just over three-tenths shy of their season-best. The women's 200 freestyle relay was dominated by NYU, who dropped a time of 1:30.45, giving them a 1.5-second buffer over the next-fastest team, Emory. These preliminary heats set the stage for an exciting day of swimming at the 2026 NCAA Division III Championships.
