NCAA men’s swimming and diving championships: Texas wins back-to-back NCAA titles, 17th in program history
NCAA men’s swimming and diving championships: Texas wins back-to-back NCAA titles, 17th in program history
Griffin HadleySun, March 29, 2026 at 12:12 AM UTC
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 28: Texas fans cheer during the Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championship held at Georgia Tech Aquatic Center on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) (Jonathan Bachman via Getty Images)
Texas is the top program in collegiate swimming for the second year in a row, winning a second consecutive national championship. The Longhorns have now won a NCAA leading 17th national championship.
Florida made it competitive through three days of competition, but it was always Texas, who ran away with the national title after a dominating performance on Saturday. The Longhorns clinched the title with 445.5 points, defeating the Gators by 29.5 total points.
Hubert Kos led Texas with 57 total points, setting NCAA records in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. The Longhorns overwhelmed the rest of the country with their depth on the final day of competition, securing yet another title for college swimming's “blue blood” program.
Texas head coach Bob Bowman has now won three consecutive NCAA titles, following his 2024 championship as the head coach of Arizona State. Bowman's remarkable streak adds to his ability to build elite programs, consistently recruiting and developing talent to reach their peak at the national championship meet.
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Florida secured a national runner-up finish after an impressive effort all week. Josh Liendo went three for three in individual titles and helped lead the Gators to impressive finishes in all of their relays.
Indiana made it back-to-back third place NCAA finishes, scoring 351 points, solidifying the Hoosiers as one of the premier programs in all of college swimming. Arizona State finished fourth with 328 points thanks to four relay wins and fantastic performances in the sprints.
The Tennessee Volunteers returned to the top five with for the second straight season. The Vols scored 272 points, reloading their roster with successful relays, superb diving, and a new group of young talent after the departure of 25-time All-American Jordan Crooks.
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Here is how the final night of competition went down:
Maximus Williamson wins 200 IM title on final lap
For 150 yards it was Indiana senior Owen McDonald leading the way in the 200 IM. McDonald looked to be in control, stretching out a lead on butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke.
However, Maximus Williamson, the only swimmer not representing Texas, IU, or NC State, hammered home the last 50 to steal away the national title. The Virginia freshman was the only swimmer to split under 24 seconds on the final two leg of the race, outsplitting McDonald by half a second. Williamson adds a second national title to his freshman resume, closing his first NCAAs with an exclamation point.
Indiana had an exceptional performance in the 200 IM putting three in the top eight. McDonald finished as national runner-up and his two freshman teammates, Noah Cakir and Josh Bey, finished seventh and eighth for the Hoosiers.
Texas also had a strong contingent, putting two in the 200 IM championship final. Junior Will Modglin and senior Baylor Nelson placed third and fourth for the Longhorns, extending Texas’ lead from the start of the night.
NC State, who is in a tight battle for fifth, scored much needed points thanks to freshman Daniel Diehl and fifth-year Arsenio Bustos who finished fifth and sixth.
Liendo completes 100 freestyle career sweep
Josh Liendo made it four-for-four in the 100 freestyle, winning the NCAA title for the fourth consecutive year.
In his final individual swim as a Gator, Liendo left no doubt, winning the race with authority. The senior broke 40 seconds for the second time in his career, becoming the third fastest performer in history behind only Caeleb Dressel and Jordan Crooks.
Liendo was out blazing fast, flipping in 18.84 seconds at the halfway mark. No other swimmer was under 19.25 seconds at the 50, leaving Liendo with clean water to finish the job.
Closing speed had been a strength for the Canada native all week, and that remained the case in the 100 free, as Liendo stormed home to secure his third individual title of the week.
LSU junior Jere Hribar finished as national runner-up, stopping the clock in a personal best 40.33 seconds. After being disqualified in the 50 freestyle, Hribar redeemed himself in the 100 free, building on his SEC title with a second place NCAA finish.
Gui Caribe is adding another All-American honor to his illustrious NCAA career, as he finished third one tenth behind Hribar. The Tennessee senior completed the top three sweep for the SEC, showcasing the sprint depth of the conference.
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Top qualifier from prelims Julian Koch grabbed fourth representing Pittsburgh with Arizona State senior Jonny Kulow finishing fifth for the Sun Devils.
NC State junior Quintin McCarty, Arizona sophomore Tomas Lukminas, and Virginia Tech junior Brendan Whitfield rounded out a quick 100 freestyle championship final. The top six finishers all broke 41 seconds, making it one of the fastest fields in NCAA history.
Ilya Kharun storms to the win in 200 butterfly
Arizona State junior Ilya Kharun backed up an ACC title in the 200 butterfly with a national championship.
Kharun was tested for the full 200 yards, turning even at the halfway mark with five different swimmers. Kharun took the solo lead at the 150 mark, but was quickly tracked down by US Olympian and UVA freshman Thomas Heilman going into the final lap.
In the end Kharun was able to increase his tempo just enough to fly past Heilman and win the NCAA title by half a second in 1:37.66. Heilman finished as national runner-up in 1:38.16, closing out a successful week for the Virginia first year.
Michigan senior Tyler Ray had the second fastest closing 50 in the field behind Kharun, which was good enough to move himself into third place. Ray, the Big 10 champion in this event, closes out his NCAA career with a top three national finish.
Logan Robinson (FSU), Jacob Johnson (Minnesota), and Raekwon Noel (Indiana), three sophomores, finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, showcasing bright futures ahead after earning spots in the championship final.
Princeton senior Mitchell Schott and Auburn freshman Abdalla Youssef closed out the heat placing seventh and eighth.
Kos completes backstroke sweep in NCAA record time
Texas senior Hubert Kos has completed the backstroke sweep for the second year in a row. The Hungary native won yet another backstroke NCAA title in NCAA record fashion, clipping .08 off of his own mark set in 2025.
Kos was challenged to start the race by Florida's Johnny Marshall, flipping together two laps. However, Kos then established control of the race, out-splitting Marshall on the next 50 yards.
The senior made his move on the third 50, out-swimming Marshall by a full second from the 100 yard mark to turn at the 150. On his final two laps Kos closed quicker than anyone else in the field to win the title and reset the NCAA record in 1:34.13.
Florida junior Jonny Marshall bounced back from missing finals in the 100 backstroke to place second in 1:37.15. Virginia sophomore David King grabbed third in 1:37.43.
Indiana senior Kai Van Westering and Alabama junior Tommy Hagar finished fourth and fifth with Georgia senior Ruard Van Renen finishing sixth. Van Westering, Hagar, and Van Renen all broke one minute and forty seconds in their final individual races of the season.
Tennessee senior Nick Simons and Virginia senior Jack Aikens finished seventh and eighth after both posting personal bests in the preliminaries this morning.
Arizona State wins fourth NCAA relay title
The Arizona State Sun Devils won another NCAA relay title to close out this year’s NCAA championships. Ilya Kharun, Adam Chaney, Remi Fabiani, and Jonny Kulow built on their NCAA record performance at Big 12’s to win the national title in 2:42.38.
After Texas took an early lead thanks to a big leadoff split from Hubert Kos, it was all Arizona State down the stretch, winning the title by nearly a full second over NC State.
The Wolfpack finished as national runners-up with a new season best of 2:43.31. Jerry Fox, Quintin McCarty, Hudson Williams, and Kaii Winkler closed their NCAA championships with a silver medal.
Two SEC squads finished third and fourth, as Florida and Tennessee both finished in the top four. After entering the week as the seventh fastest team in the country, Michigan jumped up to grab fifth.
Texas finished sixth, emphasizing clean starts to finish the race and secure the team title. Indiana placed seventh while California entered the top eight after a strong performance this morning.
Emilio Trevino wins NCAA title in platform diving
Texas A&M freshman Emilio Trevino threw down an impressive list in finals to win platform diving at his first NCAA championships.
After qualifying seventh overall after preliminaries, it was Trevino who completed the best six dives, moving up and winning the NCAA title.
Top 25 Team Scores -
Texas: 445.5
Florida: 416
Indiana: 351
Arizona State: 328
Tennessee: 272
NC State: 258.5
California: 231
Michigan: 220
Virginia: 192
Stanford: 136
Virginia Tech: 86
Louisville: 82
Ohio State: 72
USC: 69
Georgia: 64.5
LSU: 61
Auburn: 55
Kentucky: 52
UNC: 50.5
Pittsburgh: 48
Miami (FL): 46
Princeton: 45
SMU: 44
Alabama: 41
Florida State: 40
Source: “AOL Sports”
