Indiana Sets Up Busy Friday Night at NCAA Championships

Friday, March 27

Atlanta, Ga.

10 a.m.

Indiana University

NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships - Prelims

Indiana Sets Up Busy Friday Night at NCAA Championships

3/27/2026 3:30:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving

Results (PDF)

ATLANTA – Indiana looks forward to six final swims Friday (March 27) night, the third of four evening sessions, at the 2026 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships inside the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. Action will resume at 6 p.m. ET.

Three Hoosiers clinched points in the 100-yard backstroke. Senior Owen McDonald became the second Hoosier all-time to break the 44 second barrier in the event, his personal best 43.98 ranking No. 3 among the prelim swims. Sophomore Miroslav Knedla (44.61) and senior Kai van Westering (44.64) both recorded personal best times to finish 13th and 14th.

Indiana will record four of the top 10 finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke. Freshman Josh Bey (1:50.77) and junior Toby Barnett (1:51.22) placed sixth and eighth in the morning to qualify for the championship final, just in front of freshman Noah Cakir (1:51.38) and sophomore Alexei Avakov (1:51.43) who placed ninth and 10th.

Senior Zalán Sárkány will look to capture a career-best finish in the 500-yard freestyle after placing seventh in the event one year ago. Sárkány posted a 4:09.57 in the morning, good for the No. 3 seed in the final. Junior Aaron Shackell will join Sárkány in the championship heat after recording a personal best 4:11.01 in prelims.

RESULTS
100 BACKSTROKE
3. Owen McDonald – 43.98 (Championship Final, Personal Best, First-Team All-America)
13. Miroslav Knedla – 44.61 (Personal Best, Second-Team All-America)
14. Kai van Westering – 44.64 (Personal Best, Second-Team All-America)
20. Raekwon Noel – 44.95
34. David Kovacs – 45.73 (Personal Best)

200 BREASTSTROKE
6. Josh Bey – 1:50.77 (Championship Final, First-Team All-America)
8. Toby Barnett – 1:51.22 (Championship Final, First-Team All-America)
9. Noah Cakir – 1:51.38 (Second-Team All-America)
10. Alexei Avakov – 1:51.43 (Personal Best, Second-Team All-America)

500 FREESTYLE
3. Zalán Sárkány – 4:09.57 (Championship Final, First-Team All-America)
6. Aaron Shackell – 4:11.01 (Championship Final, Personal Best, First-Team All-America)
22. Luke Whitlock – 4:14.41
35. Luke Ellis – 4:18.35

50 FREESTYLE
18. Mikkel Lee – 18.89 (Personal Best)
28. Dylan Smiley – 19.23
33. Travis Gulledge – 19.39

3-METER DIVING
18. Maxwell Weinrich – 368.55
40. Joshua Sollenberger – 306.65
45. Aiden Sadler – 293.40

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Alexei Avakov – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke*
Toby Barnett – 100 breaststroke*, 200 breaststroke
Josh Bey – 400 IM, 200 breaststroke
Noah Cakir – 200 breaststroke*
Travis Gulledge – 200 medley relay, 100 breaststroke*, 200 freestyle relay*
Miroslav Knedla – 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay*, 100 backstroke*
Mikkel Lee – 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay*
Owen McDonald – 200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke
Raekwon Noel – 800 freestyle relay
Zalán Sárkány – 1,650 freestyle, 400 IM*, 500 freestyle
Aaron Shackell – 800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle
Dylan Smiley – 800 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay*
Kai van Westering – 100 backstroke*
Luke Whitlock – 1,650 freestyle

UP NEXT
Indiana will race in the 100 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle and 400 medley relay Friday night.

@IndianaSwimDive
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

#NeverDaunted