Denison Men, Kenyon Women Maintain Leads Through Night Three

GRANVILLE, OH - The Denison men and Kenyon women lead the team standings following day three of competition at the 2026 NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships, held at Denison's Trumbull Aquatics Center. The Big Red men won four events and broke two NCAC records to maintain their lead with 1,352.5 points through the first three days of action. The Owl women captured three individual event titles and broke an NCAC record to remain on top of the team standings with an even 1,300 points.
 
The Kenyon men collected three more conference titles and sit second in the team standings with 1,193.5 total points. John Carroll currently sits third with 805.5 points, followed by DePauw (716), Wabash (655), Wooster (511.5), Oberlin (471), Ohio Wesleyan (276) and Wittenberg (112). On the women's side, Denison won three events on the evening and sits in second with 1,153 points, followed by DePauw (890.5), John Carroll (633.5), Wooster (561), Oberlin (398), Wittenberg (377) and Ohio Wesleyan (273).
 
Night three opened with Denison first-year Cam Blevins-Mohr (Lake Stevens, WA/Lake Stevens) bringing the 100 butterfly title back to Granville for the first time since 2018 in an NCAA “B” cut time of 47.57. Kenyon placed five swimmers in the top eight to pull within 63 points of Denison. Owl senior Ethan Manske (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michaels) followed by earning his third-straight  400 IM title in an NCAA “B” cut time of 3:52.99. Denison junior Jack Hill (Leighton Buzzard, U.K./Cedars Upper) then claimed the 200 free title in record-setting fashion, breaking the NCAC record in an  NCAA "B" cut time of 1:35.66 as the Big Red scored 144 points in the event to extend their lead. Kenyon junior Noel Tumbasz (Budapest, Hungary/ELTE Radnóti Miklós Gyakorló Gimnázium) captured the 100 breaststroke title in an NCAA "B" cut time of 54.42 to earn the Owls’ their first conference title in the event since 2022. The Owls earned 66 points in the “A” finals to chip away at Denison’s lead. Denison first-year Ben Bevill (Chattanooga, TN/McCallie School) brought the 100 backstroke title back to Granville for the first time since 2022 with an NCAA "B" cut time of 48.42, while the Big Red posted 88 points in the event to extend their margin to 124 points. In the final men’s individual event of the evening, Kenyon First-year Chase Smith (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) captured the one-meter diving title with a score of 509.35. The final men’s event went to the Denison 200-free relay quartet of Hill, sophomore Nick Hensel (Houston, TX/St. Johns), Blevins-Mohr and first-year Sam Hibbert (Toronto, Canada/Crestwood Prep), who reset the NCAC record with a winning time of 1:18.42. The NCAA “B” cut performance finished just 0.36 seconds off the NCAA record.

On the women’s side, Friday night opened with Denison junior Jassy Park (Lakeway, TX/Hyde Park) earned the Big Red their fourth-straight 100 butterfly title in an NCAA “B” cut time of 55.38, Kenyon followed with a three-seven finish in the event to extend its team lead. Denison senior Emily Harris (Nashville, TN/Ensworth) defended her 400 IM title with an NCAA "B" cut time of 4:22.77, while Kenyon maintained its advantage by scoring 61 points in the “A” finals of the event. The Owls then racked up 120 points in the “A” finals of the 200 free, extending their lead to 193 points, as senior Molly Haag (Middleton, WI/Middleton) earned gold in an NCAA “B” cut time of 1:49.68. Kenyon sophomore Kelsey Van Eldik (Newcastle, Australia/Merewether) logged the Owls fifth-straight title in the 100 breaststroke, touching the wall in an NCAA “B” cut time of 1:01.32. Denison chipped away at the deficit by placing four swimmers among the top-five finishers in the event. Kenyon senior Gwen Eisenbeis (Okemos, MI/Williamston) climbed to the top of the podium in the 100 backstroke, setting a new NCAC record and NCAA “B” cut time of 54.36 as the Owls maintained their lead in the team standings with 1,238 points. In the women’s 200 free relay, the Denison team of junior Ollie Morse (Granville, OH/Columbus School for Girls), senior Phoebe Ferguson (Columbus, OH/Grandview Heights), first-year Hailey Kaminski (Northfield, OH/Nordonia) and sophomore Caroline Ramirez (Cincinnati, OH/Country Day) topped the field with an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:32.43.

The 2026 NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships continue through Saturday evening. Preliminary events start at 9:30 a.m., while finals begin at 6:00 p.m.
 

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