Florida Males End Second at 2026 NCAA Championships for Best End Since 1985

ATLANTA, Ga. – Florida’s males’s swimming and diving program turned in a historic efficiency on the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships on the McAuley Aquatic Center, ending second with 419 factors.
 

Best program end since 1985 🐊 pic.twitter.com/fPnyVhJAmc

— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) March 29, 2026

The Gators, who had been predicted to complete wherever between fourth-through-sixth, trailed Texas by solely 26.5 factors (445.5) and completed forward of Indiana (351) and Arizona State (328) on the rostrum.
 
Florida’s end is this system’s finest in 39 years, relationship again to a runner-up end in 1985. It is simply this system’s second second-place end all-time and the best end since successful back-to-back nationwide titles in 1983 and 1984. The 419 factors additionally set a program document, surpassing the earlier excessive of 387 factors scored in 2014. It’s additionally the sixth-instance since Anthony Nesty assumed the function of Head Coach in 2018 that the Gators have secured a fifth-place or higher end.
 
Florida Men’s NCAA Championships end since 2018:

• 2018 – 5^th
• 2019 – 6^th
• 2021 – 3^rd
• 2022 – 3^rd
• 2023 – 6^th
• 2024 – 3^rd
• 2025 – 4^th 
• 2026 – 2^nd

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH ANTHONY NESTY
“This is a very special group of men who just finished the season as the national runner up – our highest team finish since 1985. From our freshmen to our seniors to our divers who scored the most points collectively out of every diving program at the meet. Everyone played a role in this historic finish and I am unbelievably proud! It’s great to be a Florida Gator!”
 
Overall, the boys gained 5 nationwide titles and added 14 further podium finishes. 14 Gators earned 25 All-America honors (20 First-Team and 5 Second-Team) with 14 of the 15 athletes contributing to the crew’s complete rating. The squad shattered two NCAA information, in addition to program, U.S. Open and meet information, set three pool information and posted 11 program top-10 instances.
 
Josh Liendo cemented his legendary standing in Florida’s historical past, sweeping the 50 and 100 free and 100 fly for the second time in his profession, becoming a member of Florida’s Caleb Dressel as the one Gators to attain this feat twice. Liendo contributed 60 factors to Gators’ complete, earned seven All-America honors for a profession complete of 26 and shattered NCAA, U.S. Open, meet, and program information within the 100 fly twice in the identical day. He additionally set career-best instances of 18.6 and 39.91 within the 50 and 100 free, respectively.
 
Florida’s distance squad added 107 factors, led by nationwide titles from the Ahmed duo. Ahmed Jaouadi turned simply the second Gator to win the NCAA mile, breaking NCAA, U.S. Open, meet and program information as a freshman with a 14:10.03 end. Ahmed Hafnaoui claimed the five hundred free in 4:06.56 to turn out to be the third Gator ever to win the occasion. Senior Gio Linscheer additionally added podium finishes with fifth-place showings in each the five hundred free and 1,650 free, whereas Eric Brown earned his first profession All-America honor after inserting 14th within the mile.
 
Florida’s diving squad, led by Head Coach Bryan Gillooly, performed a key function within the Gators’ historic end, contributing 58 factors to the crew complete. Conor Gesing scored 27 factors with a sixth-place end on the 1-meter and fifth on the 3-meter springboards. Jesus Agundez Mora added 15 factors on the 1-meter in his NCAA debut, whereas Jesus Gonzalez capped off Florida’s diving All-American honors with a third-place end on platform, contributing 16 factors.
 
Saturday Release
Josh Liendo accomplished the NCAA 100 free four-peat, touching in 39.91 to reset his No. 2 time in UF’s top-10 checklist and turn out to be the one swimmer to interrupt 40 second greater than as soon as within the race. It marked Liendo’s third particular person title of the meet and his ninth particular person NCAA title in his profession.
 
Jonny Marshall represented Florida within the 200 again, touching the wall in 1:37.15 to safe second place.  He improved from his No. 6 seed time to contribute 17 factors to Florida’s complete rating. His end marks the juniors finest end within the occasion at NCAA’s, bettering his fourth-place in 2024 and fifth in 2025.
 
Jesus Gonzalez earned a spot on the rostrum after inserting third on platform with a 427.25 finals rating. The sophomore superior for his first finals session of the week after taking the highest spot with a 435.05 in prelims.
 
The males’s 400 free relay of Devin Dilger (42.86), Alexander Painter (41.00), Scotty Buff (41.14) and Liendo (40.38) put collectively a 2:44.38 within the remaining occasion of the meet to earn third.
 
Morning Session
Alexander Painter and Aiden Norman additionally swam within the 100 free and 200 again occasions, with Painter going a 41.96 for twenty eighth place within the 100 Free and Norman touching in 1:40.78 for thirty first.
 
Freshman Jesus Agundez Mora closed out his first NCAA Championships look on platform, opening with scores of 72.00 and 60.80. A 14.85 on his again 3½ somersault tuck took him out of scoring rivalry, however he responded with a 64.00 and capped his checklist with a 74.80 on a reverse 3½ somersault tuck to complete twenty fourth total (329.00).
 
FLORIDA’S FULL TALLY
Podium (Top-8 finishes)

• National Champions
  
  
• Second Place
  
• Third Place
  
• Fourth Place
  
• Fifth Place
  
• Sixth Place
  

All-Americans (Top-16 Finishes)

• First Team
  

  • Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
  • Ahmed Hafnaoui – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
  • Gio Linscheer – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
  • Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle & 100 Freestyle
  • Scotty Buff – 100 Butterfly
  • Koen de Groot – 100 Breaststroke
  • Jesus Agundez Mora – 1-Meter
  • Conor Gesing – 1-Meter & 3-meter
  • Jonny Marshall – 200 Backstroke
  • Jesus Gonzalez – Platform
  • Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay
  • Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Devin Dilger – 200 Freestyle Relay
  • Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter – 400 Medley Relay
  • Devin Dilger, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 400 Freestyle Relay

• Second Team
  

Program Top-10 Times

• 50 Freestyle
  
  
• 100 Freestyle
  
• 500 Freestyle
  
• 1,650 Freestyle
  
• 100 Butterfly
  
• 200 Freestyle Relay
  
• 400 Medley Relay
  

Records

• NCAA
  
  
• U.S. Open
  
• Meet
  
• Program
  
• Pool
  

Stay Connected

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