It is Rivalry Week In College Swimming

January all the time looks like it lasts ceaselessly however it’s lastly February, and the NCAA postseason is on the horizon. Some convention meets are solely days away now. This previous weekend, many groups closed the books on the common season and that meant many groups confronted off towards their long-standing rival colleges. Across the nation, groups renewed these heated rivalries, giving us some thrilling motion as we gear up for probably the most thrilling a part of the school season. 

This week, we’re diving deep on how the motion unfolded at these rivalry meets. 

HYP 

Women:

• Princeton, 160.5 def. Harvard, 139.5
• Princeton, 209 def. Yale, 91
• Harvard, 307 def. Yale, 93

Men:

• Princeton, 193 def. Harvard, 159
• Princeton, 201.5 def. Yale, 151.5
• Harvard, def. Yale 172

The 2025-26 Ivy League twin meet titles had been up for grabs on the annual Harvard-Yale-Princeton tri-meet this weekend in Cambridge. The Harvard and Princeton girls had been each undefeated in Ivy League duals heading into the weekend, as had been all three groups on the boys’s facet. At the tip of the meet, Princeton was topped each the ladies’s and males’s Ivy League Dual Meet Champions for the season. 

The girls’s meet got here right down to the ultimate relay. The Crimson began the two-day meet sturdy, successful the primary three occasions–and 4 of the primary 5. Nina Janmyr (3-meter), Alexandra Bastone (1000 free, 9:38.94), and Anya Mostek (100 again, 52.34) earned particular person wins to provide the house staff a sizzling begin, plus the 200 medley relay staff’s victory in 1:37.77. 

Credit: Jason Wang / Peak Images

Princeton actually began to get rolling to shut out the primary day, with Eleanor Sun (1:55.66) successful the 200 butterfly and Sabrina Johnston (22.42) and Sophia Sunwoo (22.72) going 1-3 within the 50 freestyle. The trio led a full scale assault on Day 2, serving to the Tigers shut a 12-point hole as Sun picked up two extra occasion wins whereas Johnston and Sunwoo went 1-2 within the 100 freestyle. The lead modified palms a number of instances all through the day however with solely the 400 freestyle relay left, Harvard wanted to complete first and third with the intention to eke out a 1-point victory. But Sunwoo, Johnston, and Sun mixed with Simecek to the touch first (3:16.04) and safe the general win. 

Princeton’s divers went 1-2-3-6-7 within the opening males’s 1-meter occasion, giving the Tigers a 16-point benefit earlier than the primary swimming occasion. Harvard collected early wins within the 200 freestyle relay and 1000 freestyle, with Crimson freshman William Mulgrew breaking the pool document within the latter (8:48.72). Princeton struck again with Mitchell Schott successful the 200 free (1:33.38) and 200 fly (1:42.40) backed by sturdy performances from his teammates in every occasion. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs had been retaining themselves within the combine wins wins within the 100 again (Jake Wang, 46.85), 100 breaststroke (Charlie Egeland, 53.02), and 400 IM (Kavin Li, 3:49.11). 

The Tigers led each groups after Day 1, holding a 5 level benefit over Harvard and an 18-point one over Yale, whereas the Crimson led the Bulldogs by 30 factors. 

Diving was big for the Tigers on Day 2 once more, serving to Princeton prolong their lead and go away Harvard and Yale to deal with their head-to-head battle. Princeton picked up extra wins from Schott, Nicholas Finch, and their 200 medley/400 freestyle relay groups. Harvard’s three occasion wins in a row in the midst of the session from Adriano Arioti (200 again, 1:41.46), Joshua Chen (200 breast, 1:56.16), and one other pool document from Mulgrew (500 free, 4:14.25) gave the staff sufficient of a cushion to beat Yale by 9 factors because the Tigers swept the meet. 

Cal vs. Stanford 

• Women: #2 Stanford, 154 def. #6 Cal, 145
• Men: #8 Stanford, 118 def. #7 California, 119

The Stanford and Cal males traditionally method the NCAA season very in another way–with the Golden Bears ultra-focused on the NCAA Championships–however each groups suited up to tackle their Bay Area rivals. 

Cal’s quartet of Evan Petty, Yamato Okadome, Samuel Quarles, and Lucca Battaglini received the 200 medley relay to open the day however the momentum rapidly swung in favor of Stanford because the Cardinal received 11 of the 12 particular person occasions. Rafael Gu (50 free, 100 fly), Henry McFadden (100/200 free), and Ethan Ekk (500/1000 free) every received two particular person occasions for Stanford. Okadome earned Cal’s solely particular person occasion win of the day, edging forward of Stanford’s Zhier Fan, 51.34 to 51.57. Daniel Li prevented Okadome from finishing the breaststroke sweep, beating him with a lifetime finest 1:50.79 to Okadome’s 1:51.11.

Lucy Bell (photograph: Jack Spitser)

The girls’s meet was additionally suited and was a a lot nearer affair, with the Cardinal girls grabbing a nine-point victory over the Golden Bears. Stanford senior Lucy Bell was the star of the meet, sweeping the breaststrokes and successful the 200 IM. Her finest efficiency of the day got here within the 200 breaststroke, the place she swam a 2:03.72. The time undercut the two:04.28 lifetime finest she swam to win her first particular person NCAA title final March and made her the eighth quickest performer in occasion historical past. Earlier within the meet, Bell swam a 57.60 for the 100 breaststroke win forward of Cal freshman Siljie Slyngstadli’s Golden Bear document of 58.21. Bell closed her day with a win within the 200 IM (1:52.50), lacking her lifetime finest by three-hundreths. 

Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske swept the dash freestyles (21.76/46.62), whereas Gigi Johnston received the 100 butterfly (50.76). Cal matched Stanford with six particular person occasion wins however the place it was Stanford’s seniors selecting up occasion wins, Cal’s day was highlighted by its freshmen. While Slyngstadli earned a program document, fellow freshmen Claire Weinstein and Teagan O’Dell every received a pair of occasions. Weinstein received the 200/500 free double (1:42.13/4:38.65), hitting a brand new season-best within the former and O’Dell swept the backstrokes (50.51/1:51.13). O’Dell’s 100 again time is a brand new lifetime finest, breaking the 50.76 she swam on the 2024 Winter Junior Championships. Cal’s ultimate freshman to win a person occasion was Camille Henveaux (1000 free, 9:41.54). Breakout sophomore Mia West stored her momentum going with a 200 fly win over Caroline Bricker, swimming a lifetime finest 1:53.32 to edge out Bricker’s 1:53.35 swim. 

With the staff’s splitting the person occasion wins, Stanford’s relay wins within the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay proved to be the distinction makers in Berkeley. 

Texas vs. Texas A&M

• Women: Texas, 207 def. Texas A&M, 92
• Men: Texas, 230 def. Texas A&M, 70

The Longhorns simply defeated their cross-state rivals the Aggies in College Station, Texas this weekend. Distance swimmers Rex Maurer and Jillian Cox highlighted the day for the Longhorns.

Rex Maurer (photograph: Jack Spitser)

A two-time NCAA champion, Maurer has been having a robust follow-up season to his explosive breakout in 2024-25, although it’s been a quieter season in comparison with among the headlines that his teammates have generated. He made headlines with a 8:37.19 1000 freestyle on Friday, placing collectively the seventh-fastest efficiency all-time. Maurer destructive cut up the race, going out in 4:20.72 and coming dwelling in 4:16.47 to take about 4 seconds off his earlier lifetime finest (8:41.23).  

Cox, additionally a two-time NCAA champion after sweeping the space freestyle occasions eventually yr’s NCAA Championships, fired off a 1000 freestyle faculty document on the ladies’s facet of the meet. Cox swam a 9:23.84, breaking the college document of 9:24.83 she swam final season throughout a twin meet towards LSU. 

Rafael Fente-Damers and Campbell Stoll had been additionally key elements of Texas’ victories. Fente-Damers contributed to 4 occasion wins (two particular person, two relay), inserting first within the 100/200 free (43.10/1:33.66) and contributing to the successful 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. On the ladies’s facet, Stoll grabbed wins within the 200 IM (1:57.26), 200 butterfly (1:54.02), and as a part of the 200 medley relay (1:35.84). 

Auburn vs. Alabama 

• Women: Alabama, 180.5 def. Auburn, 119.5
• Men: Alabama, 151 def. Auburn 149

Tommy Hagar (photograph: Jack Spitser)

Alabama swept the swimming version of the Iron Bowl however it was a close to factor, because it got here right down to the 400 freestyle relay to determine the boys’s meet. Auburn received the relay however wanted to put first and second to safe the win; Alabama earned a 2-3 end and eked out the general win by two factors, 151 to 149. 

Leo Alacantara was one among a number of double occasion winners for the Crimson Tide. He broke his personal 1000 freestyle faculty document early within the meet, swimming an 8:50.19 to decrease his mark by over a second. He adopted that up with a 500 freestyle in 4:15.65. Tommy Hagar swept the backstrokes for Alabama (45.91/1:39.29), narrowly lacking his 1:39.03 season-best. Sean Niewold, a spring semester addition, additionally picked up two particular person wins, touching first within the 50 free (19.23) and 100 fly (45.90). 

The Alabama girls earned the win extra simply, pulling away and beating Auburn 180.5 to 119.5. The regular suspects of Emily Jones, Cadence Vincent, Jada Scott, and Gaby Van Brunt had been key to the staff’s win as was new addition Tessa Giele. Jones swept the backstroke occasions (51.17/1:53.58) whereas Vincent took care of enterprise within the dash freestyles (21.92/47.70). 

More Notable Results 

• A yr after Florida misplaced to Florida State in a impartial website twin meet, the Gators struck again with a commanding sweep of the Seminoles. The Florida girls earned the win 186 to 110, whereas the boys received 202 to 93. 
• USC was lacking Minna Abraham, however huge performances from Justina Kozan, Ashley McMillian, and Nicole Maier helped the Women of Troy win their fifth-straight twin meet towards cross-town rivals UCLA. USC received 174 to 126 – an indication of enchancment for the Bruins as USC received each occasion final yr. 
• Though UCLA misplaced to USC, they did seize a decisive win over Nevada (163-80) this weekend. For Nevada, the spotlight of the meet was Scarlett Ferris’ 50.78 100 backstroke program and Mountain West convention document. The time improves on her former data of 51.16 by .38 seconds and in addition improves her standing because the second-fastest mid-major swimmer in occasion historical past behind Celia Pulido (49.77). 
• Indiana swept Louisville at dwelling this weekend. The Hoosier males received simply however the girls’s meet was a a lot nearer affair. The #5 Indiana girls got here from behind to beat #7 Louisville 161-138. They stamped their total victory with a college document within the 400 freestyle relay as Liberty Clark, Grace Hoeper, Alex Shackell, and Kristina Paegle swam 3:08.07, breaking their former program mark (set earlier this season) by over a second.