UGA Men’s Swimming & Diving at 2026 NCAA Championships: Schedule & Qualifiers

March 24, 2026 Alex Carter - Sports Editor Sport

ATLANTA – The University of Georgia men’s swimming and diving team will compete at the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships, beginning Wednesday, March 25, at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta. Nine Bulldogs have been invited to participate in the championship, with four additional swimmers named as relay alternates.

The four-day competition begins with preliminary heats at 10 a.m. Each day, followed by finals at 6 p.m. Wednesday’s morning session will include early heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle, along with the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay. The evening session will feature the fastest eight swimmers in those events. Live coverage will be streamed on ESPN+, and live results will be available online and through the MeetMobile app.

Senior Ruard van Renen, a seven-time All-American, will be making his fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships. He is seeded third in the 100-yard backstroke, matching his finish from the 2025 championships. Van Renen is also seeded 19th in the 100-yard butterfly. Junior Tomas Koski will compete at the NCAA Championships for the third time, holding the ninth seed in the 200-yard freestyle. Sophomores Drew Hitchcock and Cale Martter will each be competing in their second championship. Hitchcock is seeded 10th in the 200-yard butterfly and 12th in the 400-yard individual medley, while Martter is seeded 18th in the 400-yard IM and 24th in the 200-yard IM.

Four Bulldogs will build their individual debuts at the championships: sophomore Elliot Woodburn, seeded 14th in the 100-yard breaststroke; and freshmen Sean Green, Finn Hammer, and Hayden Meyers. Green is seeded 16th in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 17th in the 500-yard freestyle, while Hammer is seeded 22nd in the 400-yard IM and Meyers is seeded 22nd in the 200-yard backstroke.

The Bulldogs’ roster also includes relay alternates senior Roman Valdez, sophomore Tane Bidois, and freshmen Sascha Macht and Kris Mihaylov. Bidois is appearing at his second NCAA Championships.

Last season, Georgia finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, the program’s first top-10 finish under head coach Neil Versfeld. The Bulldogs recently finished fourth at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Knoxville. According to the psych sheet, the Bulldogs will compete in all five relays at the NCAA Championships, led by the seventh-seeded 400-yard medley relay.

NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships – Georgia Qualifiers

  • Sean Green – 1,650y Freestyle (#16), 500y Freestyle (#17)
  • Finn Hammer – 400y IM (#22)
  • Drew Hitchcock – 200y Butterfly (#10), 400y IM (#12)
  • Tomas Koski – 200y Freestyle (#9), 500y Freestyle (#26)
  • Cale Martter – 400y IM (#18), 200y IM (#24)
  • Hayden Meyers – 200y Backstroke (#22)
  • Ruard van Renen – 100y Backstroke (#3), 100y Butterfly (#19)
  • Elliot Woodburn – 100y Breaststroke (#14)

Relay Alternates

  • Tane Bidois
  • Sascha Macht
  • Kris Mihaylov
  • Roman Valdez

Championship Schedule

Wednesday, March 25

  • 10 a.m. – 1,650y Freestyle (Early Finals Heats), 200y Medley Relay (Early Finals Heats), 800y Freestyle Relay (Early Finals Heats)
  • 6 p.m. – 1,650y Freestyle (Top 8 Seeds), 200y Medley Relay (Top 8 Seeds), 800y Freestyle Relay (Top 8 Seeds)

Thursday, March 26

  • 10 a.m. – 100y Butterfly, 400y IM, 200y Freestyle, 100y Breaststroke (Prelims); 200y Freestyle Relay (Early Finals Heats)
  • 12:30 p.m. – 1-meter Diving (Prelims)
  • 6 p.m. – 100y Butterfly, 400y IM, 200y Freestyle, 100y Breaststroke, 1-meter Diving (Finals); 200y Freestyle Relay (Top 8 Seeds)

Friday, March 27

  • 10 a.m. – 100y Backstroke, 200y Breaststroke, 500y Freestyle, 50y Freestyle (Prelims); 400y Medley Relay (Early Finals Heats)
  • 12:30 p.m. – 3-meter Diving (Prelims)
  • 6 p.m. – 100y Backstroke, 200y Breaststroke, 500y Freestyle, 50y Freestyle, 3-meter Diving (Finals); 400y Medley Relay (Top 8 Seeds)

Saturday, March 28

  • 10 a.m. – 200y IM, 100y Freestyle, 200y Butterfly, 200y Backstroke (Prelims); 400y Freestyle Relay (Early Finals Heats)
  • 12:30 p.m. – Platform Diving (Prelims)
  • 6 p.m. – 200y IM, 100y Freestyle, 200y Butterfly, 200y Backstroke, Platform Diving (Finals); 400y Freestyle Relay (Top 8 Seeds)