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Men’s swimming and diving team claims 2022 NCAA Division III title
Group photo of the Emory women's swim and dive team holding up a team banner with the Emory Athletics Eagle logo

For the second time in program history, the Emory men’s swimming and diving team is the NCAA Division III national champion. The win on March 19 marks the 30th national championship for Emory Athletics.

For the second time in program history, the Emory men’s swimming and diving team is the NCAA Division III national champion. The women’s swimming and diving team finished as the national team runner-up.  

In addition, head coach Jon Howell was honored as the National Coach of the Year by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association. It is the second time Howell has earned the men’s honor (2017) and the eighth time overall. 

This title is the second national championship for the men’s program since 2017 and the 30th national championship for Emory Athletics. 

Men’s swimming and diving 

During the four days of competition in Indianapolis, the men’s team recorded national championships in three events, broke one national record and four school records, and turned in 17 All-America finishes and 17 All-America Honorable Mention performances to finish with 427.5 team points. Johns Hopkins University placed second with 340 points, followed by Denison University with 339.5 points. 

Highlights included senior Jason Hamilton successfully defending his national title in the final individual event of the meet, the 200 Breaststroke. Hamilton paced the championship final to win with a time of 1:55.83 to become the first back-to-back winner in the event since 2013 and 2014. 

The Eagles ended the meet with a national runner-up effort in the 400 Freestyle Relay as Nicholas Goudie, Pat Pema, Logan D'Amore and Colin LaFave set a school record with their time of 2:56.04. 

Goudie added All-America honors during the evening as he took 5th in the 100 Freestyle with a finals time of 43.85. 

The Eagles also saw five All-America Honorable Mention finishes in three different events: Adam Copses (9th) and Ryan Gibbons (15th) in the 1650 Freestyle, Lawrence Redmond (T-13th) and Alexander Pollack (16th) in the 200 Backstroke, and Jake Meyer in the 200 Breaststroke (11th). 

Women’s swimming and diving 

Group photo of the Emory Women's Swim and Dive Team holding a team banner.

The women’s swimming and diving team finished as the national team runner-up in the closest national championship meet in NCAA Division III women’s history.

In the closest national championship meet in NCAA Division III women’s history, the final results were in question until the final event.  

Emory was locked in a three-way battle with Kenyon College and Denison entering Saturday’s competition, with only 4.5 points separating the three programs. 

A strong preliminary session saw 10 Emory student-athletes qualify for the championship and consolation finals. The team also turned in the third-fastest preliminary time in the 400 Freestyle Relay. 

Taylor Leone and Caroline Maki posted top-five efforts in the 100 Freestyle, with Leone earning bronze and Maki finishing 5th. Cailen Chinn added an All-America Honorable Mention effort, taking 16th place. With those three scores, Emory was 10.5 points behind the leader with four events remaining. 

Kenyon outscored Emory 60-38 in the 200 Backstroke and 200 Breaststroke. Eagle swimmers Edie Bates finished 5th in the 200 Breast, and Fiona Arwood finished 12th. Megan Jungers and Savannah Sowards placed 6th and 11th in the 200 Back, respectively. 

With no Kenyon divers among the top-16 in the 3-meter event, Emory’s Tess Klugherz cut into the team deficit as an All-America Honorable Mention, placing 14th.  

That made the score 414-399 with only the 400 Freestyle Relay remaining. Leone, Chinn, Maki and Zoe Walker combined for an outstanding event, winning with a time of 3:20.86. 

However, the points earned from the relay win were not enough to make up the deficit Emory faced coming into the race, so the Eagles finished second in team standings for the first time since 2009.  

Kenyon secured enough points in the relay to earn the team national championship, finishing the four-day meet with 446 points compared to Emory’s 439. The seven-point margin eclipsed the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship, which was decided by nine points. 

Across the four days of Division III competition, the Emory women compiled national championships in two events, finished as national runners-up in four more, broke four school records and totaled 19 All-America and 13 All-America Honorable Mention honors. 


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