Photo by Mark Ridley
Photo by Mark Ridley

Keiser (Fla.) Collects Fifth-Straight NAIA Women's Swimming & Diving Championship

Elkhart, Ind. – Keiser (Fla.) recorded 633 points to capture their fifth straight NAIA National Championship Saturday night at the Elkhart Aquatic Center. The Seahawks captured 12 wins during the championship and earned a trio of top honors Saturday. 

Luiz Bersi captured her third individual national title as she clocked a 2:00.91 to win the 200 fly.  For her performance throughout the week, Bersi was named the NAIA Swimmer of the Year.  Sinead Valero Godoy scored 287.90 points to win the 1-meter diving competition.  Valero Godoy won both one-meter and three-meter to be named the NAIA Diver of the Year. 

Additionally, Keiser notched a one-two finish in the 200 back as Natalia Janiszewska went 1:528.47 to capture the win. Rachel Bradley posted a runner-up finish with a time of 1:59.40.  The Seahawks closed out the championship with a third-place finish in the 400 free relay. 

SCAD (Ga.) utilized six top-three finishes on the final day to capture national runner-up honors.  Nikki Hahn notched her second national title of the meet, this time in the 200 breaststroke as she pulled away from the field with 2:13.87.  Hahn also earned the NAIA Swim of the Meet award for her effort in the 100 breast.  Lena Gerl (1650 free), Valle Gonzalez Ares, and the 400 free relay all posted national runner-up finishes.  After guiding SCAD to a runner-up finish, Rob Zamorano was named the NAIA Coach of the Year. 

Cumberlands (Ky.) finished third with 414 points and six top-three finishes on the week.  Megan Schoenlein was runner-up in the 200 breast, while Sarah Zoellner and Juliana Lopez Morales posted third-place finishes in the 200 fly and 1650 free, respectively. 

St. Thomas (Fla.) captured a fourth-place finish with 401 points.  The Bobcats notched six NAIA All-American performances on the final day.

The Masters (Calif.) captured a pair of national titles to climb to fifth place with 332 points.  Katherine Dyer touched the wall in 49.64 to win the 100 free.  Dyer also anchored the Mustangs' 400 free relay that featured Megan Sutanto, Kylee Sears, and Clara Patterson to a national title with a time of 3:22.37.

The final national champion came in the 1650 free, where Riley Renaud pulled away from the field to clock a winning time of 16:59.85.

Keiser has now won every Red Banner since 2022. 

Championship Information

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46th ANNUAL WOMEN'S 
SWIMMING & DIVING
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 3-6, 2027
Jones Natatorium, Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Mich.