GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Two more NCAA automatic qualifications highlighted the second day of action at the 2026 American Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship on Wednesday, February 18, at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
 
Rice extended its lead and has accumulated 769 points after two days of action. Liberty is second with 602 points, followed by East Carolina (513.5), FIU (499), Tulane (459), James Madison (439), Marshall (375.5), Florida Atlantic (335) and North Texas (318).
 
Rice’s Reese Cole automatically qualified for NCAAs by winning the 400-yard individual medley in a time of 4:12.61. Liberty’s Riley Leach touched second in 4:15.46, while Rice’s Lily Cramer was third in 4:16.32.
 
In the 100-yard butterfly, Liberty’s Kamryn Cannings won in an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 51.77, ahead of Rice’s Lily Archibald in 52.53 and FIU’s Pauline Zeller in 53.19.
 
East Carolina’s Frida Zuniga captured the 1-meter diving event with a total of 314.75 points, ahead of the North Texas pair of Sydney Guidara (309.25) and Kamryn Wong (287.80). Guidara broke the Championship record in the preliminaries with a score of 320.55. It is Zungia’s third event win at the American Championship, after winning platform in 2024 and 3-meter in 2025.
 
Lise Coetzee of Tulane came from behind to win the 200-yard freestyle in 1:46.77, just .01 ahead of Rice’s Ava Portello in 1:46.78. East Carolina’s Carlie Clements was third in 1:48.08.
 
In the first event of the evening, the James Madison team of Alexandra Volk, Emory Hill, Madison Wimmer and Jamie Cornwell won in a time of 1:30.22, out-touching FIU, which finished second in 1:30.40, and East Carolina, which was third in 1:30.47.
 
Liberty’s foursome of Gwyneth Frick, Aly Bozzuto, Cannings and Dakota Howard won the final event of the evening, the 400-yard medley relay in 3:33.70. FIU was second in 3:37.44, while Rice was third in 3:38.68.
 
The action continues Friday with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern and finals starting at 5 p.m. Eastern. Both sessions will be available on ESPN+.
 
2026 American Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship
 
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, February 18
200-yard Medley Relay – Diana Santamaria, Frida Loebersli, Oumy Diop, Tawannah McLemore, FIU – 1:36.24 – Championship Record
500-yard Freestyle – Ava Portello, Rice – 4:42.67 – NCAA Automatic Qualifier
200-yard Individual Medley – Reese Cole, Rice – 1:58.28
50-yard Freestyle – Aly Bozzuto, Liberty – 22.27 – NCAA Automatic Qualifier
Team Diving Event – Sydney Guidara, Kamryn Wong, Amelia Sharp, North Texas – 298.25

Thursday, February 19
200-yard Freestyle Relay – Alexandra Volk, Emory Hill, Madison Wimmer, Jamie Cornwell, James Madison – 1:30.22
400-yard Individual Medley – Reese Cole, Rice – 4:12.61 – NCAA Automatic Qualifier
100-yard Butterfly – Kamryn Cannings, Liberty – 51.77 – NCAA Automatic Qualifier
200-yard Freestyle – Lise Coetzee, Tulane – 1:46.77
1-meter Diving Finals – Frida Guzman, East Carolina – 314.75
400-yard Medley Relay – Gwyneth Frick, Aly Bozzuto, Kamryn Cannings, Dakota Howard, Liberty – 3:33.70

Friday, February 20
Session 5 - 10:30 a.m. (Swimming Prelims) | 11 a.m. (Diving Prelims) | ESPN+
100-yard Backstroke
100-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
3-meter Diving Prelims

Session 6 - 5 p.m. (Diving Consolations) | 6 p.m. (Finals) | ESPN+
3-meter Diving Consolations
800-yard Freestyle Relay
3-meter Diving Finals
100-yard Backstroke
100-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly

Saturday, February 21
Session 7 - 10:30 a.m. (Swimming Prelims) | 11 a.m. (Diving Prelims) | ESPN+
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Backstroke
200-yard Breaststroke
Platform Diving Prelims

Session 8 - 4:45 p.m. (Diving Consolations) | 5:40 p.m. (Senior Recognition) | 6 p.m. (Finals) | ESPN+
Platform Diving Consolations
1,650-yard Freestyle*
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Backstroke
200-yard Breaststroke
Platform Diving Finals
400-yard Freestyle Relay

* The 1,650-yard Freestyle is a timed final event. The fastest heat of scoring athletes will be swum at the beginning of finals. The remaining heats will begin prior to the start of the finals session (backed up from a 5 p.m. warm-up time, depending on the number of heats).