DIII Round-Up: Midseason Invites Yield Numerous Top-Tier National Times
Parker Ament gathered data and contributed to this report.
With several elite Division III teams in action over the weekend, a flurry of standout times emerged as the season heads into its second half.
Denison Invite
Denison’s men posted the third-fastest Division III time in the 200-yard freestyle relay, a mark of 1:19.44. The quartet of Jack Hill (20.15), Nick Hensel (19.32), Harry Parsons (20.00), and Samuel Hibbert (19.97) combined for the win.
Sophomore George Goins led the way individually for Denison, clocking 4:24.31 in the 400-yard individual medley to claim the fastest DIII time this season and sit just a second off his best effort from last year’s DIII National Championships.
In the women’s events, Emory graduate student Sammi Thiele won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:03.07, marking her fastest time of the year and placing her as the second-fastest swimmer in Division III this season.
On the men’s side, Denison junior Jack Hill delivered a staggering three-second personal best in the 200 free with a 1:47.90, earning an NCAA B-cut and ranking as the second-fastest in DIII this season.
Denison sophomore Nick Hensel joined the sub-20 club in the 50 free, touching 19.96 in prelims and 19.82 in finals, ranking as the third-fastest DIII time this season.
Senior Emily Harris led Denison by posting the fastest DIII time of the season in the 400 IM with a 4:20.54 win.
Crow Thorsen, the 2024 DIII National Champion from Emory, returned to competition after a health setback and finished strong in the 400 IM with the fifth-fastest DIII time of the season at 3:53.98.
The men’s 200 free featured several jaw-dropping performances. Hill improved his own program record from 1:35.76 (set in prelims) to 1:35.18 in finals, moving into the 2nd-fastest spot in DIII history behind James McChesney’s 1:34.74 DIII record. Teammate Hensel also shaved more than three seconds from his best time, posting 1:37.25 in prelims for the fifth-fastest time in DIII this season.
In the women’s 800 free relay, Denison’s team clocked the season’s fastest DIII time at 7:23.28, with Emily Harris leading off in 1:49.46, the third-quickest effort in the country this year and just over a second shy of her best time of 1:48.30.
Denison also logged the fastest men’s 800 free relay time in DIII this season at 6:28.19, a two-second margin ahead of the next team, setting new NCAC and school records and ranking as the third-fastest DIII 800 free relay in history.
The Denison squad added another milestone in the men’s 400 free relay, finishing in 2:54.96 to claim seventh-fastest in DIII history and establish a school record, while ranking second in the nation this season.
MIT Winter Invite
In the women’s 800 free relay, MIT’s Mary Feliz posted the fifth-fastest DIII 200 free time of the season at 1:49.84, a lifetime best that eclipsed her previous mark of 1:52.88. The relay itself moved up to become the second-fastest in DIII this year with a total of 7:23.52.
MIT sophomore Grant Hu led off the men’s 800 free relay in 1:36.94, ranking as the fifth-fastest performer this season. The relay finished in 6:32.35, the third-fastest in the country this season.
Maine Collegiate Invite
In the men’s 200 free relay, Bates posted the fastest time at 1:20.07, ranking as the sixth-fastest in DIII this season.
