The Texas Longhorns, with Hungary's Olympic 200m backstroke champion Hubert Kos taking down the 100 and 200y NCAA records at the helm of homage to swim speed, retained the 2026 DI men's swimming and diving crown for its third team victory in six years.

It's been quite some years since I heard a gaggle of Americans opining that perhaps Bob Bowman was a one-trick pony riding the wave of a superstar called Phelps. It sounded daft then. It was proven so long ago, and with every passing season as a college coach, Arizona State (2024 champions) and now Texas (2025 and 2026), Bowman hooks and hoists a trail of naysayers on their own petard.

Texas, Arizona State and Florida panned the most gold during the four-day meet: each celebrated five wins, Arizona State the relay kings with 4 wins in 5 relays, the 4x200 free the one that got away, to Texas.

The latest Longhorns triumph marked their 17th championship since 1937:

On the clock, all individual new NCAA standards set at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, this season went to swimmers who are visitors in the American college system:

• 100y back: Hubert Kos (HUN), Texas (42.61, NCAA record)
• 200y back:Hubert Kos (HUN), Texas (1:34.13, NCAA record)
• 100y butterfly - Josh Liendo (CAN), Florida (42.49, NCAA record) ... he also clocked 18.06 to win the 50y freestyle
• 1650y freestyle - Ahmed Jaouadi (TUN), Florida (14:10.03, NCAA record)

There was also an NCAA relay record for Arizona State, and one American record fell, too, in an event in which French Olympic champion Léon Marchand - also based at Texas - holds the NCAA standard.

• 200-yard freestyle relay - Arizona State (1:12.46, NCAA record)
• 400-yard individual medley - Rex Maurer, Texas (3:32.96, American record)

The Longhorns scored a total of 445.5 points, closest team the Gators of Florida, on 416.

The oldest record run of victories remains on the books, at 6:

• 1968-1973 inclusive: Indiana - coach James 'Doc' Counsilman

The Texas Longhorns arrived in Atlanta as defending champions. They leave with a still-greater lead over all other teams on the historic championship billboard of the NCAA men's championship back to 1937. The top 3:

• Texas - 17 - (2025-2026; 2021; 2015-2018; 2010; 2000-2002; 1996; 1988-91) - all barring the most recent two were won when coach Eddie Reese, the most successful NCAA coach in swimming history, was at the helm)
• Michigan - 12 - (1937-41; 1948; 1957-59; 1961; 1995; 2013) - coach Matt Mann was at the helm for six of those wins, including the first championship in 1937, and the first five years to boot.
• Ohio - 11 (1962; 1954-56; 1952; 1949-50; 1945-1947; 1943) - all with coach Mike Peppe at the helm
• 2026 - RESULTS IN FULL

2026 NCAA DI championship winners

• Men's championship: Wednesday, March 25 - Saturday, March 28 
  • Wednesday, March 25 - Results
    • 1650-yard freestyle - Ahmed Jaouadi, Florida (14:10.03, NCAA record)
    • 200-yard medley relay - Arizona State (1:20.07, Meet record)
    • 800-yard freestyle relay - Texas (6:05.82)
  • Thursday, March 26 - Results
    • 100-yard butterfly - Josh Liendo, Florida (42.49, NCAA record)
    • 400-yard individual medley - Rex Maurer, Texas (3:32.96, American record)
    • 200-yard freestyle - Maximus Williamson, Virginia (1:30.03)
    • 100-yard breaststroke - Yamato Okadome, California (49.90)
    • 200-yard freestyle relay - Arizona State (1:12.46, NCAA record)
    • One-meter diving - Luke Sitz, SMU (428.10)
  • Friday, March 27 - Results
    • 100-yard backstroke - Hubert Kos, Texas (42.61, NCAA record)
    • 200-yard breaststroke - Yamato Okadome, California (1:48.61)
    • 500-yard freestyle - Ahmed Hafnaoui, Florida (4:06.56)
    • 50-yard freestyle - Josh Liendo, Florida (18.06)
    • 400-yard medley relay - Arizona State (2:56.79)
    • Three-meter diving - Collier Dyer, Missouri (497.75)
  • Saturday, March 28 - Results
    • 200-yard individual medley -Maximus Williamson, Virginia (1:38.48)
    • 100-yard freestyle - Josh Liendo, Florida (39.91)
    • 200-yard butterfly -Ilya Kharun, Arizona State (1:37.66)
    • 200-yard backstroke - Hubert Kos, Texas (1:34.13, NCAA record)
    • 400-yard freestyle relay - Arizona State (2:42.38)
    • Platform diving - Emilio Trevino, Texas A&M (465.30)

The women's title went to Virginia a week ago (see lower down in the March Vortex).

SOS TIMELINE

On This Day In History - When Evans & Bernard Rewrote The Books

Timeline - The SOS Daily Trawl of official World long-course records (plus all pre 1954 standards, all pools and metrics) set this day throughout history.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Also in the March Vortex:

• Christou Draws Shortt To 30th Irish Record of 2025-26
• Matsushita 4:06.9 Leads Kojima To Next WJR, 4:08.8, in 400IM at Japanese Championships.
• Virginia Cavaliers Make It A Record Sixth Straight NCAA Crown
• Steenbergen On A Roll & Shortt Cracks Irish 200 Back Mark At The Paris Open
• Shortt Takes Ireland's Shortest Time Over 200 Back
• WJRs For Shin Ohashi and Yumeki Kojima at Japan Swim
• Double Trouble From Steenbergen and Grousset As Evans Rattles Her record Again
• Evans Gathers Momentum For A Scottish Summer of Plenty
• Grousset Grabs Another Win Over Ponti As Giant Open Looms On Paris Horizon
• Stars Head to The Giant Open ...
• Freya Colbert Takes British 200 Free Record Below 1:55 In Edinburgh
• Filip Nowacki At The Double; Peaty Fourth In First Race Since Paris 2024 Silver
• Maxime Grousset Growls - 22.78 50 'fly in Lausanne
• Angharad Evans Scares Her Own British Record At Edinburgh International
• Florine Gaspard & Mary-Sophie Harvey At The Double In Lausanne
• Target Practice For A Summer Of Divided Speed
• Speed Unending From McKeown As Perkins Hauls Four Golds at the NSW Championships in Sydney
• Tuning Up In Westmont: Gretchen Walsh, Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky, Regan Smith, Kate Douglass, Sam Short, Léon Marchand, Carson Foster, Chris Guiliano were among those on the crest of the big-wave surfers starting their steady tune-up a the Swim Pro Series - Westmont

In other coverage

Over at The China Open:

Ponti Upholds ’Flyers Pride But Dash Of Day Was A Zhang Of An Outlier - Fastest 800 Finish Ever

The China Open was striking for four reasons: McEvoy’s master-class 20.88; money magnets that drew foreign stars to a charm offensive that doubled as domestic championships; the speed of Zhang as he beat Märtens in the 200, 400 & 800 free; and the very young age of many Chinese finalists

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Walsh Owns 11 Of Swiftest 100 ’Fly Swims Ever: No7 In At 55.22

China Open, Day 3: Gretchen Walsh Nails Her 16th & 17th Sub-56 100 ’Fly Swims; Zhang Outstrips Märtens With 3:41 Best 400 free; & Chalmers & Alexy Snap On 47.7 in 100 free

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Cameron McEvoy - 20.88 World Record 50m Free - Cielo’s 2009 Shiny Suit Standard Sunk

At The China Open in Shenzhen, Australian Olympic and World 50m freestyle champion has cracked the 20.91 global mark set by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo in the dying days of the short-lived shiny suits crisis in 2009

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

O’Callaghan Adds To Aussie Party With 1:53 Power Play For 200 Win At China Open

As Australian Mollie O’Callaghan delivered the second-best swim of the day, after a WR from teammate Cameron McEvoy, the China Open is the place to be for fast finalists aged 11-14 and racing for their Chinese clubs

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Zhang Just 0.14sec Shy Of Sun To Beat Märtens In 200 Free At China Open

China Open Day 1 : Zhang Zhanshuo scares disgraced Sun Yang’s China 200m free record 0.7sec ahead of Germany’s Olympic 400m champion Lukas Märtens; and Tang Qianting sets Asian 50m breaststroke record

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

U.S. Masters On Watch After Swimmer Threatened With Lifetime Ban For Backing Rules Protecting Women’s Category

Angie Griffin lost a woman’s Masters title to a male & called for U.S. Masters to adhere to the World Aquatics rule that preserves the women’s category for females only. Now, she faces a disciplinary, and U.S. Masters has in turn been put on notice by the Aquatics Integrity Unit.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

SOS FORUM:

FORUM: Does McEvoy Tell Us Dressel Will Be The Last Man To Claim The 50-100 Olympic Double?

Pieter van den Hoogenband was a 100 and 200m Olympic champ who made the 50 podium and Ian Thorpe a 200 and 400m Olympic champion who made the 100 podium. But has Cam McEvoy made it clear that the 50 and 100 are diverging into separate clubs of sprinters?

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord