Both the women’s and men’s swimming & diving teams recently ended their season with some of the highest finishes in the country — and in NYU’s athletic history — placing second and fourth at the Division III NCAA National Championships, respectively. The season came to a close on March 22, 2025, in Greensboro, NC, where both teams walked away from the national championship with numerous medals.
The Violets, by all measurements, had a season filled to the brim with broken records, national championship titles and program history-making races. Both the men’s and women’s teams came second to Emory University at the UAA Conference Championships, which was also the closest conference final meet in UAA swimming & diving history. Juniors Kaley McIntrye and Nicole Ranile, senior Ajay Watanakun and sophomore Pierce Downs all set program records. While competing in one of the toughest conferences in D-III and staying in contention for the national championship throughout the year, swimming & diving also contribute to the university’s standing in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, a ranking of the nation’s athletic departments by each teams’ performance. The men’s team earned 80 out of 100 points and the women’s team earned 90 toward NYU’s second place finish across the nation’s D-III teams.
“This group was one of the most competitive and resilient teams we’ve ever had,” head coach Trevor Miele said. “From the very first dual meet of the season to the final session at nationals, they showed up with intensity and purpose. Their commitment to each other and to raising the standard every day made this year incredibly special.”
For the second year in a row, junior Kaley McIntyre dominated the pack in every event she competed in. As the two-time CSCAA D-III Women’s Swimmer of the Year, McIntrye broke her own 100-yard freestyle record at the national championship, which she had set just earlier that month at the UAA championships, hitting the wall at a quick 48.53 to clinch her second 100-yard free national title.
“Kaley has been phenomenal all year, and what she did at nationals was no surprise to anyone on our team,” Miele said. “She’s incredibly disciplined in her preparation, and she’s fearless when it’s time to race.”
Another of the many distinguished moments for the Violets in North Carolina was the women’s 800-yard freestyle relay title win. Ranile, graduate student Elle Motekaitis, senior Isabel Oldham, and McIntyre took gold on the championships’ third day in the relay, setting a national record time of 7:13.02.
McIntrye won gold across the board, increasing her collection of national titles to 10 across all events she competes in, including the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, and 800-yard relay. In the 50 and 200 free events, she has won gold at NCAAs each year she has been at NYU — the only reason she hasn’t won gold in the 100-yard free every year is because she didn’t compete in the race as a first-year. With 10 titles across just four events, McIntyre is an anomaly of an athlete, and she’s still got one more year to go. Most would deem McIntrye the most significant contributor to the NYU women’s second place national finish, their highest in program history.
McIntrye nearly surpassed Kendra Stern’s storied D-III 200-free record of 1:44.82 set over 10 years ago. She just barely came within reach of Stern’s 2011 time, falling short by 0.06 seconds. Still, McIntyre has left her mark on the history books, including being only the second woman in NCAA D-III to race sub 1:46 in the 200.
The men’s team matched their program-high NCAA finish from last year, coming in at fourth place overall.
Senior Connor Vincent, who Miele says has “developed into one of the best distance swimmers in D-III,” took fourth overall in the mile swim with a time of 15:22.75, earning All-America honors and the highest individual placement among the NYU men’s team.
“That race meant a great deal to me,” Vincent said. “It was my final swim for the team and one of many miles I have swum over the last four years.”
The 400-yard freestyle relay also placed notably high, including strong appearances from Downs, first-year Maksym Nechydyuk, Watanakun and the team’s anchor, sophomore Greg Wehbe. Downs ran a record-breaking first leg at 48.38, helping the team jump from eighth to fifth overall between preliminaries and finals.
When asked about a particular moment that stands out from the season, there is a quick answer that comes to mind for Vincent: the 800-yard freestyle relay win at UAA championships. NYU took second overall in the conference championships with the win, just behind the hosts Emory University, and Vincent also took gold in the 1650-yard freestyle by over five seconds.
“My teammates and I had worked on this race all year and really hoped we could win,” Vincent said. “Over the last four years, this relay has had so many struggles with disqualifications and disappointing results that it was extremely satisfying for all of us to take away a win that day.”
The Violets will return to the pool next October, looking to continue making history.
“We made a real statement this season,” Miele said. “We had top-tier performances across every discipline — sprints, distance, stroke events, relays — you name it. That kind of depth and consistency is a testament to the culture this team has built.”
Contact Levi Langley at [email protected].
