From NYU Athletics
Over the last four days of the NCAA National Championships in Greensboro, NC, the New York University eighth-ranked women's swimming & diving team has raced, made each other laugh, and poured the culmination of an entire year of hard training into every prelim and finals swim. And at last, on Saturday, it all came to a close.
The Violets finished the meet in fifth place with 301 points, tying the team's highest standing at the 2019 Nationals but blowing past their previous amassed points by 98.
Third-ranked Denison University came in first with 464.50 points while second-ranked Emory University came in second with 385.
For their final day at Nationals, the women's team added two program records, a National Runner-Up, two First Team All-American, and two Second Team All-American finishes to a meet portfolio that now includes two National Champion titles, two National Runners-Up, 13 total First Team, and five Second Team All-American races.
In an epic relay cheered on by flashing purple pom-poms and jumping Violets on the pool deck, the 400 freestyle relay team shattered the previous school record of 3:24.69 from 2015-16 to clock 3:21.66. Kaley McIntyre, Isabel Oldham, Isabella Brosvik, and Jessica Flynn fought to the very end in a nail-biter against Denison's relay and fourth-ranked Tufts University's squad. In the end, anchor Flynn slammed the touchpad just 0.05 seconds behind Tufts to secure the team's second National Runner-Up of the meet.
In her lead-off of the relay, McIntyre set a program record in the 100 freestyle, hitting 49.35 to break her own record of 50.47 also set in a relay lead-off at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships.
In the 200 backstroke, Flynn raced to third place, recording a career-best 1:59.21 in the final individual race of her career.
Swimming in the consolation final of the backstroke, McIntyre battled Emory's Megan Jungers to out-touch her by 0.08 seconds and take the heat. Finishing ninth overall, she posted a time of 2:01.31.
Caitlin Marshall blew her previous personal best in the 1650 freestyle out of the water, dropping well over 42 seconds to place fifth in 16:56.74. Georgia Basil also obliterated her career best on her way to finish seventh, chopping nearly four seconds off to touch in 17:00.13.
"The team swam great," Head Coach Trevor Miele said. "They performed really well under pressure, which is not easy. It's been a great year, and it all starts back in September when they start to put the work in. Everything has been building to this moment. I'm very happy for the team."
The meet marks the end of a record-breaking season for the Violets. Since October of 2022, the team has added six new program records to the books, including McIntyre's 50 freestyle National Champion win in 22.78 and 200 freestyle National Champion victory in 1:47.44.
Marshall contributed a record of her own in the 500 freestyle (4:52.81) with her fourth-place Nationals finish while the women broke the 800 freestyle relay (7:23.97) and 200 freestyle relay (1:33.31) records at the UAA Championships.