Indiana had several strong individual performances and remained in the hunt for the national title at Thursday’s men’s swimming and diving NCAA Championships.
Through two days, Indiana ranks No. 3 in the team standings with 146 points – 44 points behind Texas and 13.5 points short of Cal. The two busiest days (Friday and Saturday) are still to come.
Here’s the full release from IU Athletics Thursday in Federal Way, Wash.
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A four-time NCAA medalist, senior Quinn Henninger strode to the end of the 1-meter springboard an accomplished diver who won his first Big Ten Championship last month.
But that wasn’t enough. He needed a national title. And he needed 61.2 points to surpass Stanford senior and former youth teammate Jack Ryan.
Henninger leaped high – flying slightly to his right – and executed 2 ½ somersaults, twisted into a pike position and glided straight into the water.
“HE DID IT!” IU diving legend Cynthia Potter cried on the ESPN+ commentary. Henninger’s execution was beyond doubt, but a 78.40 on the board made it official. For the first time, Quinn Henninger was a national champion.
“It was a great day for IU diving,” Indiana head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Quinn’s first national title was well earned. Jack (Ryan) leaned on him all night, and Quinn needed a great dive to win it. His composure was world class.”
Henninger’s title – Indiana’s fifth diving title in three years but first on 1-meter since 2018 – highlighted a Thursday (March 27) finals session that the Hoosiers can certainly build on going into the second half of the 2025 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, held inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
“What a fantastic day for the Hoosiers,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “I send massive congratulations to Quinn Henninger for his first national title on the 1-meter! Additionally seeing Zalán, Owen, and Finn set program records was very special, and finishing off with a Big Ten record in the 200 free relay was just the cherry on top.
“We have a super important prelim session tomorrow morning. Our team has a special feel about them. We just need to keep things simple, finish our races hard and win our preliminary heats.”
Looze’s men did their share, setting program records in every event on Thursday. Perhaps none was more momentous than the 200-yard freestyle relay that ended the night. The Hoosier quartet of senior Finn Brooks, junior Matt King and sophomores Mikkel Lee and Dylan Smiley broke the Big Ten record with a time of 1:14.67, winning the third of four heats and finishing seventh – one spot, and one hundredth of a second, behind Texas’ 1:14.67. The Hoosiers projected to finish ninth but moved up two spots and onto the podium.
Indiana’s time was 66 hundredths better than its previous school record time, set a month ago at the Big Ten Championships, as King (18.42), Lee (18.65) and Smiley (18.54) all went well under 19 seconds to follow Brooks’ leadoff 19.04.
Junior Owen McDonald broke the Big Ten record in the 200-yard IM twice Thursday on his way to a second consecutive medal in the event. McDonald’s 1:39.42 in the evening finished third while bettering his 1:39.81 from the morning. He was the silver medalist in 2024 for Arizona State.
In the 50-yard freestyle, Brooks and King both went under the previous program record in the morning – Brooks going 18.86 and King an 18.87. The latter would finish higher in the consolation final, taking 13th in 18.91, in front of Brooks in 15th with a 19.04.
Junior Zalán Sárkány finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle despite a 14th-place projection coming into the meet. His 4:09.22 in the morning crushed Marwan Elkamash’s previous school standard 4:10.87, set at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Sárkány came back with a 2:09.69 in the final.
Senior Carson Tyler missed joining Henninger in the 1-meter championship final by 5.5 points but made the most of the situation, scoring maximum points in the ‘B’ final with a ninth place finish. Tyler’s personal best 432.75 consolation score would have finished second to Henninger had it come in the top final.
“Carson did great in the B final,” Johansen said. “His score was so good, I don’t think he needed to do his last dive to win it. Every point matters, and Carson made sure he got every point he could today.”
PROGRAM RECORD TRACKER
| Event | Time | Athlete(s) | Note |
| 50 Freestyle | 18.86 | Finn Brooks | |
| 500 Freestyle | 4:09.22 | Zalán Sárkány | |
| 200 IM | 1:39.42 | Owen McDonald | Big Ten Record |
| 200 Freestyle Relay | 1:14.67 | Brooks, King, Lee, Smiley | Big Ten Record |
| 200 Medley Relay | 1:20.92 | Barr, Benzing, Brooks, King | American Record, Big Ten Record |
MEDAL TRACKER
Quinn Henninger – 1-meter (champion)
Owen McDonald – 200 IM (bronze)
RESULTS
500 FREESTYLE
7. Zalán Sárkány – 4:09.69 (All-America)
200 IM
3. Owen McDonald – 1:39.81 (NCAA Bronze, All-America, Big Ten Record, Program Record)
10. Luke Barr – 1:41.18 (Second-team All-America)
50 FREESTYLE
13. Matt King – 18.91 (Second-team All-America)
15. Finn Brooks – 19.04 (Second-team All-America)
1-METER DIVING
1. Quinn Henninger – 434.65 (NCAA Champion, All-America)
9. Carson Tyler – 432.75 (Second-team All-America, Career Best)
200 FREESTYLE RELAY
7. Finn Brooks, Matt King, Mikkel Lee, Dylan Smiley – 1:14.67 (All-America, Big Ten Record, Program Record)
HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Luke Barr – 200 medley relay, 200 IM*
Brian Benzing – 200 medley relay
Finn Brooks – 200 medley relay, 50 free*, 200 freestyle relay
Tomer Frankel – 800 freestyle relay
Quinn Henninger – 1-meter
Matt King – 200 medley relay, 50 free*
Mikkel Lee – 200 freestyle relay
Owen McDonald – 800 freestyle relay, 200 IM
Rafael Miroslaw – 800 freestyle relay
Zalán Sárkány – 500 freestyle
Dylan Smiley – 200 freestyle relay
Carson Tyler – 1-meter*
Kai van Westering – 800 freestyle relay
UP NEXT
Indiana will look to set the tone for a great night when they open day three with the preliminary session on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 3-meter dive and 400 medley relay will be contested. Coverage is on the ESPN+ platform.
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