Florida Men Finish Second at 2026 NCAA Championships for Best Finish Since 1985

Saturday, March 28

Atlanta, GA

10 A.M. Prelims | 6 P.M. Finals

Florida Gators

416

NCAA

2026 Florida Men Swim & Dive Team with their second-place trophy at the 2026 Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships on March 28, 2026 at the McAuley Aquatics Center in Atlanta, Ga.

Florida Men Finish Second at 2026 NCAA Championships for Best Finish Since 1985

Sunday, March 29, 2026 | Men's Swimming & Diving

2026 NCAA Division I Men's Championships Final Results Men's NCAA Swim & Dive Championships Saturday's Results Photo Gallery

By: Abby Wisecup

ATLANTA, Ga. – Florida's men's swimming and diving program turned in a historic performance at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships at the McAuley Aquatic Center, finishing second with 419 points.

Best program finish since 1985 🐊 pic.twitter.com/fPnyVhJAmc
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) March 29, 2026

The Gators, who were predicted to finish anywhere between fourth-through-sixth, trailed Texas by only 26.5 points (445.5) and finished ahead of Indiana (351) and Arizona State (328) on the podium.

Florida's finish is the program's best in 39 years, dating back to a runner-up result in 1985. It is just the program's second second-place finish all-time and the highest finish since winning back-to-back national titles in 1983 and 1984. The 419 points also set a program record, surpassing the previous high of 387 points scored in 2014. It's also the sixth-instance since Anthony Nesty assumed the role of Head Coach in 2018 that the Gators have secured a fifth-place or better finish.

Florida Men's NCAA Championships finish since 2018:

2018 – 5^th
2019 – 6^th
2021 – 3^rd
2022 – 3^rd
2023 – 6^th
2024 – 3^rd
2025 – 4^th
2026 – 2^nd

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH ANTHONY NESTY
"This is a very special group of men who just finished the season as the national runner up - our highest team finish since 1985. From our freshmen to our seniors to our divers who scored the most points collectively out of every diving program at the meet. Everyone played a role in this historic finish and I am unbelievably proud! It's great to be a Florida Gator!"

Overall, the men won five national titles and added 14 additional podium finishes. 14 Gators earned 25 All-America honors (20 First-Team and five Second-Team) with 14 of the 15 athletes contributing to the team's total score. The squad shattered two NCAA records, as well as program, U.S. Open and meet records, set three pool records and posted 11 program top-10 times.

Josh Liendo cemented his legendary status in Florida's history, sweeping the 50 and 100 free and 100 fly for the second time in his career, joining Florida's Caleb Dressel as the only Gators to achieve this feat twice. Liendo contributed 60 points to Gators' total, earned seven All-America honors for a career total of 26 and shattered NCAA, U.S. Open, meet, and program records in the 100 fly twice in the same day. He also set career-best times of 18.6 and 39.91 in the 50 and 100 free, respectively.

Florida's distance squad added 107 points, led by national titles from the Ahmed duo. Ahmed Jaouadi became just the second Gator to win the NCAA mile, breaking NCAA, U.S. Open, meet and program records as a freshman with a 14:10.03 finish. Ahmed Hafnaoui claimed the 500 free in 4:06.56 to become the third Gator ever to win the event. Senior Gio Linscheer also added podium finishes with fifth-place showings in both the 500 free and 1,650 free, while Eric Brown earned his first career All-America honor after placing 14th in the mile.

Florida's diving squad, led by Head Coach Bryan Gillooly, played a key role in the Gators' historic finish, contributing 58 points to the team total. Conor Gesing scored 27 points with a sixth-place finish on the 1-meter and fifth on the 3-meter springboards. Jesus Agundez Mora added 15 points on the 1-meter in his NCAA debut, while Jesus Gonzalez capped off Florida's diving All-American honors with a third-place finish on platform, contributing 16 points.

Saturday Release
Josh Liendo completed the NCAA 100 free four-peat, touching in 39.91 to reset his No. 2 time in UF's top-10 list and become the only swimmer to break 40 second more than once in the race. It marked Liendo's third individual title of the meet and his ninth individual NCAA title in his career.

Jonny Marshall represented Florida in the 200 back, touching the wall in 1:37.15 to secure second place. He improved from his No. 6 seed time to contribute 17 points to Florida's total score. His finish marks the juniors best finish in the event at NCAA's, bettering his fourth-place in 2024 and fifth in 2025.

Jesus Gonzalez earned a spot on the podium after placing third on platform with a 427.25 finals score. The sophomore advanced for his first finals session of the week after taking the top spot with a 435.05 in prelims.

The men's 400 free relay of Devin Dilger (42.86), Alexander Painter (41.00), Scotty Buff (41.14) and Liendo (40.38) put together a 2:44.38 in the final event of the meet to earn third.

Morning Session
Alexander Painter and Aiden Norman also swam in the 100 free and 200 back events, with Painter going a 41.96 for 28th place in the 100 Free and Norman touching in 1:40.78 for 31st.

Freshman Jesus Agundez Mora closed out his first NCAA Championships appearance on platform, opening with scores of 72.00 and 60.80. A 14.85 on his back 3½ somersault tuck took him out of scoring contention, but he responded with a 64.00 and capped his list with a 74.80 on a reverse 3½ somersault tuck to finish 24th overall (329.00).

FLORIDA'S FULL TALLY
Podium (Top-8 finishes)

National Champions
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle & 100 Freestyle
- Ahmed Hafnaoui – 500 Freestyle
Second Place
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay
- Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Devin Dilger – 200 Freestyle Relay
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 500 Freestyle
- Jonny Marshall – 200 Backstroke
Third Place
- Jesus Gonzalez – Platform
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter – 400 Medley Relay
- Devin Dilger, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 400 Freestyle Relay
Fourth Place
- Ahmed Hafnaoui – 1,650 Freestyle
- Koen de Groot – 100 Breaststroke
- Jesus Agundez Mora – 1-Meter
Fifth Place
- Gio Linscheer – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
- Conor Gesing – 3-Meter
Sixth Place
- Scotty Buff – 100 Butterfly
- Conor Gesing – 1-Meter

All-Americans (Top-16 Finishes)

First Team
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
- Ahmed Hafnaoui – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
- Gio Linscheer – 1,650 Freestyle & 500 Freestyle
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle & 100 Freestyle
- Scotty Buff – 100 Butterfly
- Koen de Groot – 100 Breaststroke
- Jesus Agundez Mora – 1-Meter
- Conor Gesing – 1-Meter & 3-meter
- Jonny Marshall – 200 Backstroke
- Jesus Gonzalez – Platform
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay
- Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Devin Dilger - 200 Freestyle Relay
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter – 400 Medley Relay
- Devin Dilger, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo - 400 Freestyle Relay
Second Team
- Eric Brown - 1,650 Freestyle
- Charlie Hutchison – 400 IM & 500 Freestyle
- Gio Linscheer – 400 IM
- Alexander Painter – 50 Freestyle

Program Top-10 Times

50 Freestyle
- Josh Liendo – 18.06 – No. 2
100 Freestyle
- Josh Liendo – 39.91 – No. 2
500 Freestyle
- Ahmed Hafnaoui – 4:06.56 – No. 2
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 4:06.90– No. 3
- Gio Linscheer - 4:09.13 – No. 4
1,650 Freestyle
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 14:10.03 – No. 1
- Ahmed Hafnaoui - 14:22.64 – No. 3
100 Butterfly
- Josh Liendo – 42.49 – No. 1
- Scotty Buff – 43.67 – No. 3
200 Freestyle Relay
- Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Devin Dilger – 1:13.30 – No. 2
400 Medley Relay
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter – 400 Medley Relay – 2:57.54 – No. 2

Records

NCAA
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle - 14:10.03
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly – 42.49
U.S. Open
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle - 14:10.03
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly - 42.49
Meet
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle - 14:10.03
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly - 42.49
Program
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle - 14:10.03
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly - 42.49
Pool
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Freestyle - 14:10.03
- Josh Liendo – 100 Butterfly - 42.49
- Ahmed Hafnaoui – 500 Freestyle – 4:06.56

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