NCAA Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University junior Brayden Slavik (Green Isle, Minn./Chaska) qualified for the 2025 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships, scheduled for March 19-22 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C., in the 1,650-yard freestyle.

The NCAA announced the selections today (Wednesday, Feb. 26). The top 16 times in each individual event advanced to the national meet.

The 1,650-yard freestyle is scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 22, in Greensboro, N.C. Slavik will also compete in the 500-yard freestyle (Wednesday, March 19) and 400-yard individual medley (Thursday, March 20).

The 2025 MIAC Swimmer of the Year, Slavik broke three program records, including two of his own, to win the 400-yard individual medley (4:00.12), 500-yard freestyle (4:29.49) and 1,650-yard freestyle (15:32.98) as SJU finished second out of six teams Feb. 19-22 at the 2025 MIAC Championships. 

His time of 15:32.98 in the 1,650-yard freestyle was a meet-, SJU- and MIAC record time and cleared the NCAA B cut by nearly 18 seconds (15:50.88). It was also 10 seconds faster than the invited time from last year's NCAA Championships (15:43.03) and ninth-best in Division III this season. 

Slavik's time of 4:00.12 in the 400-yard individual medley was two seconds faster than the previous SJU record of 4:02.01 set by Josh Seaburg '12 in 2012. Seaburg was also SJU's last MIAC Swimmer of the Year honoree and NCAA swimming qualifier in 2012.

The titles in the 400-yard individual medley and 1,650-yard freestyle were the second-consecutive for Slavik, who also served as the first leg of the Johnnies' 800-yard freestyle relay that broke the school record with a time of 6:46.79 to win the program's first MIAC championship in the event.

He is now a six-time MIAC champion (five individual and one relay) and 10-time All-MIAC honoree (top three at the conference meet).

A pair of Slavik's teammates – senior Eli Grabinski (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) and sophomore Cody Watts (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) – will compete at the NCAA Central Regional this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1, at Denison University's Trumbull Aquatics Center in Granville, Ohio.