Saint John's swimming and diving opens its 2026-27 season with the MIAC vs. WIAC Invitational at noon this Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Rochester Recreation Center Pool & Natatorium in Rochester. – Live Video (Diving)

DIVING ELSEWHERE: Although the swimming events will be held in Rochester, the MIAC's divers compete at Carleton's Thorpe Pool in Northfield. The men's 1-meter dive (women's 3-meter) begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by the 3-meter (women's 1-meter) at 1 p.m.

SWIMMING'S SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (beginning at noon)
-200 Medley Relay (one swimmer from each school)
-200 Free
-200 IM
-50 Free
-100 Back
-100 Breast
-200 Freestyle Relay (one swimmer from each school)
-500 Free
-4x100 Individual Medley Relay (one swimmer from each school)
-100 Fly
-200 Back
-100 Free
-200 Breast
-400 IM
-800 Freestyle Relay (8x100, one swimmer from each school)

WHO WILL BE THERE: The Johnnies will be joined on the men's side Saturday by Carleton, Gustavus Adolphus, Macalester and St. Olaf for the MIAC. Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Wisconsin-Whitewater will comprise the WIAC.

SENIOR WATTS: Senior diver Cody Watts (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) competed at the NCAA Regional for the second-straight season in 2025-26 and finished eighth in the 1-meter dive and 18th on the 3-meter board. He earned his third and fourth All-MIAC honor (top three) with a second-place score in the 1-meter dive and third on the 3-meter board at the 2026 MIAC Championships. Watts totaled an 11-dive score of 411.65, which was 1.10 points from seventh place and 45.90 from Carleton's Hans Anderson in fourth (457.55). Out of the pool, Watts earned College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America second-team honors, for the second-consecutive season.

MORE UPPERCLASSMAN POINTS: Senior Trevor Barton (Buffalo, Minn.) leads the Johnnies' returning upperclassmen after he accrued 33 individual points – thanks to a fifth-place time in the 1,650-yard freestyle, sixth in the 500 Free and 11th in the 400 IM – at the 2026 MIAC Championships. Junior Henry Hilgendorf (Owatonna, Minn.) placed fifth in both the 1- (351.40) and 3-meter (342.95) dives, while junior Jason Jones (Monticello, Minn.) was 12th in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. Senior Brennan Close (Princeton, Minn.), SJU's 2026-27 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president, touched the wall 14th in the 100 Breast and 15th in both the 200 Breast and 1,650 Free. 

Senior Luis Flores (Hugo, Minn./Mahtomedi) was 11th in the 1,650 Free and 15th in the 400 IM, and classmate Simon Nyangamoi (Harrisburg, S.D.) took 16th in the 100 Breast. Junior Riley Yerks (Hutchinson, Minn.) placed 14th in the 200 Back and tallied a point in the 100-yard event.

FRESHMAN POINTS TURNED SOPHOMORES: Six Johnnie sophomores registered points for SJU at the MIAC Championships as freshmen in 2026. Lincoln Cochran (Helena, Mont./Capital) totaled 32 individual points by taking home seventh in the 400 IM (12 points), eighth in the 200 Breast (11 points) and ninth in the 200 IM (nine points). His times in both the 200 Breast (2:10.88) and 400 IM (4:14.02) were the third-fastest by a Johnnie freshman in program history. Vincent Schulze (Eden Prairie, Minn.) also collected 32 points between the 50 Free (11 for eighth), 100 Free (six for 11th) and 200 Free (15 for fourth). His time of 1:43.81 in the 200-yard freestyle was the fourth-fastest by an SJU freshman. 

Braydon Ohrtman (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) claimed seventh in the 1,650 Free, eighth in the 200 Free and 15th in the 500 Free, while Dylan Murphy (Hamel, Minn./Wayzata) registered four points across the 1,650 Free (14th) and 400 IM (16th). Tanner Betts (Stacy, Minn./Chisago Lakes) recorded five points across the 100- (14th) and 200-yard (15th) backstrokes, and David Lammers (Willmar, Minn.) was 15th in the 200 Fly.

AN EARLY PREVIEW: While the times are not officially reported, a total of 24 SJU swimmers competed in the annual Alumni Meet held on Oct. 3. Schulze led the way with a pair of individual wins. He finished first in both the 50-yard freestyle (22.86) and 100-yard freestyle (50.52). He was the leadoff in the 200-yard freestyle relay that finished third. Betts was the winner in the 50-yard backstroke (27.81), while Jones claimed first in the 50-yard breaststroke. Lammers swam a 25.11 to finish first in the 50-yard butterfly and Cochran swam a personal-best 58.22 to win the 100-yard medley.

A FAMILIAR FACE: Brayden Slavik '26 was named the recipient of the 2026 Fr. Wilfred Theisen Student-Athlete of the Year Award after he ended his decorated career with a third-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle – the best podium placement by a Johnnie at the NCAA Division III Championships since 2005 – last season. He was a nine-time MIAC champion (eight individual and one relay) and a 16-time All-MIAC honoree. His eight individual MIAC crowns tied the program record set by Matt Zelen '99. The 12-time MIAC swimmer of the week is the Johnnies' assistant coach in 2026-27. 

THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE: Saturday is one of three trips SJU makes to Rochester this season. The Johnnie divers compete at the Rochester Diving Invitational Nov. 20-21. The rest of the team follows two weeks later for St. Cloud State's Rochester Invitational Dec. 3-5. SJU is home for one of just two meets next weekend (Oct. 24) when Macalester comes to the Warner Palaestra Pool for a 1 p.m. meet. The Johnnies dual St. Olaf the weekend after (Oct. 31) at St. Catherine and travel to Hamline on Nov. 6. The 2026 dual meet schedule ends at Minnesota-Morris on Nov. 31. 

A triangular at South Dakota State is the first event of 2027 (Jan. 16), followed by a dual meet at Carleton on Jan. 23 and senior day vs. Gustavus Adolphus on Jan. 30. Attention turns to championship season in February, starting with the Minnesota First Chance Meet Feb. 5-6. The Johnnies return to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center two weeks later for the MIAC Championships Feb. 17-20, followed by NCAA Diving Regionals the next week (Feb. 26-27).

The 2027 NCAA Division III Championships are scheduled for March 17-20 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.