MINNEAPOLIS – For the 28th time in program history and the seventh time in as many seasons, the Golden Gusties are Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) men's swimming & diving champions. Gustavus Adolphus College scored 953 points over the four-day conference meet to win the men's title at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Among Saturday's individual event highlights was Brayden Slavik's record-breaking performance in the men's 1650 freestyle. The Saint John's senior won the event for the third year in a row, saving his best time for last by setting new MIAC, meet, and program records with a time of 15:32.16, besting the rest of the field by nearly a full minute.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Gustavus - 953
2. Carleton - 628.5
3. Saint John's - 497.5
4. Macalester - 497.5
5. St. Olaf - 426
6. Hamline - 181
SATURDAY INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Men's 1650 Freestyle
1. Brayden Slavik, Saint John's - 15:32.16 ! INV
2. Mason Deitering, Gustavus - 16:29.56
3. Carson Rotter, Saint John's - 16:33.51
Men's 200 Backstroke
1. Declan Vahey, Gustavus - 1:51.51
2. Aidynn Havermann, Gustavus - 1:51.64
3. Kean Pajarillaga, Macalester - 1:52.73
Men's 100 Freestyle
1. William Wallace, St. Olaf - 45.26
2. Braden Ripken, Gustavus - 46.14
3. Tommy Moore, Macalester - 46.40
Men's 200 Breaststroke
1. Aiden Carlson, Gustavus - 2:04.28
2. Aiden Yung, St. Olaf - 2:05.80
3. Brandon Wilcek, Gustavus - 2:06.19
Men's 200 Butterfly
1. Jackson Rankin, Carleton - 1:51.56
2. Ben Kell, Gustavus - 1:53.09
3. Britton Patee, Gustavus - 1:55.47
Men's 400 Freestyle Relay
1. Gustavus - 3:04.99
Declan Vahey / Logan Cyr / Josh Wallin / Braden Ripken
2. Macalester - 3:05.86
Tommy Moore / TJ Palli / Casey Meretta / Max Taufen
3. Saint John's - 3:08.70
Braydeon Ohrtman / Vince Schulze / Jackson Hovda / Brayden Slavik
! MIAC record
(B) NCAA B Cut
INV 2025 Invited Time
AWARDS & HONORS
Following each of Saturday evening's competitions, a short awards ceremony was held to recognize the top eight finishers. The top three finishers in each event earned All-Conference honors, while individual finishers 4-6 and the fourth-place relay team earned honorable mention distinction.
The 2025-26 individual award recipients were also announced.
Men's Coach of the Year: Jon Carlson, Gustavus
Men's Swimmer of the Year: Brayden Slavik, Saint John's
Men's Diver of the Year: Hans Anderson, Carleton
Men's Rookie of the Year: Aidynn Havermann, Gustavus
A full recap of the All-Conference honorees and individual award recipients will be released on Monday afternoon.
CHAMPIONSHIP APPAREL
Official championship apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference championship meet.
Gustavus fans can also purchase official MIAC Men's Swimming & Diving team champion gear to celebrate the Gusties' historic title.
CHAMPIONSHIP WRAP-UP
Complete meet results can be found here, and on-demand video from each session of the 2026 MIAC Championships will be available on the MIAC Sports Network (under the "Recent" events heading) the day after the meet.
The MIAC would like to thank the University of Minnesota and the staff at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center for their partnership and support, as well as this year's host institutions, Macalester and St. Olaf, for providing event management. A special thanks is also extended to meet director Dave Luedtke, announcer Tom Hodgson, diving organizer and coach Gabe Kortuem, and the swimming and diving officiating crew, all of whom continue to dedicate their time and talents to make this event an outstanding championship experience for all involved.