INDIANAPOLIS — The 2026 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships took place in Indiana, with Gabbie Patti competing in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, and 200-yard backstroke.

How It Happened
The freshman competed alongside more than 65 student-athletes, all aiming to secure a top-15 time to advance to the finals. Patti held her own against some of the best swimmers in the country, posting a time of 23.92, which placed her 48th out of 70 competitors in the preliminary round, falling short of qualifying for the finals.

Patti entered the meet with a qualifying time of 23.33, set earlier this year at the Northwest Conference Championships. That mark ranked among the top times in the country and placed her in heat eight of nine at the NCAA Championships. Aspen Monkhouse previously held the 50-yard freestyle program record with a time of 23.34 and was the only other Bruin to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the event.

On day two, Patti competed in the 100-yard backstroke, where she entered with a seed time of 54.74. The freshman's first split, 12.92 at 25 yards, was good for seventh place overall. Though Patti slipped over the next 75 yards, the freshman still finished in 21st out of 44 competitors with a time of 56.15.

On day three, Patti finished a standout freshman campaign that featured several program and conference marks with the 200-yard backstroke. Out of Patti's three events in Indiana, she finished the strongest with a 20th-place finish out of 43 competitors; the freshman finished with a time of 2:02.05, a mark that was the sixth-fastest among all freshman.

Coach's Thoughts
"Gabbie represented our team incredibly well at the NCAA Division III Championships," Bruin head coach Natalie Turner said, "As a freshman, stepping onto that stage for the first time and competing against some of the fastest swimmers in the country is a huge accomplishment. She embraced the opportunity to race in the 50 free, 100 back, and 200 back, and I was especially proud of the way she continued to compete throughout the meet, highlighted by an improved placing in the 200 back. This kind of experience is invaluable, and I'm really excited for how she'll grow from it and what's ahead for her."

What's Next
Patti and the both the Bruins' men's and women's swim teams will be back in the winter of 2026 to build off of a successful 2025-26 year that saw Patti named NWC Co-Swimmer of the Meet and NWC Co-Rookie of the Meet.