KANSAS CITY, Mo. – St. Thomas (Fla.) opens the 2026-27 season atop the SwimCloud NAIA Men’s Swimming & Diving Ratings with 576.41 points. The Bobcats hold a 44.01-point advantage over second-place St. Ambrose (Iowa), which enters the season with 532.40 points. Defending national champion Keiser (Fla.) begins its title defense in fourth with 507.61 points.
The closest race in the top 10 is between Mid-South Conference rivals Cumberlands (Ky.) and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), with the fifth-place Patriots holding a one-point edge over the sixth-place Blue Raiders, 471.30 to 470.30.
Friday’s release was the first of seven SwimCloud NAIA Swimming & Diving Ratings releases for the 2026-27 season. The next scheduled release is Nov. 20, followed by Dec. 4, Jan. 8, Jan. 22, Feb. 5, and a final rating on Feb. 19.SwimCloud NAIA Men’s Swimming & Diving Rating (Oct. 23).
St. Thomas leads the rankings with 576.41 points, supported by strong performances in backstroke and distance freestyle. Brandon Holder owns the top NAIA time in the 200-yard backstroke (1:49.63) and ranks third in the 100 backstroke (49.35). The Bobcats also hold five of the six fastest times in the 1,650 freestyle, led by Flynn Smith (16:29.71) in second. St. Thomas ranks second in the 200 medley relay (1:30.68) and third in the 400 medley relay (3:23.92).
St. Ambrose stands second with 532.40 points, highlighted by Carter Gaber’s NAIA-leading 19.75 in the 50-yard freestyle. Cory Werrett leads the 100 breaststroke (55.41) and ranks fourth in the 100 freestyle (45.19), while Maxi Jacquet is fourth in the 100 backstroke (49.48). The Fighting Bees also own the second-fastest 200 freestyle relay time (1:22.86) and third-fastest 200 medley relay mark (1:30.92).
Midland ranks third with 522.24 points, led by Oliwier Gorka, who owns the NAIA’s fastest 100 butterfly time (49.00) and ranks second in the 100 freestyle (44.38) and 100 backstroke (48.34). Cole Webster is third in the 200 backstroke (1:51.29), while Radek Ruzicka ranks fourth in the 100 breaststroke (56.86). The Warriors lead the 200 freestyle relay rankings with a time of 1:22.55.
Keiser holds fourth with 507.61 points, powered by Leon Taylor’s NAIA-leading performances in the 100 individual medley (50.64) and 200 individual medley (1:50.91). Alexandre Pause ranks second in both the 100 breaststroke (55.69) and 200 breaststroke (2:02.24), while Jules Renard is second in the 100 butterfly (49.32). The Seahawks lead the 400 freestyle relay (3:02.71) and rank second in the 400 medley relay (3:23.59).
Cumberlands rounds out the top five with 471.30 points, led by Karl von Thun’s NAIA-best 1:49.79 in the 200 butterfly. Von Thun also ranks third in the 200 freestyle (1:39.83) and 500 freestyle (4:36.53). Gabriel Almeida dos Santos holds the second-fastest 200 butterfly time (1:51.58) and ranks fourth in the 100 butterfly (49.68). Lazar Antonijević is third in the 1,000 freestyle (9:35.64), while the Patriots rank fifth in the 400 freestyle relay (3:05.45).
Lindsey Wilson sits sixth with 470.30 points, just one point behind Cumberlands. Sergio Ybarra leads the NAIA in three distance freestyle events, posting the fastest times in the 500 freestyle (4:30.74), 1,000 freestyle (9:25.10) and 1,650 freestyle (15:29.20). Ybarra also ranks third in the 400 individual medley (4:05.35) and sixth in the 200 butterfly (1:53.33). The Blue Raiders hold the second-fastest 800 freestyle relay time (7:19.75) and rank sixth in the 400 medley relay (3:31.25).
SCAD ranks seventh with 457.98 points, led by the season’s first NAIA Swimmer/Diver of the Week, Marwane Sebbata, who owns the NAIA’s fastest times in the 100 freestyle (44.18), 200 freestyle (1:38.70) and 100 backstroke (48.03). Sebbata also ranks second in the 50 freestyle (20.02), while Alessio Fiorani leads the 400 individual medley (3:58.63). The Bees top both the 200 medley relay (1:30.17) and 400 medley relay (3:21.75), while holding the second-fastest 400 freestyle relay time (3:03.84).
The Master’s ranks eighth with 448.34 points, with Dylan Crane leading the Mustangs’ individual performances. Crane ranks fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:41.48), sixth in the 50 butterfly (23.39) and eighth in the 100 freestyle (46.43). Blake Van Vooren adds a top-10 performance in the 500 freestyle, ranking 10th with a time of 4:46.45. The Mustangs also rank seventh in the 400 medley relay (3:32.05) and ninth in the 400 freestyle relay (3:13.67).
Aquinas stands ninth with 442.35 points, highlighted by the NAIA’s fastest 800 freestyle relay time of 7:15.89. The Saints also rank eighth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:25.97) and 400 freestyle relay (3:11.78), along with ninth in the 400 medley relay (3:33.68). Lucas Eussen ranks ninth in the 1,650 freestyle (17:34.03), adding an individual top-10 performance for Aquinas.
William Carey completes the top 10 with 430.20 points, led by Yaseen Abdelgawad, who ranks fourth in the 200 individual medley (1:54.96) and tied for 10th in the 50 backstroke (24.16). Hunter Boudreau holds the seventh-fastest 100 breaststroke time (57.58) and ranks 10th in the 200 breaststroke (2:08.95). The Crusaders also rank eighth in the 200 medley relay (1:34.19) and ninth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.02).
Note: when clicking on the link to SwimCloud NAIA Men’s Swimming & Diving Ratings, to ensure you’re viewing the right set of rankings, make sure your SwimCloud settings are set to Men’s, Championship, SCY, and Season 2026-27.
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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