FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - No. 3 Stanford added a national title for the third consecutive day at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, as Caroline Bricker secured her first NCAA individual crown by winning the 400 IM on Friday evening.
The sophomore posted a 3:57.26 in the “A” final, over two seconds faster than her previous career best, posting the ninth-fastest 400 IM time in history and climbing to third all-time in the Stanford ranks.
Bricker topped the field by nearly two seconds en route to the win, giving Stanford the individual medley sweep after Torri Huske’s 200 IM victory on Friday. The Colorado Springs, Colo., native also became the 13th 400 IM national champion in program history and the Cardinal’s first since Brook Forde in 2021.
Lucy Bell also notched a podium finish with a career-best of her own in the “A” final, touching the wall with a 4:00.24 to place third and tie her highest individual finish in her career. Freshman Emily Thompson also earned a second swim in the “B” final, finishing 14th with a 4:06.01 to become a two-time All-American.
Torri Huske went head-to-head with Olympic relay teammate Gretchen Walsh of Virginia in the 100 fly to kick off Friday evening’s session. Huske posted a 48.90 swim in the “A” final, finishing as the national runner-up to Walsh. Lillie Nordmann (50.96) and Gigi Johnson (51.26) also earned All-America honors in the “B” final, finishing 12th and 14th, respectively.
The Cardinal added another pair of All-Americans in the 200 free, as Kayla Wilson posted a sixth-place time of 1:43.29 for her third consecutive top-eight finish in the event, while Aurora Roghair finished 11th after a 1:43.08 time in the “B” final.
Lucy Thomas rounded out individual competition with her first career individual All-America honors in the 100 breast, posting a 58.48 to finish fourth in the “B” final and 13th overall in the event.
At the diving boards, Emilie Moore and Lauren Burch saw action with the 3-meter dive prelims on Saturday morning, which saw Moore finish 29th with a 280.80 score as Stanford’s top placer. Burch scored a 255.95 to finish 41st.
Day three wrapped up with the 400 medley relay, where Annika Parkhe, Thomas, Huske, and Nordmann tallied a sixth-place finish with a time of 3:26.34. The performance marked Stanford’s fastest time in the event this season.
The NCAA Championships come to a close tomorrow with the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, platform diving, and the 400 free relay. Action starts at 10 a.m. PT with prelims, followed by a 6 p.m. PT finals session on ESPN+