Championships Central/Tickets
Watch: ESPN+

Results | DiveMeets | Meet Mobile App
Season Top Times

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Mobile App | Google Play | Apple App Store

For the third consecutive season, SMU hosts the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium. The newly formatted, six-day championships will stream live on ESPN+ with results available on The American Championships hub, the Meet Mobile App and Dive Meets. The Mustangs are coming off a runner-up finish at the event that will feature nine teams in 2023.

Divers will compete Monday through Wednesday, while swimming action begins Wednesday and concludes Saturday. With the addition of four member institutions, women's swimming events will be scored with Championship (1-8), Consolation (9-16) and Bonus (17-24) Finals. Divers will also score 1-24, but only two finals will be contested with places 17-24 scoring out of prelims.

The Competition
Joining SMU at the championships are AAC members Cincinnati, ECU, Houston and Tulane and new affiliate members for the 2022-23 season, FAU, FIU, North Texas and Rice.

Schedule (All times CT)

Monday Prelims: 11 a.m. | Finals: 6 p.m. 1 meter	Tuesday Prelims: 11 a.m. | Finals: 6 p.m. 3 meter
Wednesday Prelims: 12 p.m. | Finals: 5 p.m. Platform 200 medley relay 800 free relay	Thursday Prelims: 10 a.m. | Finals: 6 p.m. 500 free 200 IM 50 free 200 free relay
Friday Prelims: 10 a.m. | Finals: 6 p.m. 400 IM 100 fly 200 free 100 breast 100 back 400 medley relay	Saturday Prelims: 10 a.m. | Finals: 5 p.m. 1650 free 200 back 100 free 200 breast 200 fly 400 free relay

Championship Points

• The Mustangs have 17 team championships dating back to 1997, including two in the American Athletic Conference (2015, 2016).
• SMU has 43 individual championships and 17 relay championships through nine seasons in The American. They swept all five relays in 2016.
• Of the 21 events contested, SMU has won multiple championships in 15.
• SMU has at least one championship in 18 of 21 events (200 free, 500 free, 3 meter).
• The Mustangs have 12 total championships in butterfly events (100 7x, 200 5x).
• SMU currently holds eight American Championships records.
  200 back | Matea Samardzic | 1:52.69 | 2017
  100 breast | Tara-Lynn Nicholas | 59.12 | 2015
  200 breast | Andrea Podmanikova | 2:08.66 | 2019
  100 fly | Marne Erasmus | 51.42 | 2017
  1 meter | Katie Crown | 2019
  200 free relay | Erasmus, Arcila, Babok, N. Lindborg | 1:29.83 | 2014
  200 medley relay | Arcila, Nicholas, Erasmus, N. Lindborg | 1:37.32 | 2015
  400 medley relay | Arcila, Nicol, Erasmus, Rangelova | 3:33.21 | 2014

Conference Favorites
Three Mustangs have accounted for five American Athletic Conference weekly honors during the 2022-23 season. Nicole Stambo earned three straight AAC Diver of the Week honors (1/7, 12/6, 11/22), while Lucrezia Napoletano (12/6) and Jenna Watson (10/11) have earned AAC Swimmer of the Week accolades.

2022-23 AAC Weekly Honors
Jan. 17 Nicole Stambo
Dec. 6 Lucrezia Napoletano, Nicole Stambo
Nov. 22 Nicole Stambo
Oct. 11 Jenna Watson

Around The American
The Mustangs hold 10 times in the top three of American Athletic Conference Championship events, while two relays enter the championships atop the rankings and two are second.

50 free | 1. Gudmundsdottir (22.83), 3. Napoletano (23.01)
100 free | 1. Gudmundsdottir (49.45), 2. Napoletano (49.46)
200 free | 2. Napoletano (1:47.81)
100 back | 3. Leguizamon Leal (54.23)
200 back | 3. Leguizamon Leal (1:57.60)
100 fly | 1. Becerra (52.90), 3. Alonso (53.17)
200 fly | 3. Alonso (1:59.41)
200 free relay | 1. Napoletano, Vandenbussche, Ruan, Gudmundsdottir (1:31.08)
400 free relay | 1. Napoletano, Vandenbussche, Ruan, Gudmundsdottir (3:18.79)
800 free relay | 2. Napoletano, Vandenbussche, Gudmundsdottir, Watson (7:20.96)
200 medley relay | 2. Leguizamon, Lewis, Becerra, Gudmundsdottir (1:40.53)

Diving Into Postseason
Reigning AAC Most Outstanding Diver Nicole Stambo has already posted NCAA Zone Diving qualifying scores on 1 meter, 3 meter and platform this season. The NCAA Zone D Diving Championships take place March 7-9 in Minneapolis.

Fly Queens
Valentina Becerra and Luana Alonso have posted NCAA B cuts in the 100 fly to lead the Mustangs. This is the second season for both to have reached the standard in the event.

In 2021-22, seven swimmers produced a total of 12 individual NCAA B cuts.

Valentina Becerra | 100 fly
Gabi Grobler | 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM
Olivia Grossklaus | 200 fly
Johanna Gudmundsdottir | 50 free, 100 free
Ilektra Lebl | 500 free, 400 IM
Frederica Kizek | 1,650 free
Valentina Becerra | 100 fly
 
On the diving side, all four Mustangs – Hannah Craley, Jaclynn Fowler, Johanna Holloway, Nicole Stambo – qualified for the 2022 NCAA Zone D Diving Championships.
 
Championships Season
For the third straight season, the American Athletic Conference Championships return to The Nat Feb. 13-18. The NCAA Zone D Diving Championships follow March 7-9 in Minneapolis and the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships are March 15-18 in Knoxville, Tenn.

Leaders Of The Pack
The Mustangs selected Jenna Watson and Julia Yakushi as captains for the 2022-23 season.
 
Top Transfer
Paraguayan Olympian Luana Alonso joined the Mustang roster for the second half of the 2022-23 season. A transfer from Virginia Tech, Alonso finished 30th in the 100 fly at the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Alonso also competed in the 100 fly at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing 28th in the opening heats.

Alonso posted an NCAA B cut at the Mustangs' Pre-Conference Invite, and became the ninth fastest Mustang all-time in the event at 53.17.
 
Welcome To The Hilltop
The Mustangs welcomed 10 student-athletes to the program for the 2022-23 season. The 2022-23 signing class included student-athletes from three different countries and four different states across the U.S.

Anne Lauren Bellah | Maryville, Tennessee | Maryville | Backstroke/Freestyle/IM
Avery Fuhr | Spring, Texas | Klein Oak | Breaststroke/Sprint Freestyle
Jimena Leguizamon Leal | Bogota, Colombia | Maria Inmaculada School Colombia | Backstroke/IM
Hannah Lockyer | Danville, California | Monte Vista | Breaststroke/IM
Lucrezia Napoletano | Bisceglie, Italy | Leonardo Da Vinci | Sprint Freestyle
Natalie Neugent | Wichita, Kansas | Andover | Sprint Freestyle
Sophia Rivas | Leander, Texas | Rouse | Sprint Freestyle
Carlotta Scarpitti | Rome, Italy | San Giuseppe del Caburlotto | IM/Butterfly
Kirsten Schlortt | San Antonio, Texas | Saint Mary's Hall | Backstroke
Caroline Sullivan | Austin, Texas | St. Andrews Episcopal School | Breaststroke
 
All-American Returners
Eight members of the SMU women's swimming and diving program, including four returners, earned College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America honors for their work in the pool and the classroom last season.

To be selected as a member of the CSCAA Scholar All-America first team as an individual, swimmers and divers must have achieved a grade-point-average of 3.50 or higher and have participated in their respective NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Honorable mention selections have similarly achieved a GPA of 3.50 and achieved a "B" time standard or competed at their respective qualifying meets.

2021-22 CSCAA Selections
Valentina Becerra // Major: Spanish; Minor: Educational Studies & Psychology
Johanna Gudmundsdottir // Major: Applied Physiology and Sport Management (Sport Performance Leadership)
Frederica Kizek^ // Major: Biological Sciences; Minor: Chemistry, Neuroscience 
Nicole Stambo^^ // Major: Biological Sciences; Minor: Chemistry, Neuroscience & Psychology
^ Previous HM Selection

Against The Top 25
The match-up against Texas on Feb. 3 was the second straight and third overall dual meet this season against a top-25 opponent for the Mustangs. SMU hosted No. 19 Texas A&M on Jan. 27 and traveled to then-No. 25 Minnesota Oct. 20-21.
 
The season-opening SMU Classic included then-No. 8 USC, No. 10 Louisville and No. 14 Michigan.

In The Classroom, In The Pool
The Mustangs were named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team for the fall semester. SMU posted the second highest GPA in the AAC alongside Cincinnati (3.51), only behind FIU at 3.70.

To earn Scholar All-America honors, a program must earn a team grade-point-average of 3.00 or higher. The thirty-three-member Mustang squad boasted a 3.51 GPA for the fall 2022 semester. The mark is up from the Mustangs' 3.45 GPA posted during the 2021 fall semester.

Holt Hickman Outdoor Pool Is Coming To The Hilltop
With a $2.5M gift from the Hickman family, SMU broke ground on a new eight-lane, 50-meter by 25-yard outdoor pool, with 1- and 3-meter diving boards. The $11M project will also include a 20-foot by 40-foot instructional pool that will be used for lessons and rehab/therapy. The addition of the outdoor pool will complete the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center, making SMU the only University in the country with both indoor and outdoor Olympic pools in one facility, further cementing SMU's swimming and diving facility as one of the finest in college athletics.

Standing In The Hall Of Fame
SMU and SMU Athletics, in conjunction with the SMU Lettermen's Association, inducted the newest SMU Athletics Hall of Fame class on Nov. 4.

Berit Puggaard – Women's Swimming & Diving 1992-96
Puggaard was a four-time NCAA Champion, 13-time Southwest Conference Champion and 25-time All-American and from 1992-96. She helped the Mustangs finish in the top four at the NCAA Championships all four seasons, including a runner-up finish in 1996. Puggaard was a two-time Olympian for Denmark, competing in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996. She also won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1991 and 1997.

Read about her time at SMU here.

SMU Athletics Launches New Student-Athlete Success Department
As part of its goal of Shaping Champions and preparing students for life, SMU Athletics proudly announced the creation of a new Student-Athlete Success Department. This new department encompasses all student-development-centered efforts such as Life After Ball, SAAC and community service initiatives. Additionally, it will house NIL Education and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming. Due to a generous donation from Suzanne and Glenn Youngkin, SMU Athletics will be able to grow staffing in these critical areas in our support of our student-athletes.

SMU Athletics Celebrates Record Fundraising Year
The SMU Mustang Club broke the all-time fundraising record with $73 million in gift receipts and new commitments for the 2022 fiscal year, which ended May 31. The totals represent an increase of nearly $47 million from the previous fiscal year. It is the first fiscal year in which cash donations and commitments have eclipsed $70 million since the Mustang Club was founded in 1935. Through the generosity of Mustang donors, cash gifts rose 71% from fiscal year 2021 and totaled $36 million. The best-ever performance resulted from the contributions of 3,105 donors.

Mustang Student-Athletes & NIL
SMU student-athletes benefit from Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities through SMU Athletics' conference-leading BOLD NIL program. SMU topped the AAC for NIL Deals among INFLCR partners, ranking No. 1 in Total Transactions, Total Transaction Value and Average Transaction Value. To date, SMU student-athletes have over 325 total transactions totaling over $760,000 with an average transaction value of over $2,300.

Up Next
Qualified Mustang divers will compete at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championships March 7-9 in Minneapolis. Swimmers will compete at an NCAA Last Chance Meet Feb. 25 and await NCAA Championships selections.