3x National Champion! Justin Finkel ’25 defends his NCAA title in the 500 free
3x National Champion! Justin Finkel ’25 defends his NCAA title in the 500 free
The Camels are in eighth place after one day of competition
On the first day of competition at the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships, Justin Finkel ’25 successfully defended his 2024 national title in the 500 freestyle, touching the wall with a winning time of 4:22.43. It marked his third time atop the NCAA podium; he also won the 200 butterfly in 2024.
The 500 free was the first men’s championship final of the night. The field was tightly bunched through the first 400 yards. Swimming alongside Coast Guard’s Sean Lyman—who turned in the morning’s fastest time in prelims—Finkel flipped a switch after the turn and moved from third to first over the next 50 yards. He had plenty left in the tank for the final 50, increasing his lead to more than a body length over runner-up Ryan Nunez from Williams.
Finkel is now tied with distance runner Michael LeDuc ’14 for the most individual national titles in Conn’s history. His 10 All-America honors are also second-most by a Camel men’s swimmer. Finkel has a chance to collect more hardware—he will compete in the 100 fly on Thursday and defend his title in the 200 fly on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Camels broke the school record in the 400 medley relay during prelims to earn a spot in the final. In the championship race, Finkel, Matthew Morris ’26, Carrick Shea ’28 and Nicholas Holovacs ’28 finished eighth overall with a time of 3:16.38, earning All-America honors.
Conn ended the night with 42 points and sits in eighth place. The Camels will compete in 10 additional events over the next three days. For more information, including the full schedule and livestream information, click here.
