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crawfordm3@findlay.edu
To wrap up the 2026 season, the University of Findlay’s swimming and diving team is attending the national NCAA DII Swimming and Diving Championships from March 10 to March 14 in Evansville, Indiana, after taking the Great Midwest/Mountain East Conference Championship by storm.
That same week, the track and field team plans to attend the NCAA DII Indoor Championships, from March 13 to March 14 at Virginia Beach, Virginia, after competing in the G-MAC championship from Feb. 26 to Feb. 27 in Ashland, Ohio.
The swim team had a very positive experience at the conference, setting a strong tone for nationals.
“In this year’s conference, we won both the men’s and women’s, which was great,” said Assistant Coach Daniela Navarrete Villegas. “Nationals have 16 people going for sure, and hopefully a miraculous 17th—It’s very exciting because this group has a big shot at writing history for the team and school.”
Troie Grubbs, a psychology senior who secured a spot at nationals with an 11th-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle and a 16th-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, has hope for the upcoming championship.
“The conference was really good. We were all very supportive of one another, we all succeeded, and quite a few records were broken,” said Grubbs. “For nationals, I’m going in seated higher than I’ve ever been seated, so if everything is not perfect, then I could drop 12 seats, but if everything is perfect, I can go up 12 seats, so I am a little bit stressed in that department, but I’m super excited to see how it goes.”
Randy Keener, a mathematics and computer science senior, is also invited to nationals with 3rd place in the 200-yard backstroke, 9th place in the 100-yard backstroke, and 11th place in the 100-yard butterfly.
“I was the most relaxed I’ve been at the conference, as it was the first time I went in knowing I qualified for nationals, so it took a little bit of the edge off and was the most fun I’ve had,” said Keener. “I’m feeling the same way about the nationals; it’s been the most relaxed I’ve been because I know this is it, as March 14 will be my last day of swimming competitively for the university.
Similarly, the track and field team is optimistic about nationals. However, the heat is still on, since unlike the swim team, they still have to perform at the conference.
“We are excited for the conference meet coming up; we are trying to compete to finish as high as possible on both sides and always want to give ourselves the best chance to win,” said Head Coach Jared Krout by email. “We have a solid group of athletes in a good position to qualify for the national meet right now and some others that are very close.”
Jess Hoban, a 5th-year strength and conditioning and wellness and health promotion student, is one such athlete who is very close, ranking at 27th place in the triple jump event.
“If I jump a PR at the conference, I should hopefully be able to bump up a few spots and qualify for nationals,” said Hoban by email. “Going to nationals would mean the world to me.”
Evan Kreais, a pre-law junior, is in an identical position, who is not too far from the cutoff in high jump, long jump, and triple jump.
“My memorable moments for this season will definitely be made at the conference,” said Kreais. “None of my ups and downs have been too high or too low—it’s been gradual progress.”
However, Zanri Black, a psychology sophomore, finished in 3rd place in the 4×4 relay, securing a ticket to nationals.
“Qualifying for nationals alongside my teammates was an extremely exciting and rewarding experience,” said Black by email. “It was amazing seeing the hard work of all the girls pay off and celebrate this achievement with the three of them.”
Victoria Harvey, an exercise science junior who has finished in 9th place in pole vaulting, is also certainly attending nationals and experiences similar feelings.
“I was very joyful when I found out I qualified for nationals, especially because this will be my fourth national meet,” said Harvey. “My coaches definitely helped me perform my best under pressure, especially when I hear their calming voice in my head while I have a multitude of thoughts.”
Both the swim and track teams are using the conference and nationals as a spotlight to shine light on the athletes’ determination and skill that have been meticulously fine-tuned throughout the 2026 season. While the outcome might be uncertain for some Oilers, both teams are determined to face their championships head-on.
