INDIANAPOLIS – Rising to a moment 28 years in the making, the 18th-ranked Salisbury University men's swimming team made its big return to the national stage on Day 1 of the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships on Wednesday at the IU Natatorium.
The highlight of the day for the Sea Gulls was the 400-yard medley relay team of
Mason Potts,
Dominic Kazzi,
Cameron Byrd, and
Owen Brewer, who placed 14th overall to earn Second-Team All-America status. The quartet placed 11th in prelims with a time of 3:14.98, just 68 hundredths of a second off the top eight, and followed it up with a finals marker of 3:16.26. In the process, Potts, Kazzi, Byrd, and Brewer became the first SU men's All-Americans since
Chris Bembenek took a pair of honors in 1998.
"For our men's program to have its first NCAA representation since 1998 and to send relay teams for the first time ever is really meaningful," said Sea Gull head coach
Nate Parsley in the run-up to nationals. "It shows how far the program has come, as well as where it's headed."
Salisbury also put two swimmers in the water for two individual preliminaries during the morning session. Byrd raced in the 200 individual medley, finishing 35th in 1:53.28. Potts, meanwhile, competed in the 50 freestyle, tying for 35th in 20.43 seconds.
With the six points earned in the 400 medley relay, SU slotted in a 26th-place tie in the championship standings after the first day of competition.
The Sea Gulls are back in action at the IU Natatorium for Day 2 of the NCAA Championships on Thursday. Preliminaries for the 100 fly and 200 free relay are pegged for 10 a.m. with finals to follow at 6 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 207 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
