Columbus, Ga. – Keiser (Fla.) won four of the five events on the day to extend their lead and remain atop the team standings midway through the 2022 NAIA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship Thursday night at the Columbus Aquatic Center. 

• The Seahawks notched eight podium finishes to close out the day with 253 points and extend their lead to 92 points.  Keiser took top honors in both the 200 free relay (1:20.87) and the 400 medley relay (3:13.83).  In addition to the relay success, the Seahawks swept the top three spots in the 200 IM led by Fynn Kunze, who clocked a 1:47.73 to win the event.  Keiser also posted a one-two finish in the 50 free as Alberto Garcia edged out Emerson Zaplater to claim the national title.
• Joel Thatcher of SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) captured the last national title of the night as he pulled away from the field to win the 500 free by almost nine seconds.  His performance has helped the Bees, who are sitting in third place with 153 points.
• Cumberlands (Ky.) had performances that finished in the top-eight led by the Patriots 200 free relay that went 1:22.99 to place third in the event.  Enzo Esteves fourth-place finish in the 50 free was Cumberlands top individual performance.
• Milligan (Tenn.) and St. Thomas (Fla.) round out the top-five with 125 and 123 points, respectively. 

The NAIA Championship will continue Friday, March 4, with the third day of competition. Prelims are slated to begin at 9 a.m. EST and finals will start at 5 p.m. EST.

Live video of the championship can be found on the NAIA Network HERE.