For the first time since 2012 Denison University was back on the top step of the podium at NCAA Division III Championships. The Big Red has traded national titles with their rival, the Kenyon Lords, in each of the last seven years and nine of the last eleven. In fact, either Denison or Kenyon has won the national championship every year since 1979; 2016 marks Denison’s third team title in that span.
The four-day meet proved to be a close contest between the rivals, as the lead changed several times a day over the first three days of the meet. Denison won four individual events with a total of 16 A finalists and 10 B finalists, and one relay among 4 top-8 relay finals.
Four of the national titles had junior Jackson Lindell’s name on them. He won the 200 IM in Division III record time, the 400 IM and the 200 back, and was a member of Denison’s winning 800 free relay along with senior Ryan Fleming, freshman Bradley Stevenson, and senior Joe Brunk. Denison’s fifth championship came in 1-meter diving when senior Ben Lewis claimed the title, just 2.55 points short of the NCAA DIII record.
For its part, runner-up Kenyon won the 400 medley relay and 200 breast with junior Ian Reardon, and placed 12 swimmers in A finals and 11 in B finals, and swam three relays in A finals and one in a B final. Emory University finished third in team points, uncontested at this spot throughout the four days. Johns Hopkins University, MIT and Williams battled back and forth for the coveted fourth spot; Hopkins’ strong performances on the final day sealed its ascension to that position.
Denison earned three of the four CSCAA awards for Division III:
- Men’s Diver of the Meet: Ben Lewis, senior, Denison
- Men’s Diving Coach of the Year: Shawn Austin, SUNY Geneseo
- Men’s Swimmer of the Meet: Jackson Lindell, junior, Denison
- Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year: Greg Parini, Denison
Below are the final scores for all the men’s teams at the 2016 Division III Championships.
| Team | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Vs Prelims | Vs Psych |
| Denison University | 131 | 258 | 364.5 | 455.5 | -22.5 | -33.5 |
| Kenyon College | 117.5 | 272.5 | 331.5 | 418.5 | 17 | 14.5 |
| Emory University | 105 | 205 | 249 | 340.5 | 14.5 | 33.5 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 79 | 152 | 200 | 263 | -3 | 10 |
| Mass Institute of Technology | 48 | 99 | 179.5 | 241.5 | 19.5 | 60.5 |
| Williams College | 47 | 115 | 172.5 | 205.5 | 6.5 | 31.5 |
| The College of New Jersey | 31 | 86 | 130 | 179 | 9 | 68 |
| Washington University (MO) | 41 | 85 | 108 | 161 | -29 | -25 |
| New York University | 17 | 61 | 89 | 126 | -6 | 15 |
| Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 29.5 | 67.5 | 100.5 | 121.5 | -11 | 17.5 |
| Rowan University | 35 | 63 | 68 | 95 | 5.5 | -33 |
| Tufts University | 12 | 28 | 66 | 93 | 1 | 21 |
| Keene State | 0 | 47 | 47 | 91 | 9 | 36 |
| University of Chicago | 24.5 | 44.5 | 48.5 | 60.5 | -3.5 | -70.5 |
| Calvin College | 12 | 26 | 47 | 60 | -30 | -54 |
| University of St. Thomas | 0 | 18 | 55 | 60 | 22 | 25 |
| Washington & Lee University | 17 | 37 | 37 | 57 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Wheaton College (IL) | 6 | 16 | 26.5 | 55.5 | -9.5 | 9.5 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | 14 | 26 | 31 | 53 | 16 | 3 |
| Connecticut College | 5 | 24 | 52 | 52 | 5 | 40 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | 0 | 8 | 32 | 49 | -3 | -4 |
| DePauw University | 14 | 29 | 41 | 45 | -2 | 4 |
| SUNY Fredonia | 16 | 16 | 42 | 42 | 1 | 1 |
| Albion College | 0 | 4 | 27 | 40 | 13 | -25 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 10 | 10 | 26 | 38 | 5 | 28 |
| SUNY Geneseo | 20 | 20 | 36 | 36 | 4 | 4 |
| York College of Pennsylvania | 0 | 0 | 20 | 32 | -2 | -1 |
| Amherst College | 0 | 12 | 29 | 31 | -6 | 14 |
| Buffalo State College | 13 | 14 | 14 | 29 | -2 | 0 |
| Pomona-Pitzer | 7 | 28 | 28 | 28 | -15 | -21 |
| Wabash College | 0 | 0 | 14 | 28 | 2 | 7 |
| Whitworth University | 16 | 20 | 22 | 26 | -8 | -29 |
| Case Western Reserve | 3 | 3 | 21 | 21 | -16 | -18 |
| Gettysburg College | 4 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 1 | -6 |
| U.S. Merchant Marine Academy | 13 | 13 | 19 | 19 | -1 | -1 |
| Widener University | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 19 | -2 | 14 |
| Union College (NY) | 9 | 9 | 16 | 16 | -2 | -2 |
| Lake Forest College | 4 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | 0 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 2 | -29 |
| Sarah Lawrence | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 | -3 | -17 |
| Ohio Northern | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | -1 | 3 |
| Goucher College | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| University of Mary Washington | 0 | 11 | 11 | 11 | -4 | 0 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan University | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | -4 |
| St. Lawrence | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | -1 | -1 |
| University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | -3 | -45 |
| Baldwin Wallace University | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 3 | -8 |
| St. Olaf | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Bowdoin College | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| McDaniel College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Wesleyan University | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Birmingham-Southern College | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -1 | -17 |
| Trinity University | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Westminster College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -3 | -12 |
| Grinnell College | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | -1 |
| Hartwick College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | -13 |
| U.S. Coast Guard Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | -3 |