GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Junior
Max Cory broke the NCAA Division III record in the 100-yard freestyle and won the first national championship in Bates swimming and diving history Saturday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Cory (Dublin, Calif.) raced to the finish in 42.88 seconds in the championship final, breaking the previous D3 record of 42.98 seconds set seven years ago by Emory's Oliver Smith.
"The first thing I felt when I touched the wall was just pure surprise," Cory said. "I knew from my swim this morning that I had a great shot at the record, but I was so stressed leading up to the final it didn't feel real until I saw the time on the board. After that, I was just so proud knowing my parents and family saw the swim, and I was just excited to get out of the water and give them a call!"
Cory becomes the first Bobcat to win an NCAA championship since the 2021 Bates women's rowing team won that program's fifth national title. He's the first individual representing Bates to win a national title since
Ahmed Abdel Khalek '16 won the second of his two College Squash Association individual national championships in 2016, and Cory is the first Bates individual to win an NCAA title since
David Pless '13 won the third of his three indoor shot put NCAA championships in 2013. He is the 31st national champion in Bates College history.
And for Bates swimming and diving, Cory is the first Bobcat to reach the mountain top.
"What a historic moment for the program; I'm so proud of him," head coach
Peter Casares said. "He worked extremely hard for this moment and dealt with a tremendous amount of expectations and pressure. I know he's made all of Bates College very proud!
Cory got to Saturday's championship final by swimming the fastest prelims time in the field that morning at 43.05 seconds. Then he torched the competition Saturday night, breaking through after having finished national runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle on Wednesday. His "slower" prelims time in the 100 free still would have won the national title, as runner-up David Bajwa of Calvin College raced to the finish in the championship final in 43.25 seconds.
Cory, who is now a 10-time All-American, wasn't the only Bobcat who shined on Saturday. Sophomore
Tim Johnson (Brewster, Mass.) placed 12th in the 200-yard backstroke, with a prelims time of 1:47.40 and a consolation final time of 1:47.60 earning him All-America honors. It's the first All-America finish for Johnson in an individual event, and he is now a five-time All-American overall.
Overall, the Bates men's team took 13th place at NCAAs, tallying 112 points. It's the best finish at the NCAA Championships in the men's swimming and diving program's history.
On the women's side, sophomore
Sarah Palmer (Brunswick, Maine) broke her own program record in the 200-yard breaststroke with her time of 2:16.41 in the consolation final, good for 10th place overall and All-America honors. Palmer is now a four-time All-American. Palmer and senior captain
Stephanie Tropper (Solon, Ohio) represented Bates well, combining to finish 28th out of 39 scoring teams with 16 points.
But on Saturday, Cory's swim for the ages stole the show.
"I can't help but think of all the coaches, alums, and people along the way who created an opportunity for us to bring a team like this to the meet," Casares said. "From guys like
Dan Aupi '12 to
Matthew Gagne '15 and
Andrew Briggs '15. From
Teddy Pender '18 and
Riley Ewing '18 to
Andrew Hall '22. And of course there was
Nathan Berry '23 passing the torch to
Max Cory. There is a line of athletes -- and maybe more importantly -- their teammates, who got us here.
"I hope this is a moment for all of them too. We couldn't have done it without them - and Bates behind us."
