EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2026 NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships are in the books, and while the Cougars did not earn any points, they did pick up some valuable experience to carry forward into the future.

A pair of Cougar athletes qualified to compete on the national stage, and each did so in a pair of events.  Senior Angelica Benitez got things started on Wednesday in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 37th in a time of 2:07.35.  Benitez would later compete on Friday in the 200 butterfly, coming to the line in 2:07.66, good for 27th.

Meanwhile, sophomore Aleena Herrera also got to compete in a pair of events, starting on Thursday with the 400 individual medley.  Herrera got off to a good start, but was unable to find an extra gear in the breaststroke section and ended up in 22nd place at 4:28.24, about two and a half seconds short of what would have qualified for the B final and earned points in the team standings.  Saturday saw Herrera compete in the 200 breaststroke, finishing in 26th place with a time of 2:18.67.

Herrera will have a chance to build on that going forward into next season, while she and Benitez get to enjoy the memories of having competed for a national championship in their final swims of the 2026 season.