The New York University men's and women's swimming and diving teams traveled to Emory University in Atlanta, GA, to begin the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships on Wednesday, February 12.

The championships are Wednesday through Saturday, with each day consisting of preliminary and final rounds of swimming and diving events.

The men's and women's swimming teams placed first in the 800-yard freestyle relay. NYU had an A and a B team in the relay, and the A team won with a time of 7:14.56.

The A team, consisting of Nicole Ranile, Elle Motekaitis, Caitlin Marshall, and Kaley McIntyre, broke the team and UAA record and won by almost seven seconds. 

The B team — Emery Muller, Bethany Spangler, Aanya Wala, and Isabel Oldham — finished in 7:24.44, a time that would have placed 6th at NCAAs last year, according to Head Swimming Coach Trevor Miele.

"The women's 800 B relay destroyed the field, showing how fast they can swim, but unfortunately we can only send one relay to NCAAs," said Miele. "Oldham's anchor leg, splitting under 1:50, was outstanding."

The men's relay team of Maksym Nechydyuk, Connor Vincent, Kevin Wu, and Pierce Downs, won the UAA title for the first time in program history. 

"They didn't just take the victory — they set both the team and UAA records in the process," said Miele. "The guys showed up with a championship mindset and delivered."

The men's diving team competed in the 1-meter dive, with William Hopkins placing fourth and Mitchell Mortenson earning seventh place.

"It was a good day having two divers finish in the top eight against very good competition," said Head Diving Coach Todd Kolean. "We were a little better in prelims but still very solid in the finals. Proud of both seniors Mitchell and Will."

Competition continues for the men's and women's swimming and diving teams Thursday, February 13, at Emory University.