GREENSBORO, N.C. — Washington and Lee strengthened its hold on first place Friday night, pushing its total to 597.5 points through five sessions at the 2026 ODAC Men's Swimming Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The Generals hold a commanding lead over Lynchburg (401.5), with Bridgewater (327.5) and Roanoke (322.5) rounding out the top four.
W&L captured two event titles Friday, added multiple NCAA B-cut swims and set another ODAC Championship record to continue its dominant week.
Up Next: The ODAC Championships conclude Saturday, February 14, with a full slate of events at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Session 6 begins at 10:00 a.m. with preliminaries in the men's and women's 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly. The timed finals of the 1650 freestyle (men's and women's) will also take place during the morning session. The championships wrap up with Session 7 finals at 5:00 p.m., featuring the 1650 freestyle, finals of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly, and concluding with the 400 freestyle relays.
Team Standings (Through Five Sessions)
- Washington and Lee – 597.5
- Lynchburg – 401.5
- Bridgewater – 327.5
- Roanoke – 322.5
- Randolph-Macon – 214
- Randolph – 103
- Virginia Wesleyan – 91
- Hampden-Sydney – 56
- Greensboro – 38
Friday Highlights
200 Medley Relay (Event 13)
2nd – W&L A (1:28.98)
Charles Byars, Harrison Cerone, Zane Ross and Leighton Chapman opened the evening session with a runner-up finish.
400 Individual Medley (Event 15)
100 Butterfly (Event 17)
200 Freestyle (Event 19)
1st – Dalton Jobe (1:37.65) – ODAC Championship Record | NCAA B-Cut
Jobe reset the ODAC Championship record of 1:37.76 (W&L's Tommy Thetford, 2016) with his winning swim of 1:37.65. He eclipsed the NCAA B-cut (1:39.21) in both prelims (1:38.15) and finals, and also surpassed the 2025 national invited time of 1:38.08.
100 Breaststroke (Event 21)
Cerone eclipsed the NCAA B-cut (55.19) in both prelims (54.91) and finals, marking his second B-cut performance of the day.
100 Backstroke (Event 23)
By the Numbers (Through Five Sessions)
- Events Completed: 12
- Event Wins: 6 of 12
- Runner-Up Finishes: 6
- NCAA B-Cut Performances: 7
- ODAC Championship Records: 3
- Program Records: 3
- Current Standing: 1 of 9 teams
Thursday Highlights
200 Freestyle Relay (Event 3)
1st – W&L (1:20.78) – ODAC Overall & Championship Record | NCAA B-Cut | Program Record
Chapman, Dylan Reher, Byars and Jobe reset the ODAC overall and championship record (1:21.03, W&L, 2025). Their time also surpassed the NCAA B-cut (1:21.31) and the 2025 national invited time (1:20.86), marking the first of three W&L program records to fall.
500 Freestyle (Event 5)
The Generals placed four swimmers inside the top nine to build separation in the team standings.
200 Individual Medley (Event 7)
Bridgewater's Zachary Erb won in 1:47.61, but both Erb and Jobe eclipsed the previous ODAC overall and championship record of 1:48.13 (Erb, 2025). Jobe's 1:47.78 also surpassed the NCAA B-cut (1:50.08) and the 2025 national invited time (1:48.95), while resetting the W&L program record.
50 Freestyle (Event 9)
1st – Leighton Chapman (20.25) – NCAA B-Cut
Chapman captured the conference title and eclipsed the NCAA B-cut standard of 20.36.
400 Medley Relay (Event 11)
1st – W&L (3:16.16) – ODAC Overall & Championship Record | NCAA B-Cut | Program Record
Byars, Harrison Cerone, Zane Ross and Jobe reset the ODAC overall and championship record with a winning time of 3:16.16, breaking the previous mark of 3:17.03 set by W&L in 2025. The performance also eclipsed the NCAA B-cut standard of 3:17.69, marking the Generals' third program record of the meet. W&L secured the victory with a late surge in the freestyle leg, edging the field in a tightly contested finish to close the third session.
Wednesday Highlights
800 Freestyle Relay (Event 1 – Wednesday)
1st – W&L (6:34.71) – NCAA B-Cut
Dalton Jobe, Leighton Chapman, Charles Byars and Thomas Denton opened the championships with a conference title and NCAA B-cut swim.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
