CHICAGO, Ill. – The Brandeis University swimming and diving teams had their first three swimmers qualify for the finals today on Day 3 of the 2026 University Athletic Association Championships at the University of Chicago.
The top finisher in today's prelims was first-year
Michelle Weissler (Greenwich, Conn. / Greenwich) in the 100-yard breaststroke. She finished in 17
th place, the best by a Brandeis swimmer so far, with a time of 1:06.10, almost a full second better than her personal-best time. It was the second-fastest time in school history in the event. Weissler missed out on the event's 'B' finals by just six-hundredths of a second.
The men's 100 breaststroke also saw the Judges get a competitor into the 'C' finals, as senior
Eric Xiao (College Station, Tex. / AM Consolidated) finished the prelims in 23
rd place with a time of 1:00.03.
The team's final swimmer to reach the evening session was senior
Samuel Bundy (Charlotte, N.C./Ardrey Kell) in the 400-yard individual medley. Bundy posted a time of 4:13.11, 0.02 off his season-best, to edge out teammate
Guy Toib (Ben Ami, Israel / Tsulam Tsur) for the final spot in the 'C' finals.
In the finals, Weissler ended up with a 19
th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke, the Judges' highest of the meet so far. She turned in a time of 1:06.64, 0.41 seconds behind the heat winner.
Bundy improved by one spot on his seed in the 400 individual medley, lowering nearly two seconds off his prelim time to finish in 4:11.32.
Xiao swam to his seed in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 23
rd with a time of 1:01.38.
The women also got a bonus point in the 400 IM, as senior
Rebecca Kaplan (Fairfax, Va. / Robinson Secondary School) advanced to the 'C' final after a scratch. She finished in 24
th place with a time of 4:50.28, taking five seconds off her prelim time and about a second off her personal best.
In the evening's lone relays, sophomore
Lauren Balfour (Madison, Miss. / Pine Crest), Weissler, senior
D'Arcy Anselmi (Pearl River, N.Y. / Pearl River) and senior
Jenna Wild (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston Township) placed eighth in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:52.61. The men's squad of junior
Luke Abrahamson (Lincoln, R.I. / Lincoln), seniors
Benjamin Lee (Upton, Mass. / Nipmuc Regional) and
Eric Xiao (College Station, Texas / AM Consolidated) and junior
Peter Mou (Chestnut Hill, Mass. / Brimmer and May School) also took eighth in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:35.39.
After three days of action, the Brandeis women have 275 points, while the men have 269. Both teams are in eighth place headed into the final day of competition tomorrow at Chicago.
