For the second time since 2020, the University Athletic Association championship came down to the final event as the Emory University men's swimming and diving team narrowly defeated the University of Chicago on the final day to capture the program's 24th consecutive conference championship.
The Eagles erased a four-point deficit on the final day of competition to extend their streak of dominance, winning the team title by 25.5 points – the third-closest UAA meet in men's history. The Maroons finished with 1722.5 points while WashU ended the four-day meet in third at 1226.
Emory overcame a 12-point deficit across the final three events, thanks to big performances by the breaststroke quartet and the performances by both relay squads in the 400 Freestyle.
Trailing 1472-1460, the Eagles moved ahead with a strong showing in the 200 Breast, led by graduate student Jason Hamilton who captured his second straight conference championship with a blistering time of 1:55.67. Fellow graduate student Justin Lum touched second at 2:00.14 with freshman Henri Bonnault taking fourth at 2:00.63. Sophomore Zachary Zhao also provided a boost with his win in the B Final at 2:01.74.
The Maroons made a move in the next event though, cutting the Emory lead from 40.5 to 26.5 after a strong showing in the 200 Fly. Sophomores Jeff Echols and Crow Thorsen paced the Eagles in the event, taking sixth and seventh place, respectively.
The stage was set for the final event on the week in the 400 Free Relay. Chicago once again moved closer with a win in the B Final as the Eagles' team of Thorsen, seniors Jeffrey de Groot, Will O'Daffer, and junior Logan D'Amore came in third, shaving eight points off the Emory lead as the two programs headed into the A Final with the Eagles in front by 18.5.
In the A Final, both the Eagles and Maroons went toe-to-toe but it was the Emory group that prevailed by just .22 seconds, as an excellent race by senior Pat Pema, freshman Caden Bjornstad, senior Colin LaFave and junior Nicholas Goudie sealed the title. They threw down a winning time of 2:58.33, just .02 off the UAA record.
Saturday night started for the Blue & Gold as the Eagles took five of the top 12 finishes in the 200 Back, led by freshman Will Kohn who secured a silver medal finish at 1:46.78. After that, Goudie set a new UAA record at 44.05 with his first-ever conference win in the 100 Freestyle while Pema added All-UAA honors with a bronze medal at 45.02.
At the conclusion of the meet, senior Lucas Bumgarner was recognized as the UAA Men's Diver of the Year for the fourth time, becoming the first diver in UAA history to win the award four consecutive times.
All told, the Eagles compiled nine event championships and 21 All-UAA honors across the four-day meet in Atlanta.