National Champion
Justin Finkel ’25 wins the 500 freestyle at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
Justin Finkel ’25 was crowned national champion after winning the 500 freestyle on Wednesday night at the 2024 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
After turning in the fastest time in the morning preliminaries, Finkel swam a controlled race in the finals that saw him power to the finish in 4:21.32, breaking his own school and NESCAC records in the process.
The race featured eight swimmers, six of whom competed in the same heat as Finkel in the morning session. Finkel hung back in the early stages and was in fifth at the midway point, when Brandeis’ Samuel Dienstag took the lead.
Dienstag built a sizable advantage over the field before Finkel chased him down in the back half. By the 400-yard mark it was a two-man race, although Finkel still trailed by a body length. By the final turn, Finkel pulled even and then overtook Dienstag in the final 25 yards to clinch the victory.
“I had a lot more in the last half than I thought I would,” said Finkel, a biology major from Cheshire, Connecticut. “I went out how I wanted to, but I’m just glad I had that last kick in the end.”
Finkel’s national title is the eighth individual title in school history. He becomes just the sixth Camel to achieve the feat, and only the second in the Men’s Swimming & Diving program’s history.
“It certainly means a lot,” Finkel said of his first national title. “It’s a dream of every swimmer. I’ve been working on this for a while, so I’m glad I’m finally here, and it’s a dream come true.”
Finkel has the chance to add more hardware to the trophy case in the coming days. On Thursday, he will compete in the 200 free—he owns the nation’s top seed time—and on Friday, he will compete in the 200 butterfly. The events will be livestreamed on NCAA.com.
Last month, Finkel was named NESCAC Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive year. His first-place finish at the NCAA Championships also earns him All-America honors.
