Swimming Shows Well on Opening Day of 2026 AAC Championships

Kingsport, Tennessee- The Brenau swimming and diving team opened the 2026 Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships with a strong first day of performances on Thursday. 

Brenau amassed 191 points on opening day to sit in second place. The squad tallied four top-three finishes on the day. 

The Golden Tigers earned a first place finish on day one of competition as sophomore Sophie Bell edged past Milligan's Madison Akbari by 0.18 seconds in the 50 freestyle.

Bell also helped teammates Nele Behrendt, Francesca Pastori, and Abi Binns secure second place in the 200 medley relay in 1:49.72.  Bell and Binns joined Olga Bukowska and Ana Alves to add another second place finish in the 800 freestyle relay.

In the individual events, the team had many strong opening day performances at the meet, including:

Ana Alves: 

• 50 freestyle, 5th place, 5:27.71;

Nele Behrendt: 

• 200 IM, 6th place, 2:17.14;

Abi Binns: 

• 50 freestyle, 7th place, 25.73;

Olga Bukowska

• 500 freestyle, 3rd place, 5:20.45;

Emily DiMaggio

• 50 freestyle, 16th place, 27.10; 

Ariel Furhman: 

• 200 IM, 2:21.68; 8th place;

Manuela Horta: 

• 50 freestyle, 9th place, 25.87

Sylvie Jacques: 

• 500 freestyle, 10th place, 6:59.89;

Francesca Pastori 

• 50 freestyle, 11th place, 26.13;

Erin Watterson

• 50 freestyle, 13th place, 26.81;

For complete results, click here. 

For the complete schedule of events, click here.

For free streaming, click here.