Air Force men’s swimming will be represented by James Winterfield and Tanner Wilson at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, which will take place at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta from March 25 to March 28.
The participation of these two athletes is significant as it marks their first appearances at the NCAA Championships, capping off what their coach describes as an outstanding season.
“Both of these guys are ready to cap off an incredible season with their first appearances at the NCAA Championships,” said head coach Rob Clayton. Team captain Winterfield will compete in the 100 butterfly on Thursday, March 26, and the 200 individual medley on Saturday, March 28. At this year’s MPSF Championships, Winterfield won the 100 fly with a time of 46.06 seconds, setting new Academy, MPSF, and pool records. He also qualified for NCAAs in the 200 IM with a program-record time of 1:43.99. Over this season he earned six event wins and reached the podium sixteen times.
“James has been so close for several years,” Clayton said. “To finally break through and win a championship this year and earn a spot at NCAAs was amazing.” Sophomore Wilson is set to swim in both breaststroke events: the 100 breaststroke on Thursday and the 200 breaststroke on Friday. He secured MPSF titles in both events; his time of 52.19 seconds in the shorter distance ranks second all-time for Air Force while his mark of 1:54.28 set new school and conference records for the longer race. Wilson achieved six wins along with nine podium finishes during his sophomore campaign.
“Tanner has continued to improve, building on an outstanding freshman season with huge time drops as a sophomore,” Clayton said.
The event schedule includes preliminary heats each morning followed by finals sessions each evening from Wednesday through Saturday.
