ATLANTA — After going without a conference title on Wednesday, Stanford men’s swimming got back to the top spot in two events on Thursday, claiming ACC titles in the 400 IM and 200 free to keep pace with California in a tight battle for the overall 2026 ACC championship.
Josh Zuchowski was the star of the show for Stanford during the morning prelims of the 400 IM. He swam in the fourth heat and immediately posted a top-six time in the NCAA this season, finishing in 3:39.17. That time put him as the top overall seed for Thursday’s finals. He was joined by Ethan Ekk, who swam in the fifth prelim and posted a 3:41.52, a new personal best for the freshman.
As good as Zuchowski was in the prelims, he was even better in the finals. The entire race was neck-and-neck, but Zuchowski pulled ahead late after the final turn at the wall to win the ACC title with a time of 3:38.58, the third-fastest time in Stanford history. His teammate, Ekk, earned a sixth-place finish with a time of 3:42.79.
When asked on ACC Network about how his 3:38.58 sounded, Zuchowski replied simply with a chuckle and said, “It sounds pretty damn good.”
Rafael Gu was the lone Cardinal to qualify for the “A” finals in the 100 fly, doing so as the seventh overall seed with a time of 45.28. Most swimmers in the field were adding time compared to their seed time, and while that held true for Gu, his time was still within a half-second of a career best. In the finals, Gu added 0.05 seconds to his time to place eighth at 45.32.
Stanford had a bit more success in the 200 free, with Henry McFadden leading the way. He swam in heat six and won with a time of 1:32.32, which set him up as the second overall seed heading into the finals. While not eligible for a conference title, Jason Zhao (11th, 1:33.08) and Andres Dupont Cabrera (14th, 1:33.42) also qualified for the “B” final, with Zhao’s time representing a career best.
The 200 free final was one of the most exciting races of the day. There was a different leader at every turn, and it wasn’t until the final yards that McFadden edged ahead to take the win, repeating as the ACC champion. His time of 1:31.05 is a new ACC championship record, beating Logan Robinson of Florida State by just 0.13 seconds. He is the first repeat conference champion that Stanford has had in the ACC.
Following his win, McFadden went on ACC Network and told the broadcast team that, “if we swim the races we want to swim, we know we can win.”
400 IM – 1. Josh Zuchowski (3:38.58 finals, 3:39.17 prelims), 6. Ethan Ekk (3:42.79 finals, 3:41.52 prelims), 15. Gibson Holmes (3:45.21 finals, 3:43.41 prelims), 40. Liam Custer (3:54.04 prelims)
100 Fly – 8. Rafael Gu (45.32 finals, 45.28 prelims), 25. Jonathan Tan (46.50 prelims), 37. Ethan Harrington (47.22 prelims), 41. Hayden Kwan (47.55 prelims)
200 Free – 1. Henry McFadden (1:31.05 finals, 1:32.32 prelims), 10. Jason Zhao (1:32.70 finals, 1:33.08 prelims), 12. Andres Dupont Cabrera (1:33.37 finals, 1:33.42 prelims), 67. Henry Morrissey (1:39.22 prelims)
Through five days of competition, Stanford (596) trails California (622) by 26 points for the ACC title.
The sixth day of the ACC Championships features the 200 fly, 100 back, and 100 breast, and 400 medley relay, with the Cardinal getting in the pool at 6:45 a.m. PT.