In a remarkable display of talent, SCAD freshman Levente Mozsarik has made headlines by shattering the NAIA National Record in the 50-yard freestyle at the Sun Conference Swimming & Diving Championships held in Ocala, Florida. This exciting event took place from February 5 to 7, 2026, and it kicked off with an impressive performance on the evening of the first day.
Mozsarik clinched the victory with a stunning time of 19.42 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 19.47 seconds set by Keiser’s Noel De Geus during last year's national championship meet. De Geus, who finished second in this race with a time of 20.13 seconds, was unable to defend his title against the talented newcomer.
At just 19 years old and hailing from Hungary, Mozsarik is one of the many international swimmers making waves in American collegiate swimming. It's noteworthy that, among the finalists in the men's 50 free, only one swimmer—Caedmon Peterson from SCAD—was American, finishing fifth at 20.91 seconds. The increasing influence of international athletes in NAIA swimming is evident, with fellow SCAD swimmers Jake Litchfield and Jackson Voelkel also competing in the B Finals.
Before arriving in the United States, Mozsarik had already established himself as a competitive swimmer in Hungary, representing his country at the 2024 European Junior Championships. There, he achieved remarkable placements, finishing 27th in the 50 free and 33rd in the 100 free events. His personal best times in long course are 23.02 seconds for the 50 free and 50.88 seconds for the 100 free. Impressively, his performance in the 50 free in 2025 placed him 10th among all Hungarian swimmers, and he was ranked 2nd among those born in 2006 or later. In the 100 free, he secured the 18th position among all Hungarians.
As the meet progressed, St. Thomas University took an early lead after the first day, followed closely by the defending champions, Keiser University, while SCAD found itself in third place.
On the women's side, SCAD's freshman standout Lena Gerl also delivered an outstanding performance, completing the 500 free in 4:57.29, which broke the previous Meet Record by a significant two-and-a-half seconds. Her teammate, Jette Haedicke, made her mark by setting a new Meet Record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:04.24. Both Gerl and Haedicke, alongside Mozsarik, are first-year students at SCAD, showcasing the potential of this talented freshman class.
Additionally, the SCAD women’s team broke another Meet Record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:41.79. Meanwhile, the Keiser women's team secured a record in the 800 free relay, clocking in at 7:27.15, which was more than seven seconds faster than the previous record set by a different Keiser relay team in 2023. Notably, Rachel Bradley was the only member from the prior record-holding team to participate in this year's event.
On the men's side, Keiser’s Isaiah Aleksenko triumphed in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 1:47.62, which eclipsed the previous Meet Record of 1:47.51 held by SCAD's Kevin Kell. The SCAD men also made their mark by setting a record in the 800 free relay with a time of 6:36.28. Although Keiser's relay had initially surpassed the old record, they faced disqualification due to an early exchange involving their standout swimmer, Aleksenko, who recorded a split of 1:36.08.
In the 200 medley relay, Keiser emerged victorious with a time of 1:26.47, breaking their own Meet Record from the previous year by 1.4 seconds.
Team standings after Day 1 are as follows:
Women’s Scores:
1. SCAD – 284 points
2. St. Thomas – 283 points
3. Keiser – 267 points
4. Ave Maria – 118 points
5. William Carey – 99 points
6. Life University – 98 points
7. Thomas University – 56 points
8. Loyola New Orleans – 55 points
9. New College of Florida – 35 points
Men’s Scores:
1. St. Thomas – 263.5 points
2. Keiser University – 250 points
3. SCAD – 182.5 points
4. William Carey – 157 points
5. Life University – 136 points
6. Ave Maria – 118 points
7. Loyola New Orleans – 92 points
8. Thomas University – 66 points.
