ATLANTA, Ga. – On Thursday and Friday, Oakland University swimmer Christopher Palvadre competed for the final time as a Golden Grizzly, racing against the nation's best in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Under the NCAA's new qualification system, Palvadre was initially slated to compete only in the 100 breast at the Championships, despite having posted an NCAA-qualifying time of 1:54.08 in the 200. On the pre-selection psych sheet, USA Swimming incorrectly listed him as an automatic qualifier and Horizon League champion in the 200, even though he had finished second. When the official psych sheets were released, the error was corrected, and he was removed from the 200 breast field.

However, because he had achieved an NCAA-qualifying time in the event and was already invited to compete in the 100 breast, Palvadre was awarded a lane in the 200 to help the meet reach the 235-athlete cap across all events.

Palvadre opened competition Thursday in his automatic-qualifying event, the 100 breast, at the McAuley Aquatic Center on Georgia Tech's campus. Seeded in lane four of the first of five heats, he entered with the fastest time in his heat. Palvadre went on to finish fourth with a time of 52.75, placing 36th overall.

On Friday morning, Palvadre returned to the pool for his final collegiate race. Once again competing in the first of five heats, he swam in lane three alongside three other competitors, with three additional swimmers in the heat listed as declaring false starts. He touched in 1:55.54, earning a 33rd-place finish overall.

Oakland concludes its 2025-26 season with Palvadre's appearance at the NCAA Championships, marking the men's program's first NCAA qualifier in 10 years. The senior closes an impressive final year in the Black and Gold with his performance on the national stage. 

A two-hour highlight show of the NCAA Championships will air on ESPNU on Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m. ET. Palvadre's 100 and 200 breaststroke races are available on demand on ESPN+.

Live results for each session in Atlanta can be found HERE.

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