BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Mar. 22, 2026) – Juniors
Honza Zika (Prague, Czech Republic / Tesoro / Indiana University | University of Hawaii) and
Thomas Langlois (Haut-Richelieu, QC, Canada / St. John's) led the Whittier College men's swimming & diving team at this year's NCAA Division III National Swimming Championships.
Zika, the first male SCIAC champion under Head Coach
Michael Jafari, entered the meet with a head of steam coming off SCIAC Championship swims in the 200 Fly and 400 IM, his two best events. He would go on to accrue All-American status in both events, placing 14th in the 400 IM for Second Team distinction (3:56.82) and sixth in the 200 Fly for First Team distinction (1:47.73). That makes Zika the first male Poet in modern history to finish the year as a First Team All-American.
The junior transfer, formally of the University of Indiana, completed a homecoming of sorts while also competing in a tight 200 IM field where little more than a full second separated him from a third bite at the All-American apple.
Langlois, who made his second trip to NCAA's as a member of the Purple & Gold, accrued Second Team honors in his signature events, the 500 Free (4:27.76) and 1650 Free (15:37.60) after making the podium in both events at this year's SCIAC Championships. Though he secured more points in the Mile, Langlois' 500 Free time broke his own program record.
The resulting finishes secured Whittier 27 points, positioning them as the SCIAC's second-highest scoring team at the National Championship meet. The next highest scoring team, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College, had four points.
With the exception of senior captain
Garrett Dykier, the Whittier men's team is set to return their full core from a team that finished fifth at this year's SCIAC Championship meet.
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