The New College of Florida men's and women's swimming and diving teams opened the second season in program history Saturday, taking on NCAA Division II Rollins College at Alfond Swimming Pool.
The Mighty Banyans turned in several strong individual performances in their first competition of the 2026-27 season. Mya Nemechek recorded a pair of top-three finishes for the women, while Sidney Raditic Mehalso led the NCF men with two top-four performances.
Rollins won the women's dual 151-40 and the men's dual 170-34.
WOMEN'S RESULTS
NCF opened the meet in the 200-yard medley relay, with Nemechek, Saydee Herrera, Nicole Angelova and Anna Tittel combining for a time of 1:56.68 and a fourth-place finish.
Nemechek followed with one of the Mighty Banyans' strongest swims of the afternoon in the 200 freestyle. The returning All-American finished third in 2:02.35, just 0.18 seconds behind the winning time of 2:02.17. Amy Barcena also competed in the event and finished fifth in 2:25.10.
Isabella Chandler represented NCF in the 50 backstroke and placed third in 33.46.
Angelova and Barcena took the pool in the 100 butterfly. Angelova finished fourth with a time of 1:07.19, while Barcena touched in 1:17.20 to place fifth.
Chandler returned for the 50 freestyle, recording a time of 29.03 and finishing fourth.
Herrera delivered another top finish for NCF in the 100 freestyle, taking second in 56.59. Tittel also competed in the event and placed fifth with a time of 57.77.
Chandler earned her second top-three result of the meet in the 100 backstroke, finishing second in 1:13.03.
Nemechek then added her second top-three individual performance of the afternoon in the 100 breaststroke. She touched in 1:11.48 to finish second, while Herrera followed in third at 1:23.26.
NCF placed two swimmers in the top three of the 50 butterfly. Tittel took second with a time of 28.23, followed closely by Angelova in third at 28.58.
Barcena closed out her individual slate in the 100 IM, placing fourth with a time of 1:19.68.
The women's quartet of Nemechek, Tittel, Angelova and Herrera wrapped up the meet in the 200 freestyle relay. The Mighty Banyans finished third in 1:43.89.
MEN'S RESULTS
The NCF men began their afternoon with Zsombi Sipaki, Benjamin Macgregor, Ashton Miguel Juarez and Omar Khatter teaming up in the 200 medley relay. The group finished third with a time of 1:39.61.
Macgregor led the Mighty Banyans in the 200 freestyle, placing fourth in 1:50.94. Carlos Alberto Heredia Garcia followed in fifth with a time of 2:04.96.
Three Mighty Banyans competed in the 50 backstroke. Sipaki led the group with a third-place finish in 25.21. Khatter took fifth in 27.01, while Eduardo Perez Villalba finished sixth in 29.60.
Macgregor added a fourth-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.81, while Juarez finished fifth after touching in 56.46.
Khatter and Perez Villalba represented NCF in the 50 freestyle. Khatter finished fourth with a time of 22.57, while Perez Villalba took fifth in 24.80.
Perez Villalba returned in the 100 freestyle and finished fourth in 54.71. Heredia Garcia followed in fifth with a time of 56.56.
Sidney Raditic Mehalso produced one of the top performances of the day for the NCF men in the 100 backstroke. He finished third with a time of 55.33.
Macgregor earned a third-place finish of his own in the 100 breaststroke, touching in 1:02.73. Raditic Mehalso also competed in the event and finished fifth with a time of 1:10.54.
Juarez took third in the 50 butterfly with a time of 25.63, while Heredia Garcia finished fifth in 28.08.
Raditic Mehalso and Sipaki represented the Mighty Banyans in the 100 IM. Raditic Mehalso finished fourth in 57.05, followed by Sipaki in fifth at 57.61.
NCF closed the men's competition with Sipaki, Heredia Garcia, Juarez and Khatter in the 200 freestyle relay. The quartet finished fourth with a time of 1:33.80.
BY THE NUMBERS
0.18: Seconds separating Nemechek's 2:02.35 in the 200 freestyle from the winning time of 2:02.17.
4: Individual runner-up finishes for the NCF women, coming from Nemechek in the 100 breaststroke, Herrera in the 100 freestyle, Chandler in the 100 backstroke and Tittel in the 50 butterfly.
8: Individual top-three finishes recorded by the Mighty Banyan women.
4: Different NCF men recorded third-place individual finishes, with Sipaki in the 50 backstroke, Raditic Mehalso in the 100 backstroke, Macgregor in the 100 breaststroke and Juarez in the 50 butterfly.
55.33: Raditic Mehalso's time in the 100 backstroke, his best finish of the meet at third place.
2: Top-four individual finishes apiece for Nemechek, Raditic Mehalso and Macgregor.
UP NEXT: New College returns to action next Saturday on the road at Ave Maria. The meet time is TBA.
