ATLANTA, GA - UMBC junior Ashley Gutshall is set to make her nationals debut when she competes at the 2026 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships this Friday, March 20, in the 50 freestyle.
Gutshall punched her ticket to swim against the nation’s best when she touched the wall first in the 50 free at the 2026 America East Championship meet in a conference record time of 22.25, 0.03 seconds below the new NCAA qualifying standard. This achievement makes her the first America East athlete to qualify for the NCAA Championships since New Hampshire’s Anna Metzler in 2022.
In addition to the junior Retriever’s third straight 50 free title at the #AESD Championship, Gutshall also took home gold in the 100 free, improving on her 2025 silver medal. Her double-gold performance helped UMBC claim fourth place at the meet.
The entire four-day NCAA championship at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center will be streamed live on ESPN+.