KALAMAZOO, Mich. – First-year Chase Smith and sophomore James Lackner represented the Kenyon College men's swimming and diving team on the opening day of the NCAA Division III Region 1 Diving Championship, hosted by Kalamazoo College.

The two-day competition opened with a nail-biting finish in the 3-meter dive (11 dives), as Smith placed second out of 22 competitors with a score of 491.00, just 0.15 points shy of Denison's Nick Fogle, who claimed the title at 491.15. Smith's most challenging round came on his sixth dive, a Forward 3½ Somersault Pike with a 3.10 degree of difficulty, the highest in his list. With the runner-up finish, Smith secured qualification for the 2026 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships.

Lackner provided depth for the Owls, finishing 14th with a score of 402.65. His most difficult dives came during his seventh and eighth rounds, each carrying a 2.80 degree of difficulty.

Smith and Lackner will now turn their attention to the 1-meter competition, set to begin at noon Saturday.