Sophomore Collin Gladys (Yorba Linda, CA) of the University of Redlands swimming & diving program captured the national title in the men's 200 individual medley on day one of the 2010 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships Wednesday evening at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, MN.

He trailed two swimmers after the butterfly leg but gained some ground at the halfway point, trailing only Kenyon College (OH)'s Nat Carruthers with 100 yards left. Gladys then uncorked a 30.46 breaststroke split to give himself a good second-and-a-half lead heading into the final 50. He muscled through the freestyle leg in 26.30 to stop the clock at a program-record-setting 1:48.55. That time resets his former program standard of 1:49.53, which he established at the 2010 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Swimming & Diving Championships on Feb. 21.

By virtue of his national-championship performance, he earns All-America honors.

Gladys is just the second Bulldog swimmer—male or female—to ever win a Division III national title. Greg Milton won the men's 100 freestyle at the 1993 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships with a 45.07.

In addition to Gladys, sophomore Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) qualified for the evening session on Wednesday individually. Harp wound up 16th in the men's 50 freestyle with a 21.02, which stood .28 seconds slower than his performance in prelims. As a 16th-place finisher, Harp earns Honorable Mention All-America laurels.

The quartet of junior Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA), Gladys, freshman Chris Depew (Naperville, IL) and senior Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) cruised to a 16th-place finish (1:34.70) in the men's 200 medley relay, snagging Honorable Mention All-America recognition in the process.

A handful of swimmers competed in the morning session but did not qualify for finals. Alders took 21st in the men's 500 freestyle (4:36.19), freshman Lauren Zehner (Portland, OR) captured 34th in the women's 500 freestyle (5:06.61), Depew finished 43rd in the men's 200 individual medley (2:01.16), sophomore McKenzie Nakamura (Kenmore, WA) placed 35th in the women's 200 individual medley (2:11.26) and freshman Allie Bollella (Palo Alto, CA) tied for 22nd in the women's 50 freestyle (24.02).

The women's 200 medley relay team of freshman Jessica Medvec (Tualatin, OR), Nakamura, Zehner and sophomore Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA) managed a 19th-place result with a time of 1:50.27.

After day one, the men are tied with Washington University (MO) for 14th place with 23 points. The women have not yet compiled a team score. Kenyon leads the men's competition with 173 points, while Emory University (GA) occupies the top spot on the women's side with 135 points.

Those who place first through eighth are given All-America recognition, while those who place ninth through 16th garner Honorable Mention All-America status.

The 2010 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, hosted jointly by Beloit College (WI) and the College of Wooster (OH), occur from Wednesday (March 17) through Saturday (March 20) at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, MN. Thursday's events include: the men's and women's 200 freestyle relay, the men's and women's 400 individual medley, the men's and women's 100 butterfly, the men's and women's 200 freestyle, the men's and women's 400 medley relay and the women's 1-meter diving.