FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON — Freshman Macey Hansen is set to begin her NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship campaign this week in Federal Way, Washington. The event will be streamed on ESPN+.
Hansen is the first University of Wyoming swimmer to qualify for and compete at the NCAA Championships since 2017. She is also the first to do so under head coach Dave Denniston.
Hansen will compete in the 500-yard freestyle preliminaries Thursday at 11 a.m. If she advances, the finals are scheduled for 7 p.m. She will then swim in the 1,650-yard freestyle preliminaries Saturday at 4:45 p.m., with finals beginning at 7 p.m.
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“Macey has been preparing like this is her fourth NCAA Championship, not her first,” Denniston said. “She’s been consistent at practice and pacing, and the excitement has been building for this meet. We don’t have any real expectations, but knowing Macey, we are looking for surprises she has hidden up her sleeve.”
At the 2025 Mountain West Conference Championships, Hansen broke the school records in both the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle. She holds program-best times of 4 minutes, 41.56 seconds in the 500 and 16:07.75 in the 1,650.
Hansen broke records previously held by senior teammate Maisyn Klimczak. After the race, Klimczak was the first to embrace Hansen, having told her beforehand that she wanted her to surpass those marks.
With two conference titles and two school records, Hansen is set to make more program history at the NCAA Championships. Her performance marks the start of what is expected to be a standout career for the Cowgirls.
