The Cal State East Bay women's swimming opened competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving Championships with a national appearance in the 800-yard freestyle relay at the Deaconess Aquatic Center, earning a 16^th place finish against the nation's best programs.
 
The Pioneer quartet of Alexia Fajardo, Maggie Clemens, Kylie Beaudet, and Malana Kollath combined for a time of 7:35.13, finishing 16th overall.  The finish earned two team points for East Bay on the national stage and garnered Second Team All-American honors.
 
Fajardo opened the race for the Pioneers with a strong leadoff split of 1:54.66, setting the pace for East Bay early in the event. Freshman Maggie Clemens followed with a 1:53.72 leg to keep the Pioneers competitive in a tightly packed field. Senior Kylie Beaudet handled the third leg with a 1:53.69 split before freshman Malana Kollath anchored the relay, touching the wall in 1:53.06 to close out the race.
 
East Bay's relay competed against many of the top programs in Division II, including national champion Nova Southeastern Sharks women's swimming, which finished first in 7:08.52, followed by Colorado Mesa Mavericks women's swimming and Grand Valley State Lakers women's swimming.
 
The Pioneers are back in the pool tomorrow for Day 2 of the NCAA Championships with three more events, including the 200 IM Prelims, 50 Free Prelims and 1000 Free.