ATLANTA—University of Hawai'i men's swimmers Karol Ostrowski, Tom Thalau and diver Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo are primed and ready to compete at the 2026 NCAA Championships which runs from Wednesday through Saturday (March 25-28) at Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatic Center.

Ramirez Tamayo opens competition for the Rainbow Warriors on Thursday in the 1-Meter dive and will also compete in the 3-Meter event on Friday.

Ostrowski will make his third appearance at the NCAA Division I Championships, beginning Friday with the 100 back and 50 free, before concluding his collegiate career with the 100 free on Saturday.

Thalau is scheduled to compete in the 200 IM on Saturday. He previously competed in the NCAA Division II Championships with Lewis last season, helping the Flyers finish eighth at the meet.

UH will send its most individual swimmers to the NCAA Championships since 2019, when Kane Follows, Metin Aydin, Olli Kokko, and Johan Sandell represented the Rainbow Warriors. UH also had four qualifiers for the 2020 NCAA Championships, but the meet was canceled due to COVID-19.

Ostrowski secured his NCAA berth with individual Big West titles and automatic qualifying times in the 50 free (19.13), 100 free (42.41), and 100 back (46.16). Ostrowski is the first Rainbow Warrior to compete in three consecutive NCAA Championships since Aydin (2017-19). At last year's NCAA Championships, Ostrowski set a program record in the 100 free with a time of 42.31, which was broken this season by Finn Brophy (42.26).

Thalau and Ramirez Tamayo are both set to make their debuts at the NCAA Division I Championships. Thalau punched his ticket with an automatic qualifying time and victory in the 200 IM (1:43.93) at the Big West Championships. Ramirez Tamayo qualified with a fourth-place finish in the 1-meter (668.35) and a 12th-place finish in the 3-meter (669.80) at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships. He is the first Rainbow Warrior diver to compete at NCAAs since Mackaby Pennington in 2024.
 

Karol Ostrowski

• Ostrowski was named the 2026 Big West Men's Swimmer of the Year after leading UH to a conference title with a meet-high 60 points.
• Ostrowski claimed six golds and one silver at the Big West Championships, finishing first in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, and 400 free relay. 
• Ostrowski set Big West records in the 50 free (19.13), 100 free (47.41), and as the anchor of the 400 free style with a split of 42.30.
• Ostrowski's 50 free time of 19.13 is the fastest in the Big West this season.
• Ostrowski earned his first career Big West Athlete of the Week honor (Jan. 6, 2026) after winning four events against BYU.
• Ostrowski earned bronze medals in the 200 free relay (19.26 leadoff split), 400 free relay (42.52 leadoff), and 400 medley relay (47.22 leadoff) at the SMU Invitational.

Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo

• Ramirez Tamayo placed fourth in the 1-meter dive (668.35) and 12th in the 3-meter dive (669.80) at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships earlier this month.
• Ramirez Tamayo set Big West records and secured golds in the 1-meter dive (360.70) and 3-meter dive (393.45) at the Big West Championships. He also earned silver in the platform dive (390.20) at conference championships.
• Ramirez Tamayo won the 3-meter dive at the SMU Invitational with a mark of 379.35.
• He also won the 3-meter competition at the CBU Diving Invite with a score of 355.50.
• Ramirez Tamayo recorded program top 10 marks in the platform (413.85, 3rd), 3-meter (393.45, 7th), and 1-meter (360.70, 8th).

Tom Thalau

• Thalau posted five podium finishes at the Big West Championships, including victories in the 200 IM (1:43.93), 400 IM (3:47.09), 400 free relay (43.61 split), and 800 free relay (anchor).
• Thalau helped set a new conference record in the 400 free relay (2:52.19) with a split of 43.61.
• Thalau's 200 IM time of 1:43.93 is the fastest in the conference this season.