arena Swim of the Week: Victoria Novinskiy Moves To #6 All-Time Mid-Major In Women’s 200 Fly

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

University of Delaware senior Victoria Novinskiy went off for three massive personal best times at last weekend’s Bucknell Invitational, sweeping the women’s 100 fly, 200 fly and 200 IM.

Novinskiy shattered the program records in all three events, and also set new Atlantic Sun Conference Records in the 200 fly and 200 IM.

Her top swim based on the current 2025-26 NCAA rankings was the 200 fly, where, as a mid-major, she vaults up into 8th in the country.

2025-26 NCAA Rankings, Women’s 200 Butterfly (SCY)

1. Tess Howley (Virginia), 1:51.81 – CSCAA Dual Challenge
2. Campbell Stoll (Texas), 1:52.13 – Texas Hall of Fame Invitational
3. Hannah Bellard (Michigan), 1:52.39 – CSCAA Dual Challenge
4. Caroline Bricker (Stanford), 1:53.05 – Texas Hall of Fame Invitational
5. Emily Brown (Tennessee), 1:53.07 – CSCAA Dual Challenge
6. Sofia Sartori (LSU), 1:53.29 – UGA Fall Invitational
7. Justina Kozan (USC), 1:54.48 – Texas Hall of Fame Invitational
8. Victoria Novinskiy (Delaware), 1:54.65 – Bucknell Invitational
9. Giulia Zambelli (LSU), 1:54.79 – UGA Fall Invitational
10. Ella Jansen (Tennessee), 1:54.85 – CSCAA Dual Challenge

Coming into the season, Novinskiy held the Delaware record at 1:57.28, and then last month, she clocked 1:55.31 at a dual meet against West Virginia to break both her program record and the ASUN record of 1:55.55, set by Christina Elmgreen in 2018.

Then, at last weekend’s invite, Novinskiy dominated the field en route to winning in a time of 1:54.65, setting new conference and school records thanks to an impressive closing 50.

Split Comparison

 

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The swim also moves Novinskiy to #6 all-time among mid-major swimmers in NCAA history.

All-Time NCAA Mid-Major Rankings, Women’s 200 Butterfly (SCY)

1. Limin Liu (Nevada), 1:52.93 – 1999–2000
2. Sydney Harrington (Navy), 1:53.74 – 2020–21
3. Alex Forrester (Yale), 1:54.49 – 2012–13
4. Heidi Smithwick (Princeton), 1:54.62 – 2023–24
5. Eleanor Sun (Princeton), 1:54.64 – 2024-25
6. Victoria Novinskiy (Delaware), 1:54.65 – 2025-26
7. Alicia Aemisegger (Princeton), 1:54.84 – 2009–10
8. Blanka Bokros Blanka (UNLV), 1:55.16 – 2023–24
9. Cari Czarnecki (Towson), 1:55.25 – 2010–11
10. Abby Daniel (Akron), 1:55.50 – 2023–24

Novinskiy also set new conference and school records in the 200 IM, clocking 1:56.73 to erase Fanny Teijonsalo‘s old ASUN record of 1:58.29 from 2016 and Mira Selling‘s previous Delaware record of 1:58.08 from 2023 (done prior to Delaware competing in the ASUN). The swim ranks Novinskiy 17th in the NCAA this season.

Prior to the meet, Novinskiy’s best time stood at 1:58.19, set in October. She came into the season with a PB of 1:59.94.

In the 100 fly, Novinskiy came into the season owning the Delaware record at 53.08, and then brought it down to 52.55 during the Blue Hens’ dual with WVU in October.

At the Bucknell Invite, she broke the record twice, first clocking 52.10 in the prelims and then getting down to 51.94 in the final, ranking her 20th in the country. The current ASUN record rests at 51.26, set by Liberty’s Kamryn Cannings in 2024.

Novinskiy, who also went well under the NCAA qualifying standard in all three events, earned ASUN Women’s Swimmer of the Week honors for her efforts.

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