GREENSBORO, N.C. – Hamilton College's Sam Karlson '23 (Warwick, R.I./La Salle Academy) earned all-America first team honors for the 100-yard freestyle on the final day of the 2023 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at Greensboro Aquatic Center on Saturday.
 
Karlson, who holds the team record in the 100 free, posted the fifth-fastest time in the morning's preliminary heats at 50.45 seconds. The performance put her in the evening's championship final.
 
In the championship final Karlson was in sixth place after the first 50 yards with a split time of 24.19 seconds. She registered a split of 26.27 seconds in the last 50 and slipped one spot to seventh place with a total time of 50.46 seconds. Tufts University's Lily Klinginsmith took the national title in 49.28 seconds.
 
Any swimmer who qualifies for and finishes the championship final is a first team all-American. Karlson picked up her third career all-America award and her second this week at the championships. The first came on Thursday as part of a 200 free relay that finished 12^th overall and fourth in the consolation final with a team-record time of 1:34.22. Jade Matthias '26 (Reading, Pa./Mercersburg Academy), Ashlyn Blessey '26 (Fairfield, Conn./Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall) and Caroline Shen '24 (Cumberland, R.I./Cumberland HS) joined Karlson on that all-America second team relay.
 
The same quartet finished in 22^nd place in the 400 free relay prelims on Saturday morning with a time of 3:30.01. The foursome was 1.02 seconds away from 16^th place and a spot in the consolation final.

Out of the 36 teams that scored at least one point in the championships, the Continentals finished in 24th place with 22 points.