2025 Men’s Big Ten Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2025 MEN’S BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Dates: Wednesday, February 26–Saturday, March 1
• Location: Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Defending champions: Indiana men (3x)
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide
• Teams: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, USC*, Wisconsin
• Results: Day 1
• Recaps:
  • Prelims:
  • Finals: Day 1

Team Scores Through Day 1

1. Indiana – 116
2. USC – 112
3. Ohio State/Michigan – 110
5. Wisconsin – 100
6. Northwestern – 96
7. Minnesota – 94
8. Penn St. – 86
9. Purdue – 84

THURSDAY PRELIMS HEAT SHEET

The first full day of the 2025 Men’s Big Ten Championships is here. Following the first day of the meet, which was just two relays, 3-time defending champions Indiana sit in the lead. Meanwhile, USC, Ohio State, and Michigan are all bunched together behind them. We’ll see what sort of tone is set by each team this morning.

As always, this morning’s session will feature the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. 1-meter diving prelims will begin at the conclusion of the swimming.

It’s Indiana’s Zalan Sarkany, who swam for Arizona State last year, that enters as the top seed in the 500 free. Sarkany has been 4:12.56 this season, which makes him the top seed by 2 seconds. Defending Big Ten champion Yigit Aslan will be in the 1st of the circle seeded heats, coming in as the 6th seed with a 4:17.07. Aslan won the race in 4:11.20 last year.

Another IU newcomer, Owen McDonald, who was also on Arizona State’s team last year, comes in as the top seed in the 200 IM. McDonald has been 1:40.86 already this season, which earns him the top seed by a little over a second. It’s Hoosier teammate Luke Barr who comes in as the 2nd seed with a 1:41.91. Defending champion Gal Groumi, a Michigan senior, is in this field as well. Groumi won the event with a new meet record of 1:40.48 at last year’s meet, and comes in with a season best of 1:42.39.

Ohio State’s Daniel Baltes leads the entries in the 50 free with a 19.06. Defending champion Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (Wisconsin) will be in the lane next to Baltes this morning. Torepe-Ormsby holds a season best of 19.28. Last night’s 200 medley relays saw some nice 50 free splits as well. Indiana’s Matt King clocked an 18.39 on the anchor of their relay, while Wisconsin’s Cooper Scharff went 18.61, and Michigan’s Bence Szabados was 18.63. Of note, Baltes split 18.40 last night.

500 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 4:02.31 – Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• Meet Record: 4:09.29 – Felix Auboeck, Michigan (2018)
• Big 10 Record: 4:08.95 – Felix Auboeck, Michigan (2017)
• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 4:10.64
• 2024 Champ: Yigit Aslan, Wisconsin – 4:11.20

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Zalan Sarkany (Indiana) – 4:13.41
2. Bar Soloveychik (Minnesota) – 4:13.92
3. Eduardo Moraes (Michigan) – 4:13.93
4. Lorne Wigginton (Michigan) – 4:15.72
5. Josh Staples (Northwestern) – 4:15.83
6. Joseph Tepper (Minnesota) – 4:16.30
7. Mason Edmund (Ohio State) – 4:16.64
8. Yigit Aslan (Wisconsin) – 4:16.95

Indiana’s Zalan Sarkany held onto his #1 seed, swimming a 4:13.41 to lead the field this morning. Sarkany has been as fast as 4:12.56 this season and holds a career best of 4:09.19 from last year’s Pac-12 Championships.

Minnesota’s Bar Soloveychik, the runner-up from last year’s meet, came in 2nd this morning with a 4:13.92. He cleared his season best by more than 3 seconds with the swim. Last year, Soloveychik dropped more than 1 second from prelims to finals in this event, so he’s set up well for tonight’s final.

Michigan had a pair of swimmers make it into the ‘A’ final. Junior Eduardo Moraes clocked a new career best of 4:13.93, finishing 3rd. Meanwhile, freshman Lorne Wigginton, an Olympian for Canada this past summer, also put up a new career best, finishing in 4:15.72 for 4th.

Speaking of freshmen, Northwestern’s Joshua Staples had the swim of his life this morning. Staples swam a 4:15.83, which obliterated his previous career best of 4:24.60, which he swam this fall. He came in 5th and will be in the ‘A’ final tonight.

Defending champion Yigit Aslan had a bit of a scare this morning. He swam a 4:16.95, which put him 8th by just 0.04 seconds. He narrowly scraped into the ‘A’ final tonight, so his campaign to defend his title is still alive.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:36.34 – Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2023)
• Meet Record: 1:40.48 – Gal Groumi, Michigan (2024)
• Big 10 Record: 1:39.35 – Andreas Vazaios, Indiana (2019)
• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:40.75
• 2024 Champ: Gal Groumi, Michigan – 1:40.48

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Owen McDonald (Indiana) – 1:40.68
2. Luke Barr (Indiana) – 1:41.08
3. Colin Geer (Michigan) – 1:41.13
4. Gal Groumi (Michigan) – 1:41.70
5. Tristan Jankovics (Ohio State) – 1:41.78
6. Miroslav Knedla (Indiana) – 1:42.35
7. Eitan Ben Shitrit (Michigan) – 1:42.97
8. Tyler Lu (Northwestern) – 1:43.08

In a very speedy prelims of the 200 IM, it took a 1:43.08 to make it into tonight’s ‘A’ final, which is nearly a full second faster than the 1:44.02 it took at last year’s meet. Indiana grabbed the top seed here as well, seeing Owen McDonald swim a new season best of 1:40.68. With that performance, McDonald, who holds a career best of 1:39.23, has set himself up well to make a run at the meet record of 1:40.48, which Michigan’s Gal Groumi set last year.

Groumi, the defending champion in this event, came in 4th this morning with a 1:41.70, marking his first time under 1:42 this season. While the 4th place finish may seem like cause for pause on Groumi’s chances to repeat as champion, it’s worth noting that he went 1:41.76 in prelims last year before going on to win the race in finals. So, he was actually a tick faster this year than last.

Michigan saw a pair of other swimmers make it into the ‘A’ final tonight. Sophomore Colin Geer blew away his career best of 1:42.73 this morning, ripping a 1:41.13 for 3rd overall. Meanwhile, junior Eitan Ben Shitrit swam a 1:42.97 for 7th. Ben Shitrit holds a career best of 1:41.66, and finished 2nd in this event at last year’s Big Tens.

Indiana also had a total of 3 swimmers finish in the top 8 this morning. Senior Luke Barr was right behind McDonald, swimming a 1:41.08 for 2nd this morning. The performance marks a new career best for Barr, taking nearly a second off his previous best time of 1:41.91, which he set in the fall. The Hoosiers also saw freshman Miroslav Knedla clock a new career best of 1:42.35, taking 6th.

Ohio State got a swimmer into the ‘A’ in this event as well, seeing Tristan Jankovics clock a new season best of 1:41.78. The performance also marks a career best for Jankovics, taking nearly a second off his previous mark of 1:42.70.

Northwestern will be represented in this ‘A’ final as well. Senior Tyler Lu clipped his career best of 1:43.63, which he set at last year’s Big Tens, finishing 8th this morning in 1;43.08.

It’s worth noting that while Indiana had 3 swimmers advance to the ‘A’ final, they also had 2 near misses. Jassen Yep and Brian Benzing finished 9th and 10th respectively this morning with times of 1:43.31 and 1:43.37.

50 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 17.63 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• Meet Record: 18.69 – Bowe Becker, Minnesota (2018)
• Big 10 Record: 18.69 – Bowe Becker, Minnesota (2018)
• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 18.72
• 2024 Champ: Tai Torepe-Ormsby, Wisconsin – 18.76

TOP 8 QUALIFIERS:

1. Matthew Klinge (Ohio State) – 18.84
2. Daniel Baltes (Ohio State) – 18.96
3. Mario McDonald (Ohio State) – 18.97
4. Tyler Ray (Michigan) – 19.08
5. Bence Szabados (Michigan) – 19.10 (TIE)
6. Matt King (Indiana) – 19.10 (TIE)
7. Finn Brooks (Indiana) – 19.12
8. Stuart Seymour (Northwestern) – 19.22

After having good but not great performances as a team in the 500 and 200 IM, Ohio State absolutely lit it up in the 50 free prelims, posting the top 3 times of the morning. Freshman Matthew Klinge was incredible, demolishing his career best of 19.25, which he set at the Ohio State Winter Invite just 2 weeks ago. Klinge swam an 18.84 this morning, earning the top seed for tonight and setting himself up within striking distance of the Big Ten record, which stands at 18.69.

Senior Daniel Baltes clocked an 18.96 for 2nd this morning, which also stands as a career best. Baltes came into the meet with a career mark of 19.06, which he also set at the Ohio State Winter Invite 2 weeks ago.

Fifth Year Mario McDonald rounds out the Buckeyes’ ‘A’ finalists in the 50 this morning, swimming an 18.97 for 3rd. He demolished his career best of 19.57, which had stood since 2023, with the swim.

Michigan and Indiana managed to secure multiple ‘A’ finalists in this event as well. For the Wolverines, Tyler Ray and Bence Szabados came in 4th and 5th respectively with times of 19.08 and 19.10. That’s a considerable career best for Ray, a junior, who entered the meet with a best time of 19.32. Meanwhile, Szabados, the runner-up in this event last year, holds a career best of 19.00.

Indiana’s Matt King  tied Szabados with a 19.10 this morning. King holds a career best of 18.96. Finn Brooks was IU’s other ‘A’ finalists, swimming a 19.12 for 7th. With that swim, he set a new career best this morning. Brooks’ previous best was 19.24.

Northwestern once again got a swimmer into the ‘A’ final, seeing Stuart Seymour clock a 19.22 for 8th. The sophomore set a new career best with the performance, bettering his previous mark of 19.45.

Unfortunately, the defending champion in this event, Wisconsin’s Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, will not be able to defend his title today. Torepe-Ormsby swam a 19.23 this morning, which is only 0.08 seconds slower than he swam in prelims last year, but wound up finishing 9th, on the outside looking in.