2025 Men’s Big Ten Championships: Day 3 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 | Day 2
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 2
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet 

Team Scores Through Day 2

1. Indiana — 526
2. Michigan — 419.5
3. Ohio State — 413
4. USC — 281
5. Wisconsin — 272
6. Northwestern — 262
7. Minnesota — 260
8. Purdue — 223.5
9. Penn State — 153

100 Butterfly — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 42.80 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• Big Ten Record: 43.85 — Tomer Frankel, Indiana (2024)
• Meet Record: Tomer Frankel, Indiana — 44.32 (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.51
• 2024 NCAA Invited Time: 45.37
• 2024 Champion: Tomer Frankel, Indiana — 44.32

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Tyler Ray (MICH), 44.30 CR
2. Finn Brooks (IU), 44.75
3. Tomer Frankel (IU), 45.05
4. Brady Samuels (PUR), 45.10
5. Jacob Johnson (MINN), 45.29
6. Matthew Klinge (OSU), 45.39
7. Michal Chmielewski (USC), 45.40
8. Colin Geer (MICH), 45.61

We’re off to a fast start of day three prelims in Minneapolis. Five of the eight ‘A’ finalists swam lifetime bests to secure their place in tonight’s championship final, led by Tyler Ray‘s 44.30. Ray finished third in this event last year and made a statement in prelims as his 44.30 takes over as the fastest time in the conference this season and improves on his lifetime best from the 2024 NCAA Championships by .44 seconds. It’s a Michigan record and also improves the Big 10 championship record by two-hundredths.

Ray will be flanked by two Hoosiers in the final as Finn Brooks and Tomer Frankel qualified second and third. Brooks’ swim marks a lifetime best for the senior, bettering the 44.84 he swam at this meet last year. While not a lifetime best, Frankel took six-hundredths off his season-best with a 45.05. He’s the defending champion in this event and owns the Big Ten record at 43.80.

Ohio State freshman Matthew Klinge continues to impress at these championships. Fresh off a lifetime best and 50 freestyle title yesterday, Klinge sliced .42 seconds off the 100 fly lifetime best he swam earlier this month at a dual meet, clocking 45.39. He qualified a hundredth ahead of Michal Chmielewski, whose lifetime best 45.40 makes him USC’s first individual ‘A’ finalist at these championships.

Colin Geer broke 46 seconds for the first time with a 45.61, making the ‘A’ final by a hundredth to give the Wolverines two in the championship final. Northwestern sophomore  Stuart Seymour finished 9th with a 45.62, dropping more than a second from his lifetime best. Yesterday, he broke Matt Grevers‘ 50 freestyle school record and took eighth. This swim puts him within a tenth of the program record in the 100 fly.

In heat three, Michigan’s mid-season addition Ole Mats Eidam turned in the first sub-46 second 100 fly of the morning. Eidam secured four years of eligibility when he joined the Wolverines and dropped a 45.95 in his third time swimming the event. It’s a 2.01 second drop from his previous best, a 47.96 from the Indiana vs. Michigan dual that qualified him for the ‘B’ final.

400 IM — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 3:28.82 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2023)
• Big Ten Record: 3:35.98 — Tyler Clary, Michigan (2009)
• Meet Record: 3:38.03 — Tyler Clary, Michigan (2009)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:38.37
• 2024 NCAA Invited Time: 3:42.93
• 2024 Champion: Dominik Mark Torok, Wisconsin — 3:41.69

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Tristan Jankovics (OSU), 3:41.81
2. Dominik Mark Torok (WISC), 3:42.45
3. Lorne Wigginton (MICH), 3:42.54
4. Krzysztof Chmielewski (USC), 3:42.58
5. Diego Nosack (NU), 3:43.20
6. Zalan Sarkany (IU), 3:43.81
7. William Bansberg (OSU), 3:44.28
8. Ryan Healy (MICH), 3:44.46

Tristan Jankovics came into the meet with the Big Ten’s fastest 400 IM time this season and maintained that spot here in prelims, posting the fastest qualifying time of the morning. The Canadian Olympian swam a 3:41.81, securing lane four by .64 seconds.

Defending champion Dominik Mark Torok won the first circle-seeded heat, clocking 3:42.45. He was in a close race with USC’s Krzysztof Chmielewski for the heat win, as the USC sophomore swam a 3:42.58 to finish second in the heat. The swim was a 4.56-second drop for Chmielewski from the lifetime best he swam at a January dual meet. As a freshman, Chmielewski didn’t race this event in the postseason, instead taking on the 1650 freestyle/200 butterfly double. After a tough day two, the Trojans now have two ‘A’ finalists on day three.

Michigan freshman Lorne Wigginton earned his second ‘A’ final appearance of his first Big Ten Championships. He placed 4th in the 500 freestyle yesterday and now has qualified 3rd for the 400 IM ‘A’ final with a 3:42.54. Last night’s 500 freestyle champion Zalan Sarkany also made this championship final, placing 6th overall in 3:43.81. He owns a lifetime best 3:40.50 from the 2024 Pac 12 Championships.

200 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:28.81 — Luke Hobson, Texas (2024)
• Big Ten Record: 1:29.63 — Blake Pieroni, Indiana (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:31.14 — Blake Pieroni, Indiana (2018)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:31.21
• 2024 NCAA Invited Time: 1:32.93
• 2024 Champion: Tomas Navikonis, Ohio State — 1:32.01

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Gal Cohen Groumi (MICH), 1:32.54
2. Tomas Navikonis (OSU), 1:32.58
3. Eitan Ben Shitrit (MICH), 1:32.63
4. Rafael Miroslaw (IU), 1:33.42
5. Chris Morris (WISC), 1:33.45
6. Dylan Smiley (IU), 1:33.62
7. Oliver Sogaard-Andersen (USC), 1:33.78
8. Luke Maurer (USC), 1:33.88

Last year, the race for the 200 freestyle title was decided by two-hundreds, as Ohio State’s Tomas Navikonis got the better of Indiana’s Rafael Miroslaw, 1:32.01 to 1:32.03. Both return the to championship final this year, but neither will be the top seed, as Michigan’s Gal Cohen Groumi has swapped out the 100 fly in favor of the 200 freestyle this year.

Groumi and Navikonis went head-to-head in the final heat of the morning; Navikonis out-splt him on the final 50, 23.39 to 23.82, but ran out of room to track him down. Groumi secured lane four for the championship final in 1:32.54, while Navikonis will swim in lane five after clocked 1:32.58.

Michigan put two men through to the championship final, as did Indiana and USC. It’s a big swing for the Wolverines, who had no ‘A’ finalists in this event last year. Eitan Ben-Shitrit joined Groumi after a 1:32.63 this morning, qualifying third.

Miroslaw is the fourth seed, while Dylan Smiley qualified sixth, breaking 1:34 for the first time (1:33.62). Oliver Sogaard-Andersen and Luke Maurer will be outside smoke for USC after qualifying seventh and eighth.

Finally, Chris Morris returns to the ‘A’ final for Wisconsin. He swam a lifetime best 1:33.25 leading off the Badgers’ 800 freestyle relay on day one and backed up that swim in prelims, swimming 1:33.45.

100 Breaststroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 49.51 — Julian Smith, Florida (2025)
• Big Ten Record: 49.69 — Ian Finnerty, Indiana (2018)
• Meet Record: 50.19 — Max McHugh, Minnesota (2021)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.02
• 2024 NCAA Invited Time: 51.89
• 2024 Champion: Mariano Lazzerini, Penn State — 51.08

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Finn Brooks (IU), 50.42
2. Caspar Corbeau (IU), 51.18
3. Jassen Yep (IU), 51.25
4. Josh Matheny (IU), 51.30
5. Brian Benzing (IU), 51.59
6. Ozan Kalafat (MICH), 51.78
7. Chun Ho Chan (USC), 52.17
8. Benjamin Dillard (USC), 52.40

As expected, the Indiana breaststroke crew controlled prelims of the men’s 100 breaststroke. Coming into the meet, the Hoosiers owned the five fastest times in the conference this season, courtesy of Brian Benzing, Finn Brooks, Josh Matheny, Caspar Corbeau, and Jassen Yep.

All five made it through to the championship final, meaning more thn half the ‘A’ final will be Indiana swimmers.

Finn Brooks leads the way, posting a lifetime best 50.42 on the back half of his 100 butterfly/100 breaststroke double. It’s the first time that Brooks has broken 51 seconds in the event, as he carried a lifetime best of 51.13 from a Decemer dual meet into the championships. He has a healthy margin over the rest of the field as the only man sub-51 seconds this morning.

Yep swam a lifetime best as well, dropping from 51.49 to 51.25. He’s the third-fastest qualifer for the final, with Corbeau clocking a season-best 51.18 for second overall.

Michgan’s Ozan Kalafat is the fastest non-Indiana swimmer of the morning. The junior swam a lifetime best of 51.78 to move through to the final in sixth position. For the second event in a row, USC grabbed lanes 1 and 8 in the final as Chun Ho Chan and Benjamin Dillard round out the ‘A’ final qualifiers.

100 Backstroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 43.35 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2022)
• Big Ten Record: 43.61 — Brendan Burns, Indiana (2023)
• Meet Record: 44.31 — Brendan Burns, Indiana (2022)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.48
• 2024 NCAA Invited Time: 45.56
• 2024 Champion: Brendan Burns, Indiana — 44.62

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1. Owen McDonald (IU), 44.50
2. Luke Barr (IU), 45.02
3. David Gerchik (NU), 45.25
4. Stuart Seymour (NU), 45.30
5. Jack Wilkening (MICH), 45.34
6. Matthew Bittner (PSU), 45.48
7. Miroslav Knedla (IU), 45.60
8. Cornelius Jahn (OSU), 45.62

Last night’s 200 IM champion Owen McDonald has put himself in a strong position heading into tonight’s 100 backstroke final to pick up a second individual title at his first Big Ten Championships. McDonald was the lone swimmer to break 45 seconds this morning, coming .19 seconds from Brendan Burns‘ meet record with a season-best 44.50.

Indiana put three swimmers into the ‘A’ final tonight, a worthy follow-up from their standout showing in the men’s 100 breaststroke. Luke Barr, the 2024 fifth-place finisher, hit a lifetime best of 45.02 to put two Hoosiers in the middle of tonight’s final. Freshman Miroslav Knedla also made it through for Indiana, clocking 45.60 for seventh overall.

Northwestern continued its strong showing this morning by qualifying two swimmers for the ‘A’ final. David Gerchik cut .82-seconds off his lifetime best with a 45.25 for third, which appears to break Northwestern’s program record. He’ll have another shot at the mark this evening, but Stuart Seymour has put himself in line to lower the mark tonight as well.

Seymour was under the previous school record as well with his second lifetime best of the day, swimming a 45.30 to check in five-hundredths behind Gerchik. Seymour qualified ninth for the 100 fly ‘A’ final but did enough to make the championship final in this event. He qualified fourth, just ahead of last year’s bronze medalist Jack Wilkening. Wilkening’s time of 45.34 is a lifetime best by .01 seconds.

After winning the ‘C’ final a year ago, Penn State’s Matthew Bittner has upgraded to the ‘A’ final, swimming a lifetime best 45.48 to move through in sixth.