2026 Big 12 Championships: Day 1 Finals Recap

2026 Big 12 Championship

• Dates: Tuesday, February 24–Saturday, February 28
• Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC
• Defending champions: Arizona State women (1x); Arizona State men (1x)
• Live Results
• Live Video ESPN +
• Championship Central
• Men’s Championship Preview
• Women’s Championship Preview
• Teams: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Christian, Utah, West Virginia
• Psych Sheets

It’s the first day of the 2026 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, and the defending champion Sun Devils of Arizona State are looking to remain perfect in their Big 12 conference championship history with back-to-back men’s and women’s team titles. Tonight’s event slate will feature the 200 medley relay, the 800 free relay, and the team diving events.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay

• NCAA Record: 1:31.10 – Virginia (C Curzan, A Walsh, A Cuomo, M Parker), 2025
• Big 12 Record: 1:33.22 – Texas (Bray, Elendt, Sticklen, Cooper), 2023
• Meet Record: 1:34.04 – Texas (Cook, Elendt, Bray, Sticklen)
• NCAA Qualifying Times (Qualifying/Provisional): 1:36.09/1:36.47

Top 8:

1. Arizona- 1:35.54
2. Arizona State- 1:36.10
3. Cincinnati- 1:36.84
4. Kansas- 1:39.08
5. TCU- 1:39.78
6. BYU- 1:39.86
7. Utah- 1:40.57
8. Iowa State- 1:40.68

The battle was in the middle for the pool as in-state rivals Arizona and Arizona State after the first 50 as Arizona’s Lila Lillie led ASU’s Miriam Sheehan by three hundredths in 24.21 at the first exchange. From there the race would be controlled by the Wildcats.

Arizona’s breaststroke leg was occupied by Eleni Gewalt in 26.64, but began to really separate themselves after a big fly split from Patricija Kondraskaite in 23.40, before handing it off to Julia Wozniak for the anchor in 21.29 to earn the meet opening win in 1:35.54.

Arizona State, despite a last 50 effort from Albane Cachot (21.30), the Sun Devils would finish 2nd in 1:36.10, and Cincinnati would finish 3rd in 1:36.84.

TCU was the lone sub 1:40 relay in the first heat, gaining a lot of momentum off of a great back to breast exchange between Paige Taber (25.38) and Nina Vadovicova (27.83), from there it was Aubrey Finn (24.20) and Molly Cullen (22.37) surging to each of the next two walls first to secure the heat 1 win in 1:39.78.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay

• NCAA Record: 1:20.03 – Florida (Marshall, de Groot, Buff, Liendo), 2026
• Big 12 Record: 1:20.87 – Arizona State (Vergnes, Dobrzanski, Kharun, Kulow), 2025
• Meet Record: 1:21.16 – Arizona State (Vergnes, Dobrzanski, Kharun, Kulow), 2025
• NCAA Qualifying Times (Qualifying/Provisional): 1:23.61/1:23.85

Top 7:

1. Arizona State 1:20.96 *Meet Record
2. Arizona- 1:24.83
3. TCU- 1:25.06
4. BYU- 1:25.16
5. Utah- 1:25.61
6. West Virginia- 1:26.58
7. Cincinnati- 1:26.89

Adam Chaney opened up in 20.45 for the Sun Devils in a race where they led start to finish, taking over for Chaney was Andy Dobrzanski in 23.20, giving ASU a body length lead over Arizona, before handing off to one of the fastest butterfly relay swimmers in history, Ilya Kharun.

Kharun blastest off the blocks, immediately popping up with a now two and a half body length lead, touching in 18.89, tying his 4th fastest split ever. Holding down the anchor for this relay was Tommy Palmer, surging to the first wall in 8.62, and completing his leg in 18.42, combining for a meet record breaking 1:20.96.

The Sun Devils ran away with it, as Arizona would finish 2nd in 1:24.83, highlighted by a solid opening leg from Duncan Henderson in 20.48. TCU would round out the top three in 1:25.06, a tenth ahead of BYU in 1:26.16.

Women’s Team Diving

• NCAA Record: 376.20 – Texas, 2024
• Big 12 Record: 376.20 – Texas, 2024
• Meet Record: 376.20 – Texas, 2024

Results:

1. Utah- 312.55
2. TCU- 312.25
3. Houston- 289.70
4. Arizona- 276.95
5. Cincinnati- 262.70
6. Arizona State- 251.35
7. Kansas- 243.10
8. Iowa State- 239.90
9. BYU- 233.90
10. West Virginia- 209.55

The TCU women stayed atop the leaderboard throughout the women’s team diving event, holding a 14 point lead heading into the final round. After the Horned Frogs’ final dive, they held a comfortable lead in 312.25, but a massive final round from Utah that scored 64.00 squeaked the Utes ahead of TCU by .30 points in 312.55, earning them the 2026 team diving event win.

Women’s 800 Free Relay

• NCAA Record: 6:44.13 – Virginia (G. Walsh, A. Walsh, Canny, Curzan), 2025
• Big 12 Record: 6:53.42 – Texas (Carrozza, Adams, Pfeifer, Millard), 2018
• Meet Record: 6:56.49 – Texas (Pash, Leibel, Bray, Sullivan)
• NCAA Qualifying Times (Qualifying/Provisional): 7:00.86/7:05.18

Top 8:

1. Arizona State- 7:01.39
2. Arizona- 7:08.05
3. Cincinnati- 7:13.25
4. Houston- 7:13.40
5. Kansas- 7:14.45
6. BYU- 7:15.50
7. West Virginia- 7:17.17
8. TCU- 7:17.86

Arizona’s Kayman Neal got things going quick to open up the 800 free relay, as she led the field out of lane 2 through the opening 200 yards in 1:46.18, a second and a half lead over the field. But Arizona State’s 2nd leg swimmer, Gerda Szilagyi (1:46.11) erased the Wildcat lead after the first 50.

Arizona’s Elise Clift (1:47.33). would get her relay back in the race by the halfway point, thanks to a big final 50 of 26.95 but it would still be the Sun Devils leading. ASU’s Grace Lindberg would get the lead back to a body length (1:44.41) before handing it over to Albane Cachot, who left nothing to question, storming through her anchor leg in 1:43.56 to capture Arizona State’s first women’s event win of the meet in 7:01.39, over six seconds ahead of Arizona in 7:01.39.

Cincinnati and Houston battled to the wall for 3rd, but it would be the Bearcats taking the bronze by just fifteen hundredths of a second in 7:13.25.

The first heat of the women’s 800 free relay was mainly a battle between Utah and West Virginia, with the lead changing hands several times within the first three legs of this relay, but it would be West Virginia who held a slight lead into the 600 exchange and Mountaineer freshman anchor Delia Ostafi closed hard for West Virginia to take the win in 7:17.17.

Men’s 800 Free Relay

• NCAA Record: 5:59.75 – California (Alexy, Jett, Lasco, Heaveneaux), 2025
• Big 12 Record: 6:03.42 – Texas (Hobson, Carrozza, Larson, Foster), 2023
• Meet Record: 6:08.54 – Arizona State (Behar, Seider, Senc-Samardzic, Sammon), 2025
• NCAA Qualifying Times (Qualifying/Provisional): 6:14.67/6:16.79

Top 7:

1. Arizona State- 6:08.31 *Meet Record
2. Arizona- 6:12.65
3. Utah- 6:17.20
4. TCU- 6:23.73
5. BYU- 6:23.77
6. Cincinnati- 6:23.80
7. West Virginia- 6:27.79

Arizona tried to jump on this really early, with leadoff leg Ralph Daleiden (1:33.01) taking it to Arizona State’s Filip Senc-Samardzic in the opening leg. It would be the Sun Devils leading at the first exchange in 1:32.87

Jonny Kulow (1:32.56), who did not swim the 200 medley relay, took over for the Sun Devils, but he would be challenged by Arizona’s Tomas Lukminas (1:31.37) who would give the Wildcats a little more than a body length lead at the halfway point.

The Wildcat’s penultimate leg Ben Butler (1:33.24) tried to hold on, but Arizona State’s Quin Seider (1:32.00) used a monster back half (47.18) to once again swap the lead with Arizona, as Remi Fabiani took over for the Sun Devils.

By the final 75 yards, Fabiani had left the Wildcats behind, powering the relay home in 1:30.88 to take the win in 6:08.31 to sweep the opening night relays in a new meet record.

Arizona would finish 2nd in 6:12.65, and Utah put together a very solid bronze medal worthy relay in 6:17.20.

Men’s Team Diving

• NCAA Record: 406.45 – Texas, 2024
• Big 12 Record: 406.45 – Texas, 2024
• Meet Record: 406.45 – Texas, 2024

Results:

1. Utah- 371.95
2. TCU- 346.85
3. Arizona- 339.50
4. Arizona State- 327.35
5. Cincinnati- 320.40
6. West Virginia- 315.45
7. BYU- 255.20

The top three heading into the final round was separated by just ver 14 points, with that battle being between Utah, TCU, and Arizona. Utah’s final dive off of the 10-meter platform scored a massive 8.00 points to break the event open and secure the win for the Utes to sweep the team diving events in 371.95. TCU would finish runner-ups in 346.85, and Arizona rounded out the podium in 339.50.

Team Standings After Day 1:

Women:

1. Arizona- 172
2. Arizona State- 168
3. Cincinnati- 158
4. Utah/TCU- 150
5. –
6. Kansas- 148
7. BYU- 136
8. Iowa State- 122
9. West Virginia- 120
10. Houston- 106

Men:

1. Arizona State- 180
2. Utah- 168
3. Arizona- 166
4. TCU- 162
5. BYU- 148
6. Cincinnati- 144
7. West Virginia- 142