2026 Big East Fan Guide: Could Villanova and Georgetown’s Streaks be in Danger in 2026?

2026 Big East Championships

• February 18-21, 2026
• Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training, Ocala, FL
• SCY (25 yards)
• Start Times: Prelims- 10 am ET, Finals: 5:45 pm ET
  • Wednesday: Finals Only: 5:45 pm ET
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Villanova (12x)
  • Men: Georgetown (4x)
• Participating Teams: Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, UConn, Villanova, Xavier
• Psych Sheets
• Championship Central
• Watch: FloSports

Schedule:

Wednesday, Feb. 18

• 200 Medley Relay
• Women’s 3-meter Diving
• 800 Freestyle relay

Thursday, Feb. 19

• 500 Freestyle
• 200 IM
• 50 Freestyle
• Men’s 1-meter Diving
• 200 Freestyle Relay

Friday, Feb. 20

• 100 Butterfly
• 400 IM
• 200 Freestyle
• 100 Breaststroke
• 100 Backstroke
• Women’s 1-meter Diving
• 400 Medley Relay

Saturday, Feb. 21

• 1650 Freestyle
• 200 Backstroke
• 100 Freestyle
• 200 Breaststroke
• 200 Butterfly
• Men’s 3-meter Diving
• 400 Freestyle Relay

2025 Final Standings

Women:

1. Villanova – 1588
2. UConn – 1516
3. Xavier – 1167
4. Georgetown – 1040
5. Seton Hall – 845
6. Butler – 570
7. Providence – 475

Men:

1. Georgetown – 836
2. Seton Hall – 709
3. Xavier – 688
4. Villanova – 588
5. Providence – 261

Both the Villanova women and Georgetown Men have secured Big East Conference Championship Victories over the last multiple years, and in the case of Villanova women, more than a decade. Each School will be looking to extend those streaks in 2026.

Swimmers to Watch

Women:

Olivia Oyster – Senior, Xavier

Olivia Oyster enters these championships looking to defend a pair of 2025 titles and earn a 3rd for the first time in her collegiate career. Since her sophomore year with the Musketeers, Oyster has been the best sprinter in the Big East, having claimed the 50 and 100 freestyle event titles at each of the last two Big East Championships. She enters these championships with the fastest times in both the 50 and 100 free, at 22.39 and 49.23, respectively, and is also the 3rd-fastest performer in the 200 free (1:49.70) in the conference this season.

She has already exceeded the 50 free time she won the event with last season (22.57) and sits close to her 100 and 200 free times from last season, at 49.10 and 1:49.21. All three races are setting up to be real battles, with less than two-tenths of a second separating her from Jessica Sheng of UConn in the 50 free (22.56) and just over half a second in the 100 free (49.82). Last season, she finished 3rd in the 200 free, finishing over two seconds slower than the winner Alexis Worrall of Xavier in 1:47.14. Worrall and runner-up finisher Natalie Heim of Seton Hall have each since graduated, leaving Oyster as the highest placing returner in the event, and a definite favorite to come away with multiple conference championship wins.

Sydney Perkins – Sophomore, UConn

Sydney Perkins blasted onto the Big East scene last season, claiming the 200 breaststroke conference title (2:12.52) and finishing runner-up in the 100 breast (1:00.97). This season, she aims to repeat as champion in the 200 breast and reach the top of the Big East mountain in the 100 breast. A season ago, Pekins went toe to toe with current Xavier senior Jordyn Libler, splitting their two breaststroke meetings with Libler winning the 100 by half a second and Perkins nabbing the 200 by just under a second. And the two are on a collision course to meet in the championship finals in each event again this year.

This season, Perkins sits atop the 100 breast by just over a quarter of a second in 1:01.23, and comfortably leads the 200 breast by over three and a half seconds (2:12.60). It is expected that both Perkins and Libler each swim faster in Ocala, but with Perkins only in her sophomore year, we could be getting a look at the second chapter of a dominant Big East career. As for the 3rd individual event, she will likely swim the 200 IM, an event in which she currently holds the 6th-fastest time in the conference at 2:02.56. She was 8th last season in the 200 IM, and that swim could really be a big momentum boost for her two later breaststroke races later in the meet.

Anna Farley – Junior, Villanova

Anna Farley, a three-time finalist last season, enters this contest as the top time in all of her likely championship events: the 100 fly (53.58), 200 fly (1:58.33), and 200 IM (2:00.58). Her highest finishes a year ago came in the 200 IM and 200 fly, where she touched 2nd in both, with times of 2:00.36 and 1:58.37, respectively, and is either right at or better than each of those times heading into the 2026 championships. She added a 4th-place showing in the 100 fly in 53.65. This year could be a different story, one in which she could be a major factor in the Wildcats’ pursuit of their 13th straight Big East title.

Though she is the top seed in all three events, none of which are by a substantial margin. Both butterfly events are followed by fellow Villanova teammates, with Anna Kilponen less than four tenths off of Farley in the 100 fly, and Meghan Tiernan just 15 hundredths slower in the 200 fly, despite the outcome of these races, the Wildcats should pick up major points in both, but Farley will most definitely be in contention at the final wall, if not touching first. In the 200 IM, Farley is the only sub-2:01 performer this season, and last year it took 1:59.83 to win the event, giving Farley a slight edge heading into Ocala.

Men:

Jack Callan – Graduate Student, Seton Hall

Callen, the former Michigan Wolverine, enters these Big East Championships with a top-three time in three middle-distance/distance freestyle events. He sits 3rd behind two other Seton Hall Pirates in the 200 free (1:38.38), 2nd in the 500 free (4:27.72), and has the fastest time in the 1650. Callen is the clear favorite in the 1650, with about eight seconds between him (15:39.48) and teammate Zach McLeod (15:47.34). The Pirates have the luxury of holding at least the top two spots in each mid-distance and distance freestyle event. Callan sits right near the top of each event and still has plenty of room between him and his best times, which would nearly secure Big East titles in those events.

Comparing Callen’s best times to the winning times from last season’s Big East Championships. His 1650 beast of 15:19.21 would have finished 3rd behind two graduated seniors in Seton Hall’s Sean Vizzard (15:08.66) and Georgetown’s Jack Januario (15:18.56). In the 500 free, Callen’s career best 4:24.16 from 2023 would have placed 4th, less than a second off of Januario’s winning 4:23.20. The 200 free will be a battle through and through, with Callen’s best of 1:37.13 having only placed 3rd at last year’s Big East Championships. Callen brings extensive high-level collegiate racing experience and has the opportunity to lead Seton Hall’s freestylers to 1-2 or even 1-2-3 finishes.

Owen Watkins – Sophomore, Georgetown

Owen Watkins, similar to Xavier’s Oyster for the women, is the current face of Big East sprint freestyle, winning both the 50 and 100 free last season in 19.71 and 43.41. This season, he has separated himself from the rest of the conference, logging the only sub-20-second 50 free in 19.44 and the only sub-43 100 free in 42.75. Both times are significantly faster than when he won those events a season ago. When it comes to the sprint freestyles, Watkins should be a heavy favorite to repeat.

His third event a season ago was the 200 free, where he finished 4th in 1:37.82. This season, he could likely opt for the 100 fly, an event in which he has posted the 2nd-fastest time in the conference at 47.22, only behind Michael Klimaszewski of Seton Hall at 46.75. While half a second may seem like a large span to overcome, for perspective, Watkins is the current conference leader in the 50 by nearly eight tenths and leads the 100 free by six tenths. With those margins in mind, the half-second deficit in the 100 fly begins to look just a bit smaller. While his swims alone should be fun to watch, a side note for his 100 free could be the danger of the meet record of 42.43 from 2013, when Louisville’s Joao De Lucca notched the conference record prior to Louisville’s move to the ACC.

Justin Nowicki – Junior, Villanova

Nowicki is the reigning 400 IM Big East Champion from 2025 and will likely retain that title in 2026, after the runner-up and 3rd-place finishers from a season ago graduated. Nowicki leads the conference this season in the 400 IM in 3:53.22, more than four seconds faster than the field. As for his other two events, he’s not so much of a she in for the win, sitting 2nd in the 200 fly in 1:46.43, and 3rd in the 200 IM in 1:49.13. Last season, Nowicki touched in 3:49.61 to claim his first individual conference title, with Georgetown’s Ronan Krauss sitting as the highest placing returner from that 2025 race, where he finished 4th, currently the 6th fastest performer on the season.

Nowicki should be the heavy 400 IM favorite, with another sub 3:50 performance potentially on the horizon, but his next most likely win will be a hard-fought one in the 200 fly, with conference leader Aiden Leamer of Xavier holding a more than half-second advantage over the Wildcats in 1:45.86. That race appears to be a potential two-man race for the top of the podium, as Nowicki would have to drop from his best that came in November to top Leamer.

Showdowns

Women’s 100 Backstroke – The top five in this race all represent the Huskies of UConn, with Jessica Sheng leading that pack in 54.43. Those five are separated by less than a full second, and UConn occupies seven of the top ten times, meaning that there is a potential for seven of the eight in the event’s championship final could be Huskies. Which would be a major point haul if UConn wants to overtake the reigning champions, Villanova. Sheng, Molly Rogers (54.61), and Ryan Russell (54.74) are the only three in the Big East under 55 seconds this season. A little twist in this race is that the 3rd-place finisher in 2025, Villanova’s Arabella Lee (54.20 in 2025), has only run as fast as 55.69 this season, putting her 12th in the conference. Having been in contention last season, she could spoil the potential for a UConn masterclass in this race.

Women’s 200 Freestyle – This event has seen 11 swimmers under 1:51 this season and could be one of the tightest championship races of the entire meet. The question remains whether Villanova’s Anna Farley, who holds the fastest time of the season in 1:48.38, will swim this race rather than the 100 fly. Last season’s championship final of this race had seven swimmers under 1:51, with the top two both having graduated; the 200 free will see a new champion. Oyster is a favorite, along with UConn’s  Bella Hoffman (1:49.90) and Villanova’s Kayla Bolster (1:49.26), who all should be battling off the last wall for the 200 free crown.

Men’s 100 Backstroke – Or men have finished under 49 seconds in this event this season, with Seton Hall boasting the fastest and fourth fastest times this season with Balint Marosi (48.26) and Chris Jackson (48.94) bookending the top four for the Pirates. Sandwiched in between them are Xavier’s Matt Fralic (48.59) and Villanova’s Cole Gorsuch (48.89). Grouch is the reigning champion, while Marosi and Fralic finished 2nd and 3rd. Making for a possible flip of last season’s Big East top three. Just outside of the top four are a pair of Georgetown Bulldogs in Daren Chen (49.00) and Isaac Holtham (49.27). With several returning 2025 finalists, this race has to be on major watch.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Only two Big East men have seen their 200 breaststroke time under 2:00 this season; those two men are Villanova’s Hugh Boris (1:59.66) and Georgetown’s Nick Pezzella (1:59.97). While this race does not jump off the page at first glance, an interesting storyline is that there were no finishers under 2:00 in the ‘A’ final last season. Three of the top four finishers are gone, making way for new talent to emerge. Pezzella is the highest returning finisher, having finished runner-up last year in 2:01.18. Outside of the two sub-2:00 swimmers, there is a bit of a jumble for third place, with four additional swimmers sitting under 2:02.50. This could be a serious battle for the win, followed by another massive skirmish for 3rd through 6th.

SwimSwam Picks (Top 3):

Women:

1. Villanova
2. UConn
3. Georgetown

The Swimulator likes Villanova to continue its control over the women’s Big East Swimming and Diving scene in 2026. Interestingly, they are projected to win only one of the five relays, but should find plenty of success with numerous multi-event winners on the women’s team. UConn should stay competitive, especially with their medley relays, but ultimately, outside of the backstroke events, can’t match up with the Wildcats.

Men:

1. Seton Hall
2. Georgetown
3. Villanova

The Pirates are in a great position to regain the Big East men’s team title for the first time since they went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.  The Swimulator predicts Seton Hall to win three relays, and numerous high individual placings throughout the contest, putting an end to Georgetown’s four-year run.