2026 WOMEN’S BIG TEN SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Dates: Wednesday, February 18–Saturday, February 21
- Location: Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, Minneapolis, MN
- Defending champions: Ohio State women (1x)
- Live Results (also available on Meet Mobile: “2026 B1G Women’s Swim & Dive Championships”)
- Live Video ($): B1G+
- Championship Central
- SwimSwam’s Meet Preview
- Teams: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
- SwimSwam Live Recaps
- Prelims: Day 2 | Day 3
- Finals: Day 1 Relays | Day 2 | Day 3
Welcome to the last prelims session of the 2026 Women’s Big Ten Championships. Today’s morning session will feature the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly, with the 1650 free and 400 free relay added to tonight’s finals schedule.
Michigan looks on track for its first Big Ten team title since 2018, currently leading with 883 points. Ohio State sits second with 714.5, Indiana third with 694, and Wisconsin fourth with 650. USC is over 133.5 points back in fifth, so the battle for second and third behind Michigan figures to be a close one tonight.
Stay tuned for live updates below.
WOMEN’S 200-YARD IM – PRELIMS
- NCAA Record – 1:48.37, Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
- Big Ten Record – 1:50.79, Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2019)
- Big Ten Meet Record – 1:51.66, Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2020)
- 2025 NCAA Invited Time – 1:56.69
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Rosie Murphy (UCLA) – 1:54.25
- Bella Sims (Michigan) – 1:54.74
- Ashley McMillan (USC) – 1:56.03
- Justina Kozan (USC) – 1:56.16
- Mackenzie Hodges (Indiana) – 1:57.03
- Letitia Sim (Michigan) – 1:57.17
- Devon Kitchel (Michigan) – 1:57.25
- Reese Tiltmann (Indiana) – 1:57.41
UCLA senior Rosie Murphy clocked 1:54.25 to lead Michigan junior Bella Sims (1:54.74) and USC junior Ashley McMillan (1:56.03) into the 200 IM ‘A’ final.
Murphy split 24.25/27.91/33.84/28.25 to lead the first circle seeded heat from start to finish, undercutting her personal best and UCLA school record of 1:54.89 from the Ohio State Invite in November.
Sims’ 1:54.74 fell just 15 hundredths short of her season-best 1:54.59 from the CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge in November, but given she’s been as quick as 1:51.86 during her freshman year at Florida, she’s the clear favorite if she can get close to that mark.
Sims split 24.37/27.41/35.44/27.51 on her 50s this morning, so getting her breaststroke at least into the 34-second realm will be key in staking her claim on the conference title; she recorded splits of 34.92 and 35.79 in the 400 IM on Thursday.
As for McMillan, she sliced 31 hundredths off her personal best from a dual meet with UCLA last month, taking second behind Sims in the penultimate heat.
WOMEN’S 100-YARD FREESTYLE – PRELIMS
- NCAA Record – 44.71, Gretchen Walsh, UVA (2025)
- Big Ten Record – 46.02, Maggie MacNeil, Michigan (2021)
- Big Ten Meet Record – 46.57, Maggie MacNeil, Michigan (2020)*TIED
- 2025 NCAA Invited Time – 48.11
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Liberty Clark (Indiana) – 46.57 *=Meet Record*
- Rachel Bockrath (Ohio State) – 47.68
- Brady Kendall (Michigan) – 47.95
- Stephanie Balduccini (Michigan) – 48.04
- Grace Hoeper (Indiana) – 48.11
- Nicole Maier (USC) – 48.13
- Kristina Paegle (Indiana) – 48.22
- Lindsay Ervin (Northwestern) – 48.31
Indiana freshman Liberty Clark threw down a 46.57, equaling the meet record, to lead the women’s 100 free prelims by over a full second over Ohio State sophomore Rachel Bockrath (47.68) and Michigan senior Brady Kendall (47.95).
Bockrath and Kendall were the only other swimmers to crack 48 seconds this morning.
Clark, who won the 200 free with the third-fastest time in the nation this year earlier in the meet, was just 0.21 outside of her lifetime-best 46.36 from earlier in the season. She will start as the heavy favorite in tonight’s final.
Bockrath, like Clark, just narrowly missed her career best of 47.27 from earlier in the season.
Kendall, coming off setting a new Big Ten Record en route to 50 free gold less than 16 hours ago, broke 48 for the first time in her career, eclipsing her 48.07 best from a dual meet versus Denison last month.
Liberty Clark ties the @bigten 100 freestyle meet record in prelims!
Her 46.57 earns the top seed in the A final. pic.twitter.com/zj20w1Sx8D
— Indiana Swim & Dive (@IndianaSwimDive) February 21, 2026
WOMEN’S 200-YARD BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS
- NCAA Record – 1:49.11, Emma Sticklen, Texas (2025)
- Big Ten Record – 1:50.72, Hannah Bellard, Michigan (2026)
- Big Ten Meet Record – 1:51.83, Olivia Carter, Michigan (2022)
- 2025 NCAA Invited Time – 1:55.82
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Alex Shackell (Indiana) – 1:52.48
- Hannah Bellard (Michigan) – 1:52.73
- Lucie Delmas (Wisconsin) – 1:55.52
- Montse Spielmann (Michigan) – 1:56.68
- Rachel Conley (Minnesota) – 1:57.06
- Katie Forrester (Indiana) – 1:57.24
- Keira Kask (Purdue) – 1:57.26
- Sage Miller (USC) – 1:57.29
The women’s 200 fly final will be all about Indiana freshman Alex Shackell vs. Michigan junior Hannah Bellard. Shackell leads Bellard by a quarter of a second heading into the final, 1:52.48 to 1:52.73.
Bellard is the national leader courtesy of her 1:50.72 Big Ten Record from a dual meet where she beat Shackell by nearly two seconds. Shackell’s time this morning represents a season-best by half a second, as well as a new Indiana school record, though she does own a faster personal best (1:50.15) from December 2023.
Shackell won the 100 fly earlier in the meet while Bellard won the 500 free, so they’ll meet in the middle in what could be the most exciting race of the night, if not the entire meet.
Wisconsin freshman Lucie Delmas (1:55.52) knocked 0.04 off the lifetime best she set at a time trial earlier in the meet to move through third.
🚨 PROGRAM RECORD‼️@Alex1shackell takes the top seed in the 200 fly with a 1:52.48! pic.twitter.com/vNHTfLe9J1
— Indiana Swim & Dive (@IndianaSwimDive) February 21, 2026
WOMEN’S 200-YARD BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS
- NCAA Record – 1:46.82, Claire Curzan, UVA (2025)
- Big Ten Record – 1:47.24, Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2019)
- Big Ten Meet Record – 1:48.47, Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2019)
- 2025 NCAA Invited Time – 1:53.31
Top 8 Qualifiers:
- Maggie Wanezek (Wisconsin) – 1:48.94
- Rosie Murphy (UCLA) – 1:51.79
- Miranda Grana (Indiana) – 1:52.16
- Dora Molnar (USC) – 1:52.73
- Mackenzie Hodges (Indiana) – 1:52.76
- Mya Dewitt (Indiana) – 1:53.34
- Milla Drakopoulos (Michigan) – 1:53.36
- Lindsay Barnes (USC) – 1:53.63
After upsetting Bella Sims to win her first Big Ten title in the 100 back last night, Wisconsin sophomore Maggie Wanezek looks on track to complete a sweep of the backstroke events.
Wanezek produced a time of 1:48.94 to lead prelims by nearly three seconds. With Sims opting out to tackle the 200 IM instead, Wanezek leads the field by nearly three seconds over Rosie Murphy, who is doubling back after leading the 200 IM prelims.
Last year’s runner-up Miranda Grana (1:52.16) qualified third.
Wanezek’s time this morning was just over half a second shy of her 1:48.39 season-best from the Texas Invite; regardless, anything under 1:49 will likely get her a gold medal tonight.
As for Murphy, despite a tight turnaround, she was only two tenths off her lifetime best and UCLA school record from earlier in the season.
Grana, who owns a 1:48.73 from last year’s NCAAs, could challenge Wanezek if she’s able to get close to her best time, but she’s been well off her personal bests all week. That could very likely be by design, as she was on fire at midseason and is likely saving her best swims for NCAAs.
Sims is running scared of a badger