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
The 2025 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships kick off tonight at Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center with a brief opening session featuring just the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay.
Linked below are the race videos for tonight’s session, along with our previously published live recap.
WOMEN’S 200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY — TIMED FINALS
- NCAA Record: 1:31.10, Virginia – 2025 NCAA Championships
- Big Ten Championship Record: 1:33.47, Ohio State – 2024
- 2026 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:36.09
- 2026 NCAA ‘B’ Standard: 1:36.57
Final Results:
- Michigan – 1:33.29
- Wisconsin – 1:34.78
- Ohio State – 1:35.17
- UCLA – 1:35.18
- Indiana – 1:35.53
- Minnesota – 1:36.14
- Northwestern – 1:36.75
- USC – 1:37.18
- Purdue – 1:37.37
- Penn State – 1:37.91
- Illinois – 1:38.44
- Iowa – 1:39.02
- Rutgers – 1:39.36
- Nebraska-Lincoln – 1:39.87
Michigan successfully defended their 200 medley relay title, as the quartet of Bella Sims (23.38), Letitia Sim (26.93), Brady Kendall (21.95), and Lexi Greenhawt posted a time of 1:33.29, a new meet record and just three-hundredths shy of their season-best 1:33.26, which currently ranks them equal fifth in the national standings.
Sims’ leadoff leg was exactly two tenths off the lifetime best 23.18 she produced leading off this relay at November’s CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge, where the Wolverines set their current season best. Kendall improved considerably on her 22.29 from November, while Greenhawt was substituted in for Leila Fack, who had split 21.53 at that meet. Sim was also quicker back in November, when she logged 26.26.
Wisconsin got off to an early lead courtesy of Maggie Wanezek‘s 23.19 leadoff leg, a personal best, clipping the 23.41 she clocked leading off the former school record-setting relay. The Badgers held a marginal 0.03 advantage over Michigan after Brooke Corrigan‘s 27.09 breaststroke leg, but the Wolverines’ back half was too much to overcome.
Hailey Tierney (23.09) and Abby Wanezek (21.41) closed things out for a time of 1:34.78, slicing three quarters of a second off the program record of 1:35.53 set at the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational in November and slotting into them 10th heading into next month’s NCAA Championships.
Indiana and UCLA had gotten out ahead of Ohio State after the backstroke leg, with IU’s Mya Dewitt logging 23.95 and UCLA’s Fay Lustria hitting 24.33, but the Buckeyes grabbed third at the 100-yard turn and never relinquished it. Delia Lloyd (24.72), Maria Ramos (26.16), Carrie Furbee (23.01), and Rachel Bockrath (21.28) finished with a season-best 1:35.17, edging UCLA by one one-hundredth for third while clocking the 13th-quickest time in the nation.
Courtesy: UCLA Swimming
WOMEN’S 800-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY — TIMED FINALS
- NCAA Record: 6:44.13, Virginia – 2025 ACC Championships
Big Ten Championship Record: 6:52.04, Michigan – 2025- 2026 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 7:00.86
- 2026 NCAA ‘B’ Standard: 7:05.18
Final Results:
- Michigan – 6:48.02 *Big Ten Record*
- Indiana – 6:51.11
- Ohio State – 6:54.93
- USC – 6:57.59
- Wisconsin – 6:58.78
- Northwestern – 7:01.42
- Nebraska-Lincoln – 7:02.71
- Minnesota – 7:04.94
- UCLA – 7:06.17
- Purdue – 7:12.43
- Iowa – 7:12.78
- Illinois – 7:16.74
- Penn State – 7:16.93
- Rutgers – 7:24.57
The 800 free relay produced some quick times, though the race was far more clear-cut than the 200 medley relay, with the top three positions largely settled early on.
Michigan made it two-for-two on the night, sweeping the relays as the foursome of Bella Sims (1:41.15), Hannah Bellard (1:41.54), Stephanie Balduccini (1:42.14), and Christey Liang (1:43.19) led from start to finish, clocking a new Big Ten Record of 6:48.02.
Indiana held second throughout, with Liberty Clark (1:41.32), Alex Shackell (1:42.16), Mackenzie Hodges (1:44.16), and Grace Hoeper (1:43.47) finishing in 6:51.11.
Ohio State trailed USC and Wisconsin after the opening leg, with the Trojans’ Nicole Maier (1:43.47) and Abby Wanezek‘s 1:43.82 holding a slight edge over Erin Little‘s 1:43.87, but Sienna Angove (1:42.43) immediately vaulted them into third. Rachel Bockrath and Mila Nikanorov (1:45.63) handled the back half to bring the team home in 6:54.93.
Michigan’s winning time is the second-fastest in the nation so far this season, while Indiana ranks fourth and Ohio State sits seventh.
Sims’ relay lead-off clipped her season-best by two one-hundredths, and despite being only her sixth-fastest time ever, was just 0.37 off her 1:40.78 lifetime best from December 2022. Bellard’s split was over two seconds quicker than her 1:43.83 flat-start best from last month, while Liang was over a second quicker than her 1:44.34 flat-start best from this meet last year. Given that Balduccini has a 1:40.89 personal best, this relay could have even more room to drop at the big show.
