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
WOMEN’S 200-YARD BACKSTROKE – FINALS
- 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:
- Maggie Wanezek (Wisconsin) – 1:48.31 (CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD)
- Rosie Murphy (UCLA) – 1:51.52
- Macky Hodges (IU) – 1:52.74
- Lindsay Barnes (USC) – 1:52.95
- Dora Molnar (USC) – 1:53.21
- Mya DeWitt (IU) – 1:53.90
- Milla Drakopoulos (Michigan) – 1:53.98
- Miranda Grana (IU) – 1:55.18
Wisconsin sophomore Maggie Wanezek swam to a new Big Ten meet record with a 1:48.31 in the 200 backstroke. That broke Beata Nelson‘s record of a 1:48.47 set back at the the 2019 Big Ten Championships.
Nelson was the former NCAA record holder and holds the overall Big Ten record with a 1:47.24 from the 2019 NCAA Championships.
Split Comparison
| Wanezek | Nelson | |||
| 50 | 25.35 | 25.35 | 25.26 | 25.26 |
| 100 | 27.23 | 52.58 | 27.54 | 52.8 |
| 150 | 27.62 | 1:20.20 | 27.88 | 1:20.68 |
| 200 | 28.11 | 1:48.31 | 27.79 | 1:48.47 |
Compared to Nelson, Wanezek was faster on the middle 100 today, with a 0.31 second difference on the 2nd 50.
Wanezek dropped 0.08 seconds from her previous personal best time of a 1:48.39 that she swam during midseason back in November this season. She currently sits at #2 in the NCAA, only behind Virginia’s Claire Curzan who broke her own NCAA record with a 1:46.09 earlier this evening at the 2026 ACC Championships.
Wanezek has made huge strides in her sophomore season. Wanezek arrived at Wisconsin in fall 2024 and finaled in the 200 backstroke at the 2025 NCAA Championships. She finished 13th in a 1:51.33, but was faster at midseason during her freshman year (1:50.62).
