Sims Chooses 200 IM Over 200 Back On Final Day At Big Tens (Scratch Report)

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

DAY 4 PRELIMS HEAT SHEET

Bella Sims, the 200 back runner up from the 2025 NCAA championships, has scratched the event on day 4 of the 2026 Big Ten Championships in favor of the 200 IM. She was the #3 seed in the former with her season best of 1:51.26, but holds a lifetime best of 1:47.11 from last March.

This marks the third different conference championship lineup in three years for Sims, as she swam the 200 back/200 fly/200 IM in 2024, and the 100 back/200 back/200 IM in 2025. She has picked both IM events at her first Big Tens championship with Michigan, placing 1st in the 400 IM on day 2 and 2nd behind Maggie Wanezek in the 100 back on day 3.

She was four seconds off her lifetime best of 3:56.59 in the 400 IM, but swam a season best of 4:00.57. Sims is the #2 seed in the 200 IM with an entry time of 1:54.59, but was 1:51.86 at SECs two years ago.

Justina Kazan has made a similar decision to Sims, pulling out of the 200 fly where she was the #3 seed in 1:53.73, for the 200 IM where she is the top seed in 1:54.32. She has only swum the 400 IM so far at the meet, placing 4th in a season best time of 4:04.77.

Lexi Greenhawt, the #4 seed in the 100 free, is an expected scratch after filling out her individual event schedule with the 100 fly, 100 back, and 50 free already. Her teammate Leila Fack, the #6 seed, has also pulled out in favor of the 200 fly, where she sits third after Kozan’s withdrawal.

Top-24 Scratches on Day Two:

• 200 IM
  • Bridget McGann (WISC) – 14th seed (1:59.21)
  • Camden Doane (USC) – 23nd seed (1:59.99)
• 100 free
  • Lexi Greenhawt (MICH) – 4th seed (4:06.93)
  • Leila Fack (MICH) – 6th seed (47.78)
  • Kk LeBlanc (OSU) – 22nd seed (48.96)
  • Malia Amuan (MICH – 23rd seed (48.98)
  • Sienna Angove (OSU) – 24th seed (49.07)
• 200 fly
  • Justina Kozan (USC) – 3rd seed (1:53.73)
  • Devon Kitchel (MICH) – 12th seed (1:57.18)
  • Adair Shaw (OSU) – 23rd seed (1:59.44)
• 200 back
  • Bella Sims (MICH) – 3rd seed (1:51.26)
• 1650 free
  • Claire Tuggle (USC) – 18th seed (16:34.79)