Men’s & Women’s Swimming/Diving Win 2026 Big West Championships

HOUSTON — The University of Hawai’i males’s and girls’s swimming and diving groups swept the Big West Championships on Saturday night time on the CRWC Natatorium in Houston, Texas. It is the fourth time the 2 packages gained convention championships in the identical yr (2019, ’20, ’24,  and ’26). 

The Rainbow Warriors entered the day with a slim 25-point lead after re-taking first place on Friday. The ‘Bows continued to carry their tenuous lead all through the day, however the championship hinged on the ultimate occasion of the meet – the 400 freestyle relay the place UH held off Grand Canyon by lower than 3/a centesimal of a second to clinch the title. Overall, the boys amassed 780 factors and held off Grand Canyon by 62 factors for the championship crown.

On the ladies’s facet, the Rainbow Wahine entered the ultimate day with a 110-point lead and maintained their benefit all through the day and wouldn’t be challenged. The ‘Bows completed with 798 factors, over 100 away from their closest opponent.  UC Davis got here in second with 692 factors and defending champion UC Santa Barbara capturing third with 660 factors. 

 

THE BIG WEST BELONGS TO HAWAI’I 🏆#GoBows pic.twitter.com/T0TeqevcLm

— Hawaii Swim & Dive (@HawaiiSwimDive) February 15, 2026

The UH males began the day with the 1650 freestyle by which that they had two swimmers earn a complete of 27 factors with Evan Pickles coming in fourth with a time of 15:32.31 and Eric Kupsky coming in seventh with a time of 15:44.43.

The Rainbow Warriors positioned first, second, and eighth within the 100 free with Karol Ostrowski profitable his third particular person occasion of the meet. He completed with a 42.41 mark which set a brand new Big West document and was his third NCAA qualifying time set in the course of the meet. Finn Brophy captured silver with a time of 42.67 whereas Regan Richardson completed eighth and picked up 11 factors with a time of 44.55.

 

The 🐐#GoBows pic.twitter.com/U5L4WgsHWp

— Hawaii Swim & Dive (@HawaiiSwimDive) February 15, 2026

Tom Thalau continued his excellent meet, taking bronze within the 200 breast, ending at 1:56.18. Pickles completed in eighth with a time of two:01.07.

In the 200 fly, Victor Dagenais completed sturdy to clinch the bronze so as to add 16 factors with a time of 1:45.32.

Hawai’i’s males’s divers Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo and Oliver Wignall claimed silver and bronze within the platform dive to assist the boys maintain their lead.

The 400 free relay was the lynch pin occasion for the boys’s championship. Hawai’i’s crew of Brophy, Thalau, Dagenais, and Ostrowski captured the gold and the Big West title by touching the wall at 2:52.18 which was a Big West document.

For the ladies, Holly Nelson continued her dominance within the pool, profitable the 100 freestyle in a blazing time of 48.67. Teammate Mia Blazhevska Eminova seized a bronze medal so as to add 16 factors within the 200 fly.

 

Holly Nelson owns the freestyle 🔥#GoBows pic.twitter.com/yna8uYRVsb

— Hawaii Swim & Dive (@HawaiiSwimDive) February 15, 2026

For the third-straight day, the ladies’s diving crew got here out on prime. UH’s Lovisa Gustavsson gained the platform with a rating of 269.70, whereas Keira Chandler gained silver with a rating of 244.05. Macie Wheeler completed in fifth place with a 216.50 whereas Avery Coates got here in sixth (200.00). 

Hawai’i completed the meet with a silver medal within the 400 free relay, as they had been simply edged out on the wall by UC Santa Barbara. On the relay crew was Nelson, Quincy Key, Blazhevska Eminova and Zofia Tyminska.

These are the primary convention crowns below second-year head coach Steve Allnutt, who’s a UH alum was a member of the 2011 Conference USA title crew. For the ladies, this marks their eleventh convention crown total (1 Big West; 8 MPSF, 1 WAC, 1 PCAA), whereas the boys have gained eight convention titles (1 Big West, 3 MPSF, 1 Conference USA, 3 WAC).

 

Together on the prime 💪#GoBows pic.twitter.com/10tzXlrbwP

— Hawaii Swim & Dive (@HawaiiSwimDive) February 15, 2026

EVENT WINNERS – Saturday

Men’s Champions
100 Freestyle – Karol Ostrowski – 42.41*^
400 Freestyle Relay – Finn Brophy, Tom Thalau, Victor Dagenais, Karol Ostrowski

Women’s Champions

100 Freestyle – Holly Nelson – 48.67

Platform Diving – Lovisa Gustavsson – 269.70 factors* 

UH Top Times (rank)

200 Butterfly (Men’s) – Victor Dagenais – 1:45.20 (2nd)

200 Butterfly (Women’s) – Mia Blazhevska Eminova – 1:59.68 (fifth)

100 Freestyle (Women’s) – Holly Nelson – 48.67 (fifth)

200 Breaststroke (Men’s) – Tom Thalau – 1:56.67 (fifth)

1650 Freestyle (Women’s) – Gabriela Kelly – 16:55.79 (seventh)

1650 Freestyle (Men’s) – Evan Pickles – 15:32.31 (eighth)

200 Backstroke (Men’s) – Korey Tiell – 1:45.17 (eighth)

200 Backstroke (Women’s) – Carlotta Ingenerf – 1:59.01 (ninth)

*- Big West Record

^ – NCAA Automatic Qualifier

 

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