Badgers rally at Big Ten Championships – The Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin men’s and women’s swim and dive groups accomplished their Big Ten Championship meets over the previous couple weeks. 

The ladies’s workforce competed on the University of Minnesota’s Jean Ok. Freeman Aquatic Center Feb. 18-21, ending in fourth place for the fifth consecutive yr. The males’s workforce hosted the meet on the Soderholm Family Aquatic Center Feb. 26-28, ending fifth, one place up from final yr.

Women’s swim and dive: 

The Badger ladies had one more profitable season, ending 8-1. At the Big Ten Championships, they scored 893 factors, incomes them fourth place behind Michigan, Indiana and Ohio State. The meet noticed a number of private bests, three faculty information and 4 particular person podium finishes. 

Wisconsin had success early on with the 200 meter medley relay, with the workforce of sophomore Maggie Wanezek (backstroke), freshman Brooke Corrigan (breaststroke), junior Hailey Tierney (butterfly) and senior Abby Wanezek (freestyle) ending in second place. They reached the rostrum within the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 medley relay as effectively, with groups of Tierney, Abby Wanezek, Maggie Wanezek and senior Blair Stoneburg, and Maggie Wanezek, Corrigan, Tierney and Stoneburg. The 800 Freestyle relay completed fifth and the 400 freestyle relay completed eighth.

Some of the highest particular person performances got here from Maggie Wanezek and Corrigan. Maggie Wanezek swept the backstroke occasions, following within the steps of now-graduated Phoebe Bacon from the previous few years, in addition to ending fifth within the 200 freestyle. Corrigan completed second within the 200 breaststroke and fourth in 100 breaststroke, setting faculty information in each of two:07.29 and 59.01, respectively. 

The different prime three and college file efficiency got here from redshirt freshman Lucie Delmas, who completed third within the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:54.07.

Other prime eight swims included: sophomore Stella Chapman ending seventh within the 400 particular person medley, Stoneburg ending eighth within the 200 freestyle, senior Hazal Ozkan ending seventh within the 100 breaststroke and sixth within the 200 breaststroke, sophomore Catherine Hughes ending eighth within the 200 breaststroke, Stoneburg ending sixth within the 500 freestyle and junior Maddie Waggoner ending eighth within the 1650 freestyle.

In diving, junior Ryane Neal had a formidable efficiency on the ten meter platform, ending 14th. 

The Badgers had a number of all-Big Ten honorees to shut out a formidable meet. Maggie Wanezek earned first workforce honors, whereas Abby Wanezek, Tierney and Corrigan adopted, incomes second workforce honors. Corrigan additionally earned all-freshman workforce honors, together with Lucie Delmas and redshirt freshman Justine Delmas.

Men’s swim and dive:

The males’s workforce completed the season 5-2, however had a formidable Big Ten Championship meet at house, with many vital time drops, 4 faculty information damaged and a person podium end. They scored 832.5 to complete in fifth behind Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Northwestern. 

The workforce of junior Luukas Vainio, freshman Enzo Solitario, sophomore Yoav Romano and senior Dominik Mark Torok took silver within the 800 freestyle relay, setting a new faculty file of 6:08.87. The 400 medley relay workforce of junior Nathan Welker (backstroke), freshman Drew Gaerthofner (breaststroke), senior Charlie Jones (butterfly) and redshirt senior Ben Wiegand (freestyle) additionally set a brand new faculty file, ending in fifth place with a time of three:05.09. The 400 and 200 freestyle relays each completed in sixth whereas the 200 medley relay completed in seventh.

The solely Badger to complete on the rostrum at this meet, Solitario, earned a bronze medal within the 200 freestyle. He additionally completed sixth within the 500 freestyle and seventh within the 200 butterfly. Wiegand completed seventh within the 100 breaststroke, breaking his personal faculty file with a 51.77, in addition to ending sixth within the 50 freestyle and eighth within the 100 freestyle.

Welker set the college file for the 100 backstroke thrice in someday at this meet — prelims, finals and on the relay — ending in tenth and decreasing his time to 45.36. He additionally completed seventh within the 200 backstroke.

Other prime eight swims included: Mark Torok completed fifth within the 400 particular person medley, sixth within the 200 butterfly and seventh within the 200 breaststroke, Vainio completed sixth within the 200 freestyle, Gaerthofner completed eighth within the 100 breaststroke and senior Cooper Scharff tied for seventh within the 50 freestyle.

The males’s workforce additionally had a number of Big Ten honorees. Romano, Vainio, Solitario and Mark Torok earned second workforce honors, and Solitario, Gaerthofner, freshman Adam Graham and freshman Miles Crastenberg earned all freshman workforce honors. 

12 Badgers have certified for the NCAA National Championship workforce up to now, led by Maggie Wanezek, who appears to comply with in Bacon’s footsteps once more and turn into a nationwide champion. The ladies’s workforce consists of Chapman, Corrigan, Lucie Delmas, freshman Andrea Dworak (relay), junior Isabella Enz (relay), Ozkan, Stoneburg, Tierney, Waggoner, Abby Wanezek, Maggie Wanezek and freshman Arianna Zelen (relay). The males’s workforce shall be launched subsequent week.

Wisconsin shall be heading to Atlanta to the McAuley Aquatic Center for the National Championship meet, March 18-21 for the ladies and March 25-28 for the boys. The ladies are seeded within the prime ten two instances (Maggie Wanezek within the 100 and 200 backstroke).

In 2025, the ladies’s workforce completed in twelfth place, and the boys’s workforce completed in twenty second — each groups’ greatest end in a number of years. The workforce rallied behind standout performances from Bacon and Mark Torok, together with spectacular relay placements and a number of new workforce information. The Badgers will look to construct on this efficiency this yr, beneath the path of their new head coach, Jack Brown.