Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Michigan Captures Three Event Titles, Extends Lead at Big Ten Championships
2/19/2026 9:46:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 4)
U-M Team Result: 1st Place of 14 Teams (517.5 Points)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 20 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Three (Minneapolis, Minn.), 10 a.m. CT/5:30 p.m. CT
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team made a statement on the second day of the Big Ten Championships on Thursday (Feb. 19) at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. The Wolverines took three event wins, set multiple records and continue to lead the meet with a total of 517.5 points.
In the opening preliminary session of the meet, Michigan placed eight swimmers into championship finals across four events. Bella Sims earned the top seed in the 400-yard IM, while Brady Kendall and Letitia Sim earned the second seed in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke, respectively.
Kiarra Milligan opened the evening session with a score of 275.65 in the one-meter consolation final to finish 12th overall.
Kendall opened the swimming portion of the session with a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 50.53 seconds. Lexi Greenhawt and Leila Fack took fourth and fifth, respectively, to get Michigan off to a strong start in the pool.
Sims dominated the 400-yard IM, winning the event with a mark of 4:00.57 to capture the first individual conference crown of her Michigan career and set the Big Ten Championships record in the process. Hannah Bellard finished close behind with a time of 4:03.32. The Sims win marks the first by a Wolverine in the event since 2014.
Stephanie Balduccini was locked in a tight battle in the 200-yard freestyle with Liberty Clark of Indiana. Balduccini took silver and posted a time of 1:42.04.
Letitia Sim closed out the individual part of the night with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke, the first by a Michigan swimmer since 2020. Sim clocked a 57.90 to outrace the field and take home gold.
Michigan ended the evening with a flourish as the quartet of Greenhawt, Kendall, Balduccini and Fack dominated the 200-yard freestyle relay to post a time of 1:25.44, a new school, Big Ten and Big Ten Championship record.
Michigan returns to action on Friday (Feb. 20) when it hits the pool for the third day of the Big Ten Championships at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. Preliminaries start at 10 a.m. CT and finals are set for 5:30 p.m. CT. Both sessions will be streamed live on B1G+.
Team Standings (After Day Two)
1. No. 4 Michigan 517.5 2. No. 6 Indiana 398 3. No. 11 Ohio State 390 4. No. 15 Wisconsin 384 5. No. 12 USC 296 6. No. 25 Minnesota 290 7. No. 22 UCLA 255 8. Northwestern 202 9. Nebraska 184.5 10. Rutgers 171.5 11. Purdue 164 12. Iowa 149 13. Illinois 114.5 14. Penn State 106
Players Mentioned
