Take your mark: Badgers head to Big Tens

Wednesday, February 19

Columbus, Ohio

Wisconsin Badgers

Women's Big Ten Championship

Photo by: David Stluka

Take your mark: Badgers head to Big Tens

February 18, 2025 | Women's Swimming & Diving

Wisconsin looks to improve upon fourth place finish

By: Ellie Culver

MADISON, Wis. – The 13th-ranked Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team (6-1, 3-1 B1G) begins postseason competition at the Big Ten Championships this Wednesday-Saturday in Columbus, Ohio at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. (CT) and finals slated for 4 p.m. (CT) each day.

Before competition begins, here are five things to know:

1. SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: Along with the No. 13 Badgers, six other Big Ten teams are sitting in the Top-25 in the CSCAA poll. Indiana sits at No. 7 in the country, with Michigan just a few slots below them at No. 10. USC checks in at No. 12, just one spot ahead of Wisconsin. Ohio State is at the heels of the Badgers at No. 14, with UCLA and Minnesota at the bottom of the pack 23 and 24, respectively. The Badgers fell to Michigan earlier this season as their only conference loss while taking down Minnesota and UCLA.

2. BIG TENS RECAP: Last season, Indiana took home the Big Ten Championship, just edging out Ohio State, as the Hoosiers finished with 1359 points compared to the Buckeyes' 1358.5 points. The Badgers finished fourth, for the third consecutive season, with 978 points, as Michigan came in third place with 1207 points. Phoebe Bacon was named the Swimmer of the Championships, winning the 200 IM and the 200 backstroke to give her six-career Big Ten individual titles.

3. WOMEN'S B1G LEADERS: Hailey Tierney continues to lead the Badgers in the 50 freestyle as she sits at fourth in the Big Ten in the 50 freestyle with an NCAA B cut. Abby Carlson checks in at No. 5 in the 200 free with an NCAA B cut, with Phoebe Bacon at No. 11 with an NCAA B cut. Carlson also leads the Badgers and ranks fourth in the conference in the 500 free with a B cut. Maddie Waggoner and Paige McKenna sit at sixth and seventh in the 1000 free. McKenna also checks in at No. 4 in the 1650 free with an NCAA B cut. Freshman Maggie Wanezek sits atop the conference in the 100 back with Bacon just three on hundredths behind her at No. 2. Bacon holds the top spot in the 200 back with an NCAA A cut, as Wanezek sits at No. 3 with a B cut. Hazal Ozkan commands the No. 5 spot in the 100 breast and fourth in the 200 breast. Bacon holds the No. 1 spot in the 200 IM, while Cal Dunn holds it in the 400 IM. With the record-breaking 200 medley relay, the team of M. Wanezek, Ozkan, Bacon and Tierney hold the top spot.

4. DIVING RIGHT IN: Molly Hampton, Ryane Neal, Vivian Kinnard and Greta Kavanagh look to make some waves in the diving well. Neal sits at 48th in the 3-m with 278.48 points. Neal is the only Badger to qualify for Zones thus far.

5. FOLLOW ALONG: Meet results for the Championship can be found on the MeetMobile App or here. The official homepage for the Big Ten Championships can be found here. The live-streaming link can also be found here or on the BIG+ website. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the inside scoop throughout the meet @BadgerSwimDive.