Michigan
Big Ten Championships
U-M Sweeps Opening Night Relays to Lead Big Ten Championships
2/18/2026 7:49:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 1 of 4)
U-M Team Result: 1st Place of 14 Teams (128 Points)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Feb. 19 -- at Big Ten Championships - Day Two (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 swept the opening session of the Big Ten Championships on Wednesday (Feb. 18) at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, finishing first in both relays and setting multiple records to lead the meet with 128 points.
The Maize and Blue got off to a flying start in the 200-yard medley relay, successfully defending its title in the event. The team of Bella Sims, Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall and Lexi Greenhawt combined to clock a time of 1:33.29, setting a new meet and pool record in the process.
After the exhibition team diving event, Michigan returned to the pool for the 800-yard freestyle relay. Sims led off with a strong opening leg, holding off Indiana's Liberty Clark to give the Wolverines an early lead. Hannah Bellard followed up with an equally strong second split to extend the advantage. Stephanie Balduccini and Christey Liang closed the door as Michigan posted a time of 6:48.02 -- a new school, conference and championship meet record.
Michigan swept both relays for the second consecutive season. This marks the first time U-M has won the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay in back-to-back seasons since the 1998 and 1999 campaigns.
U-M will return to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on Thursday (Feb. 19) for the second day of the Big Ten Championships. Preliminaries will get underway at 10 a.m. CT, with finals starting at 5:30 p.m. CT. Both sessions will be streamed live on B1G+.
Team Standings (After Day One)
1. No. 4 Michigan  128
2. No. 11 Ohio State 108
3. No. 15 Wisconsin 106
No. 6 Indiana 106
5. No. 12 USC 96
6. Northwestern 94
7. No. 25 Minnesota 92
No. 22 UCLA 92
9. Purdue 74
10. Nebraska 72
11. Illinois 62
Iowa 62
Penn State 62
14. Rutgers 54
Players Mentioned
