By Nicole Miller on SwimSwam
2025 BIG TEN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Dates: Wednesday, February 19 – Saturday, February 22
- Location: McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, Columbus, OH
- Teams: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
- Championship Central
- Live Results
- Recaps:
For the second straight year, Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon was named the Swimmer of the Championships at the Big 10 Championships, while Indiana’s Skyler Liu picked up Diver of the Championships honors.
Bacon, a US Olympian, won all three of her individual events at the meet for the first time in her career. She opened the weekend by posting a time of 1:53.12 in the 200 IM, hitting an NCAA ‘A’ cut en route to winning the event by over 1.5 seconds. Bacon then dominated the 100 backstroke, hitting another NCAA ‘A’ cut to finish in a time of 50.14, leading the field by over half a second. However, Bacon’s most impressive performance was almost certainly her last one as she threw down a 1:48.75 in her signature 200 backstroke to dominate by 2 seconds.
Throughout the weekend, Bacon also played a pivotal role on Wisconsin’s relays, competing on the 200 medley, 800 freestyle, 200 freestyle, and 400 medley relays. On both the 200 medley and 400 medley relays, Bacon swam butterfly for the Badgers, splitting impressive times of 22.23 and 50.20. Those relays finished 3rd and 2nd, respectively. The Badgers also finished 5th in both the 800 freestyle relay and 200 freestyle relay with Bacon’s assistance.
Indiana’s Liu also won her award for the 2nd year in a row after dominating the diving competition. Opening the weekend on the platform diving event, Liu posted a score of 366.90 points over 5 dives to win by 32 points over her competition. Notably, that score would have been good enough to win the NCAA title last season. She then followed-up with an equally-dominant performance on the 3-meter board, racking up a score of 379.70 points to easily overtake the field.
Including Bacon and Liu, there were 20 athletes named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Michigan led the way with 9 athletes on the list, while Indiana placed 7 athletes on it. Several athletes were also named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and All-Freshman Teams based on their championship performances.
2025 All-Big Ten First Team
- Brearna Crawford, Indiana
- Ching Hwee Gan, Indiana
- Miranda Grana, Indiana
- Skyler Liu, Indiana
- Kacey McKenna, Indiana
- Kristina Paegle, Indiana
- Anna Peplowski, Indiana
- Malia Amuan, Michigan
- Stephanie Balduccini, Michigan
- Hannah Bellard, Michigan
- Casey Chung, Michigan
- Lindsay Flynn, Michigan
- Brady Kendall, Michigan
- Christey Liang, Michigan
- Claire Newman, Michigan
- Letitia Sim, Michigan
- Sienna Angove, Ohio State
- Lena Hentschel, Ohio State
- Kaitlyn Dobler, USC
- Phoebe Bacon, Wisconsin
2025 All-Big Ten Second Team
- Mya Dewitt, Indiana
- Ava Whitaker, Indiana
- Vivi Del Angel, Minnesota
- Rachel Bockrath, Ohio State
- Erin Little, Ohio State
- Mila Nikanorov, Ohio State
- Paola Pineda, Ohio State
- Mia Rankin, Ohio State
- Avery Worobel, Purdue
- Minna Abraham, USC
- Claire Tuggle, USC
- Hazal Ozkan, Wisconsin
- Abigail Wanezek, Wisconsin
- Margaret Wanezek, Wisconsin
2025 All-Freshman Team
- Mary Cespedes, Indiana
- Rebecca Diaconescu, Michigan
- Leila Fack, Michigan
- Olivia Wanner, Minnesota
- Grey Davis, Northwestern
- Zoe Nordmann, Northwestern
- Sienna Angove, Ohio State
- Rachel Bockrath, Ohio State
- Erin Little, Ohio State
- Delia Lloyd, Ohio State
- Mila Nikanorov, Ohio State
- Maria Ramos, Ohio State
- Campbell Scofield, Purdue
- Avery Worobel, Purdue
- Bailee Sturgill, Rutgers
- Karolina Piechowicz, UCLA
- Claudia Yovanovich, UCLA
- Kate Miller, USC
- Stella Chapman, Wisconsin
- Bridget McGann, Wisconsin
- Margaret Wanezek, Wisconsin
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon and Indiana’s Skyler Liu Pick Up Big Ten Championship Honors