WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It’s shaping up to be an exciting final night at the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Swimming Diving Championships on Saturday (Feb. 24) inside the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center on the campus of Purdue University.
The Hoosiers placed 13 athletes in finals: nine in championships, two in B finals and two in C finals. They sit 23 points behind leader Ohio State, which put 14 athletes in finals: 10 in championships, two in B finals and two in C finals. These numbers do not account for the 1,650-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relay. IU has the top seed in both races, determined by season results.
Junior Anna Peplowski and sophomore Kristina Paegle both posted swims under the 100-yard freestyle program record to qualify amongst the top four seeds. Peplowski reset her program record in 47.45 to earn the top qualifying spot, while Paegle’s 47.79 put her in a three-way tie for second. Senior Ashley Turak swam a personal best 48.54 to grab the last A final spot, and fellow senior Ella Ristic made the C final in 49.56.
Indiana will also have three championship finalists in the 200-yard backstroke. 100-yard champion Kacey McKenna continued her solid meet with a personal-best 1:53.57 to take the No. 3 seed. Senior Anna Freed also had a personal record, coming fifth in 1:54.17, and sophomore Mya DeWitt took eighth in 1:55.31.
In a daunting double, Freed also qualified for the 200-yard butterfly A final, posting a 1:57.87. Sophomore Katie Forrester was IU’s top qualifier in the event, touching in 1:57.87. Freshman Ava Whitaker took the top qualifier spot in the B final with a 1:59.25.
After earning a bronze medal Friday in the 100-yard breaststroke, junior Brearna Crawford is the No. 2 qualifier in the 200-yard event. She swam a 2:09.06 in the prelim but has clocked a personal-best 2:07.62 this season. Crawford won the event as a freshman and finished sixth a year ago. Freshman Reese Tiltmann earned a spot in the B final, touching in 2:14.13. Fellow freshman MacKenna Lieske initially tied for 24th in 2:16.04, forcing a swim-off. Lieske rose to the occasion to give IU another guaranteed scorer with a personal-best 2:13.87.
Four Indiana divers will score, with three of those competing in finals Saturday. Following her first-career Big Ten title on the 3-meter springboard on Friday, Liu posted scores of 63.00, 72.00, 67.20, 63.00 and 74.25 to total 339.45 points and earn the top seed. Freshmen Ella Roselli (232.10) and Lily Witte (219.60) made the B final, both making finals in all three events during their first championships. Senior Anne Fowler clinched nine points with her 17th-place finish in the prelim.
TEAM SCORES
1. Ohio State – 907
- Indiana – 884
- Michigan – 835
- Wisconsin – 624.5
- Minnesota – 574.5
- Purdue – 363
- Penn State – 305
- Northwestern – 298.5
- Nebraska – 296
- Rutgers – 237.5
- Iowa – 217
- Illinois – 152
RESULTS (PRELIMS)
200 BACKSTROKE
3. Kacey McKenna – 1:53.57 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut, Career Best) - Anna Freed – 1:54.17 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut Career Best)
- Mya DeWitt – 1:55.31 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
100 FREESTYLE
1. Anna Peplowski – 47.45 (Championship Final Top Qualifier, Program Record, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
t2. Kristina Paegle – 47.79 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
- Ashley Turak – 48.54 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut, Career Best)
- Ella Ristic – 49.56 (C Final)
- Chiok Sze Yeo – 50.86
- Sydney Turner – 52.13 (Exhibition)
200 BREASTSTROKE
- Brearna Crawford – 2:09.06 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
- Reese Tiltmann – 2:14.13 (Consolation Final)
t24. MacKenna Lieske – 2:16.04 (Swim-Off Required)
- Won Swim-Off: 2:13.87 (C Final, Career Best)
200 BUTTERFLY
- Katie Forrester – 1:57.66 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
- Anna Freed – 1:57.87 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
- Ava Whitaker – 1:59.25 (Consolation Final)
PLATFORM
- Skyler Liu – 339.45 (Championship Final Top Qualifier, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
- Ella Roselli – 232.10 (Consolation Final, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
- Lily Witte – 219.60 (Consolation Final)
- Anne Fowler – 210.75
