Huskers Climb to Ninth as Jorgenson, Tanko Lead Big Ten Championship Push

After two days of the 2026 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships, the Nebraska Cornhuskers improved to ninth after a finals appearance in each event of the day. Competition at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center leaves NU with 184.5 points and more to come in the next two days. 

Gena Jorgenson and Beatrix Tanko highlighted the day of competition with two appearances in the A finals. 

Jorgenson competed in the 400 IM and finished in sixth through her career-best time of 4:07.84. She smashed her career-best time of 4:11.51 from the 2024 NCAA Championships earlier in the day from her time of 4:08.75 in prelims. The two-time All-American has held Nebraska's fastest time since her 2024 mark. 

In her first Big Ten A final cut, Tanko notched a seventh-place finish through her 51.75 swim in the 100 butterfly. At midseason, she broke the school record through her 52.03 swim, but dropped 0.28 of a second from her career time. 

Young swimmers Aurora Zanin and Riley Miklos furthered the Huskers’ efforts through their swims in the B final for their respective events. Zanin crushed her career-best time in the 400 IM in the prelims with a time of 4:13.79, enough to capture the fourth-best time in NU history. She used her time of 4:17.91 to cruise to a 16th-place finish. 

Miklos nabbed a 16th-place finish, similarly with a 1:47.37 in the 200 free. Her prelim time of 1:46.49, marks a personal best in the event. 

Giulia Marchi and Amelia Riggott each secured personal bests in the C finals Thursday evening. Swimming a 1:47.25 in the 200 free, Marchi grabbed a 21st-place finish, while Riggott swam a 1:01.20 in the 100 breast for a 19th-place position. 

Five other swimmers worked their way to a personal best in their respective events of the day in the prelims. The 400 IM allowed freshman, Alaira Hadford and Sophie Kissuk to personal bests with times of 4:27.24 and 4:19.27, respectively. 

Jenna Brown and Natalie Dunaway swam to personal bests in the 200 free. Brown swam a 1:50.45, enough for 46th in the prelims, while Dunaway dropped 0.85 of a second from her seed time to accomplish a 1:53.23. Lastly, Jazmyn Lunn clinched a 54.32 in the 100 fly prelims to snatch a best in her career. 

In the diving well, Abby Baxter grabbed the best performance on the one-meter board for the Big Red, racking up a 247.10 in the C finals. This gave her an 18th-place finish in the prelims, with Addy Farman closing in at 24th with a score of 238.55. Ellee Delcamp, a senior from Seward, Neb., scored 178.30 in her first Big Ten Championships appearance. 

A quartet of Marchi, Miklos, Jorgenson and Dunaway dropped 0.39 of a second from their entry time of 1:32.52. The team swam to a 1:32.13 to close out the day's events. 

The Huskers will return tomorrow at 10 a.m. for swimming prelims and noon for diving prelims. After a break, diving consoltations will resume at 5 p.m. and swim events shortly after at 5:30 p.m. The day will conclude with the 400 medley relay.

The events can be followed along on Big Ten Plus for all subscribers or on the Meet Mobile app where live results will be updated. 

Big Ten Championships
Minneapolis, Minn. (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center)
February 18-21, 2026

Order of Events
Friday, Feb. 20
100 Backstroke
200 Breaststroke
500 Freestyle
50 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
Three-Meter Diving

Saturday, Feb. 21
200 IM
100 Freestyle
200 Butterfly
200 Backstroke
400 Freestyle Relay
Platform Diving

Team Scores

1. Michigan (517.5)
2. Indiana (398)
3. Ohio State University (390)
4. Wisconsin (384)
5. USC (296)
6. Minnesota (290)
7. 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)