Jorgenson Strikes Gold at Big Ten Championships

Nebraska great, Gena Jorgenson, captured the first Big Ten Championship title in three years with her dominant performance in the 1,650 freestyle on Saturday night at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn., at the 2026 Big Ten Championships.  

From a fourth-place finish in the 1,650 free in the 2025 Big Ten Championships, the senior became the first Husker swimmer to win a title in the event since Lauren Bailey’s 2007 Big 12 Championship. 

Jorgenson now joins the four Nebraska Big Ten Champions with her career-best time of 15:45.36. Shannon Stott was the last Husker to win event titles in a conference championship in 2023, when she hit gold medals in the 200 free (1:46.54) and the 500 free (4:44.45). Autumn Haebig is the only other swimmer to win an event title in the Big Ten Championship in 2021. She swam a 1:44.39 in the 200 free, becoming the first Nebraska swimmer to win a Big Ten medal. 

Abigail Knapton (one-meter and platform) and Anna Filipcic (one-meter) both won titles at the 2021 and 2017 Big Ten Championships. 

The All-Big Ten First Teamer from Aberdeen, S.D., swam a 15:56.70 last year at the conference championships. Her title in the event represents an 11.34-second improvement within the year. 

Aurora Zanin moved into the second-fastest 200 butterfly racer in school history with her B-final performance. From a prelim time of 1:57.64, Zanin earned a ninth-place position in the finals with a new career-best time of 1:56.53. 

Sprint specialist Beatrix Tanko recorded a career best in the 100 free. After setting three school records this season, Tanko swam a career best in the event. Her 17th-place finish was powered by a strong 48.56 swim. 

Three Husker swimmers recorded lifetime bests on the final day of competition. Jenna Brown, a redshirt sophomore, grabbed her best time in the 200 fly, knocking nearly two seconds from her career best and 1.17 seconds from her lifetime best. Her swim of 2:00.12 was enough for a reserve place of 25th. Jazmyn Lunn similarly slashed over a second from her career best time in the event’s prelims to a 1:59.28 and C final time of 1:58.83. True freshman Natalie Dunaway hit a lifetime mark of 50.42 in the 100 free. 

After a personal best in the 100 back (55.35) on the third day of the championships, Marissa Laurin took a season best in the 200 backstroke prelims. The Canadian swimmer trimmed 1.30 seconds from her previous season best time from the Rutgers dual of 2:00.16 to 1:58.86. 

Fellow sophomore Riley Miklos recorded a season best in the 1,650 free, powered by her 16:32.72. In the same event, Alaira Hadford’s 16:41.52, 16th-place finish represented a personal best for the freshman. 

In the first consoltation dive of the meet, Kelsey Clairmont used her score of 242.85 to head to the B finals for the platform dive. The senior used her score to boost her to a ninth-place finish with a season-high score of 263.35. 

The final relay of the week featured Giulia Marchi, Miklos, Jorgenson, and Tanko who swam a school record time of 3:17.16 in the 400 free. The same team set a school record in the 800 free relay on the first day of competition. 

The Scarlet and Cream ended the week in tenth place with 433.5 points and 19 finals appearances, improving on last year’s 15. 

Michigan became the 2026 Big Ten Champions with its 1,243-point effort. Indiana and the previous champions, Ohio State, followed with 1,084 and 1,066 points, respectively. 

Several Husker swimmers will travel to the Mizzou Last Chance Meet in Columbia, Mo., Feb. 27-March 1, to improve their times and pursue advancement to the 2026 NCAA Championships. 

Husker Finalists 
A Final 
1,650 Free - Gena Jorgenson - 15:45.36, 1st
500 Free - Gena Jorgenson - 4:39.15, 3rd 
400 IM - Gena Jorgenson - 4:07.84, 6th
100 Fly - Beatrix Tanko - 51.75, 7th

B Final 
200 Fly - Aurora Zanin - 1:56.53, 9th
400 IM - Aurora Zanin - 4:17.9, 16th
50 Free - Beatrix Tanko - 22.19, 14th
200 Free - Riley Miklos - 1:47.25, 21st
Platform Dive - Kelsey Clairmont - 242.85, 9th

C Final 
200 Free - Giulia Marchi - 1:47.25, 21st
100 Breast - Amelia Riggott - 1:01.20, 19th
100 Back - Virginia Consiglio - 53.58, 19th
200 Breast - Katy Zboinski - 2:14.49, 24th
200 Fly - Jazmyn Lunn - 1:58.83, 20th
100 Free - Beatrix Tanko - 48.56, 17th
200 Fly - Jazmyn Lunn - 1:58.83, 20th
One-Meter - Abby Baxter - 247.10, 18th
One-Meter - Addy Farman - 238.55, 24th
Three-Meter - Abby Baxter - 264.35, 17th