No. 6 Hoosiers Close Conference Championships with Big Ten Record Relay

Saturday, February 21

Minneapolis

6 p.m.

Indiana University

Big Ten Championships - Finals

No. 6 Hoosiers Close Conference Championships with Big Ten Record Relay

2/21/2026 11:42:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving

Results (PDF)

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 6-ranked Indiana finished its week at the 2026 Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships with a golden glow, recording a Big Ten record to win the final event: the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The Hoosiers finished second at the conference meet, rallying in the final day to move up a spot in the team standings Saturday (Feb. 21) inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota.

The relay record was the cherry on top of a night in which Indiana won four medals and broke three program records and two Big Ten Championship records.

"We are super proud of our women's swimmers and divers," IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. "Last night we were over 100 points behind second place Ohio State and sitting in fourth place. We could've easily given up, yet everyone dug down to the very deepest parts of their hearts to have a fantastic preliminary session, which set us up for our second place finish tonight. Winning the 400 freestyle relay was a fantastic way to end the competition!"

"I am so proud of this team," IU head diving coach Drew Johansen echoed. "Swimmers and divers. The fourth day fight was in everyone today. Every swim and every dive mattered all week. The all-out effort in prelims made the evening finals a success for the entire team."

In a great battle with Big Ten team champion Michigan, Indiana won the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:07.72 – taking the conference record outright after it had tied the previous record (3:08.07) set in 2019 by the Wolverines earlier this season. The quartet of freshmen Alex Shackell, Liberty Clark, senior Kristina Paegle and freshman Grace Hoeper set the second-fastest time in the nation. At the start of this 2025-26 season, the previous program record was 3:10.47, set by the 2025 squad – only Paegle remains from that relay.

The result encapsulates this Indiana team: a mix of battle-hardened veterans and outrageously talented freshmen. IU freshmen contributed 281 of the team's 1,084 point this week. In their conference championship debuts, Liberty Clark and Alex Shackell combined for three Big Ten titles and five medals. Clark, Shackell, Hoeper and diver Kaylee Bishop all made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, having each scored from a 'B' final or better in three events apiece.

Indiana set seven program records – at least one each of the four nights – and two championship records, one conference record and one pool record.

Clark led the team with 92 points, tied for the most in the conference with the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships, Michigan junior Bella Sims. The freshman won her first individual Big Ten Championships in the 200 free and 100 free, set the championship record in the latter, took silver and a program record in the 50 free and contributed to all four of Indiana's podium relays.

Junior Macky Hodges contributed to IU's final night medal count with her first-career conference medal, taking bronze in the 200-yard backstroke with a personal best 1:52.74. Hodges swam a 200 IM-200 back double on Saturday and placed top six in both events.

Diving once again gave Indiana separation among the top teams in the standings, as four Hoosiers scored in Saturday's platform event.

"Mary Kate Cavanaugh making her fist A-Final was inspirational," Johansen said. "Ella Roselli continuing to be a point scoring machine for the team was powerful, Kaylee 'Mini' Bishop scoring her third 'B' Final as a freshman was emotional, and Lily scoring a high C in her off event was true leadership."

"This is a great team, and we have only just started the championship season. Two more meets to go for these women. We need to keep getting better. Build off the success and let any disappointment drive preparation for the weeks to come."

PROGRAM RECORDS

Event	Time	Athlete(s)	Notes
800 Freestyle Relay	6:51.11	Clark, Shackell, Hodges, Hoeper
100 Butterfly	49.95	Alex Shackell
200 Freestyle Relay	1:20.95	Clark, Shackell, DeWitt, Paegle
50 Freestyle	21.47	Liberty Clark
200 Butterfly	1:50.71	Alex Shackell
100 Freestyle	47.22	Liberty Clark	Big Ten Championship Record
400 Freestyle Relay	3:07.72	Shackell, Clark, Paegle, Hoeper	Big Ten Record, Big Ten Championship Record, Pool Record

INDIANA MEDALISTS
Liberty Clark – 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle, 400 medley relay, 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay
Mya DeWitt – 200 freestyle relay
Miranda Grana – 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay
Macky Hodges – 800 freestyle relay, 200 backstroke
Grace Hoeper – 800 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay
Jonette Laegreid – 400 medley relay
Kristina Paegle – 200 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay
Alex Shackell – 800 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay

TEAM SCORES
1. Michigan – 1,243
2. Indiana – 1,084
3. Ohio State – 1,066
4. Wisconsin – 893
5. USC – 768
6. Minnesota – 701
7. UCLA – 605.5
8. Purdue – 497
9. Northwestern – 446
10. Nebraska – 433.5
11. Rutgers – 379.5
12. Iowa – 284
13. Penn State – 216
14. Illinois – 195.5

ALL-BIG TEN HOOSIERS
First Team: Liberty Clark, Grace Hoeper, Kristina Paegle, Alex Shackell
Second Team: Mya DeWitt, Miranda Grana, Macky Hodges, Jonette Laegreid
All-Freshman Team: Kaylee Bishop, Liberty Clark, Grace Hoeper, Alex Shackell

RESULTS (SATURDAY)
200 IM
6. Macky Hodges – 1:56.96 (NCAA Cut)
8. Reese Tiltmann – 1:57.94

1650 FREESTYLE
23. Laila Oravsky – 16:55.22 (C Finalist)

100 FREESTYLE
1. Liberty Clark – 46.22 (Big Ten Champion, Big Ten Championship Record, Program Record, Personal Record, NCAA Cut)
5. Grace Hoeper – 47.90 (Personal Best)
7. Kristina Paegle – 48.05

200 BUTTERFLY
2. Alex Shackell – 1:50.71 (Big Ten Silver, Program Record, NCAA Cut)
7. Katie Forrester – 1:57.87
17. Lily Hann – 1:58.09
23. Chiok Sze Yeo – 2:01.08

200 BACKSTROKE
3. Macky Hodges – 1:52.74 (Big Ten Bronze, Personal Record, NCAA Cut)
6. Mya DeWitt – 1:53.90 (NCAA Cut)
8. Miranda Grana – 1:55.18

PLATFORM DIVING
5. Ella Roselli – 278.60 (NCAA Zone Qualifier)
8. Mary Kate Cavanaugh – 240.55
16. Kaylee Bishop – 203.25
21. Lily Witte – 216.00

400 FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Alex Shackell, Liberty Clark, Kristina Paegle, Grace Hoeper – 3:07.72 (NCAA Champion, Big Ten Record, Big Ten Championship Record, Pool Record, Program Record, NCAA A Cut)

****

UP NEXT
NCAA Championships!

@IndianaSwimDive
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men's and women's swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

#NeverDaunted