Minnesota Men’s Swimming and Diving Excel at Big Ten Championships
MADISON, WIS. – The University of Minnesota men’s swimming and diving team continued to impress at the 2026 Big Ten Championships, securing podium finishes and breaking school records at the Soderholm Family Aquatic Center.
Bennett Secures Second Podium Finish
Drew Bennett earned his second consecutive podium finish, taking third place on the 3-meter springboard with a score of 388.35. Braylon Goodno followed closely behind, achieving a personal best and finishing fourth overall with a score of 327.55.
School Records Fall
Davide Harabagiu led the Gophers’ record-breaking performance, shattering the school record in the 100 backstroke during the preliminary round with an NCAA qualifying time of 46.25. He later finished 19th overall in the event with a time of 46.39 in the “C” finals.
Strong Performances and NCAA Qualifying Times
Joe Polyak too achieved an NCAA qualifying mark and personal best in the 200 breaststroke, clocking in at 1:52.58 in the preliminary round. He finished sixth overall in the “A” finals with a time of 1:53.05, even as John Watson posted a personal best and NCAA qualifying time of 1:54.20 in the “C” final.
Personal Bests in Freestyle Events
Luke Brennan secured seventh place in the 500 freestyle, achieving a personal best and NCAA qualifying time of 4:16.36. Daniel Eichel finished 14th with a time of 4:19.06, and Ethan Schutten recorded a personal best of 4:20.43 for a 21st-place finish.
Relay Performance
The Gophers concluded the night with an eighth-place finish in the 400 medley relay, posting a total time of 3:06.61. Harabagiu led off with a split of 46.27, followed by Polyak (52.21), Jacob Johnson (44.75), and Ian Steffen (43.38).
Team Standings
The University of Minnesota currently sits in eighth place in the team standings with a score of 430 points. Indiana University leads the competition with 1061.5 points.
Looking Ahead
The final day of the 2026 Men’s Big Ten Championships is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM tomorrow.