Rutgers Shines at Big Ten Championship: A Day of Records and Finals
In Minneapolis, Rutgers swimming and diving made waves during the second day of the Big Ten Championship, with standout performances across the board. The Scarlet Knights celebrated three podium finishes and four finalists, showcasing their growing prowess in the pool.
Anna Vlachou was a star performer, setting a new school record in the 100 butterfly. She clocked a 52.16 in the preliminaries, surpassing the previous record set by Francesca Stoppa in 2019.
Vlachou didn't stop there; she shaved off another hundredth of a second in the finals, touching the wall at 52.15. This NCAA Qualifying time marks the first A Final appearance in the 100 Butterfly for Rutgers since 2019, making Vlachou only the third Scarlet Knight to reach this level in the event.
Ana Hazlehurst also impressed in the 400 IM. She recorded a time of 4:13.88 in the prelims, securing the third-fastest time in Rutgers history.
Hazlehurst advanced to the B Final, where she finished 15th. This marks the second consecutive year Rutgers has had a swimmer in the 400 IM B Final, tying for the program's second-best Big Ten finish in the event.
On the diving front, Katerina Hoffman and Bailee Sturgill showcased their skills in the 1M Dive finals. Hoffman scored 288.90 in the prelims to place third, while Sturgill followed with a seventh-place score of 274.60, both achieving NCAA Qualifying marks.
In the final session, Sturgill maintained her seventh-place finish with a score of 282.00, while Hoffman secured eighth with 280.90. This was Sturgill's second consecutive year finishing seventh in the 1M at the Big Ten Championships, and Hoffman made her first appearance in the finals after placing 11th in last year's consolation final.
Sephora Ford narrowly missed the consolation finals but contributed valuable team points with an 18th place finish.
Rutgers also took to the pool in the 200 Free Relay, with the team of Emilianna Gonzalez, Anna Vlachou, Chiara Alberti, and Ana Hazlehurst finishing 11th with a time of 1:30.61. The Scarlet Knights had additional competitors in the 200 Free and 100 Breast preliminaries, rounding out a day of strong performances.
As it stands, Rutgers holds 171.5 team points, placing them 10th overall. The competition continues on Friday with preliminaries kicking off at 11 a.m.
Eastern Time. Rutgers will look to make further strides in the 100 Back, 200 Breast, 500 Free, 50 Free, and the 3-Meter Dive.
With momentum on their side, the Scarlet Knights are poised for another exciting day of competition.