Hawaii Wins Big West Swimming Championships – Records Fall!

Hawaii and Grand Canyon University Dominate Big West Swimming Championships

The University of Hawaii secured both the men’s and women’s titles at the Big West Conference Swimming Championships, which concluded February 14, 2026, after four days of competition. Grand Canyon University finished as the runner-up in the men’s competition, while UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara claimed second and third place respectively in the women’s meet. The championships, held in Houston, Texas, saw a series of record-breaking performances and marked a significant milestone for several athletes.

The competition began on Wednesday with UC Santa Barbara setting the pace in the 200-meter medley relay. The team of Hazel Derr, Ashley Ray, Makena Leacox, and Miranda Stevenson clocked a time of 1:37.69. Hawaii responded with a victory in the men’s equivalent, with Karol Ostrowski, Tom Caps, Jack Simon, and Finn Brophy finishing in 1:24.48. UC San Diego demonstrated early strength in the distance events, winning the women’s 800-meter freestyle relay in 7:11.42 with a team comprised of Asia Kozan, Sydney Niles, Sophia Bell, and Edana Huang. Hawaii followed up with a win in the men’s 800-meter freestyle relay, posting a time of 6:23.63 with the team of Adam Zdybel, Regan Richardson, Victor Dagenais, and Tom Thalau.

Thursday’s events saw UC San Diego continue its strong showing. Asia Kozan won the women’s 500-meter freestyle in a championship record time of 4:45.65, while freshman Landon Egeland claimed the men’s race in 4:20.98, also setting a new conference record. Eve Boehlke of UC San Diego further added to the Tritons’ success, winning the 200-meter individual medley in a championship record time of 1:57.43. Hawaii’s Tom Thalau secured a win for the Rainbow Warriors in the men’s 200-meter individual medley, finishing in 1:43.93. The Rainbow Warriors also excelled in the sprint events, with Holly Nelson winning the women’s 50-meter freestyle in 22.28 and Karol Ostrowski taking the men’s title in a new conference championship record time of 19.13. Nelson then contributed to Hawaii’s victory in the 200-meter freestyle relay, alongside teammates Quincy Key, Alexia Kovaluk, and Zofia Tyminska, with a time of 1:29.39 – another championship record. The men’s team of Ostrowski, Brophy, Aleks Tomaszewski and Richardson won the men’s 200 free relay with a time of 1:17.24.

Friday’s competition saw Boehlke continue her impressive form, winning the 100-meter butterfly in a championship record time of 52.79. Cal State Bakersfield secured its first win of the meet with Vili Sivec taking the men’s 100-meter butterfly in 45.91. UC Davis earned its first individual win with Ella Ackerman winning the women’s 400-meter individual medley in 4:15.47, while Thalau secured his second individual race victory for Hawaii in the men’s 400-meter individual medley, finishing in 3:47.09. Kozan added another win for UC San Diego in the women’s 200-meter freestyle, and Dagenais won the men’s 200-meter freestyle for Hawaii in 1:34.77. Chloe Braun of UCSD won the women’s 100 breaststroke in 58.95, while Carter Dooling of Grand Canyon took the men’s title in 52.69. The Tritons continued their success with Maggie O’Connell winning the women’s 100-meter backstroke in 53.81, and Ostrowski winning the men’s 100-meter backstroke in 46.16. The evening concluded with UC San Diego winning the women’s 400-meter medley relay (3:35.48) and Grand Canyon securing its first relay win in the men’s 400-meter medley relay (3:07.69) with the team of Alex Volkov, Dooling, Jasu Ovaskainen, and Guillermo Carrey.

The final day of the championships, Saturday, began with Sydney Wilson of UC San Diego winning the women’s 1650-meter freestyle in 16:36.45, followed by Jacob Pins of Grand Canyon taking the men’s title in 15:17.54. Boehlke continued her record-breaking streak, winning the 200-meter backstroke in 1:56.37. Luigi Franco of UC San Diego secured the men’s 200-meter backstroke title in 1:43.19. Hawaii swept the 100-meter freestyle events, with Holly Nelson winning the women’s race in 48.67 and Karol Ostrowski winning the men’s race in a new conference championship record time of 42.41. Braun won the women’s 200-meter breaststroke in 2:12.19, and Dooling was victorious in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke in 1:54.56. Samantha Banos of UC San Diego won the women’s 200-meter butterfly in 1:56.44, and Sivec secured a sweep of the butterfly events, winning the men’s 200-meter butterfly in 1:42.37. The championships concluded with UC Santa Barbara winning the women’s 400-meter freestyle relay in a conference record time of 3:18.32, and Hawaii winning the men’s 400-meter freestyle relay in a conference record time of 2:52.19.

Final Team Standings

Women’s

1. Hawaii – 798
2. UC Davis – 692
3. UC Santa Barbara – 660
4. UC San Diego – 644
5. San Diego – 350
6. Cal State Bakersfield – 172
7. Seattle U – 157

Men’s

1. Hawaii – 780
2. Grand Canyon University – 728
3. UC San Diego – 571
4. UC Santa Barbara – 568
5. Cal State Bakersfield – 379.5
6. Seattle – 273.5

Carter Dooling of Grand Canyon University achieved a significant milestone during the championships, earning an NCAA Championships bid in the men’s 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:54.56. This marks the first NCAA appearance for a Grand Canyon swimmer since 2019.