7 Races To Watch: Women’s Conference Championships Edition
After months of buildup, we’ve finally arrived.
Championship season has begun in the college swimming world, with the Power 4 conferences’ meets beginning this week. College swimming’s greatest stars and top rivalries will be front and center, a celebration of the sport. In anticipation of the meets, here are five women’s races to watch.
Women’s 200 Breaststroke – ACC Championships
With five of the top-10 women’s teams in the country, the ACC is a powerhouse in women’s college swimming. The 200 breastroke is emblematic of that status, with four of the top five swimmers in the country set to battle for the conference title.
The favorite is the defending NCAA champ. Stanford’s Lucy Bell will attempt to capture her first ACC title after falling to Virginia’s Alex Walsh a year ago. The senior went a best time (2:03.72) in the team’s dual meet against Cal, suggesting she’s prime for a strong swim. She’ll face stout competition, though, with Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley (2:05.25), UVA’s Aimee Canny (2:06.24) and Louisville’s Anastasia Gorbenko (2:06.25) right in the mix.
Women’s 200 Freestyle – Big Ten Championships
Four of the top five swimmers in the country will battle for the Big Ten title in the 200 freestyle, all separated by just less than a second.
Last year’s defending conference champion Stephanie Balduccini (1:41.40) returns to the event for Michigan. She’ll be challenged, however, as USC’s Minna Abraham (1:40.47) is stalking a 1:39 clocking. Michigan’s Bella Sims (1:41.17), the 2024 NCAA champ in the event, could also be in the fold, depending on her choice of events at the meet. Meanwhile, Indiana freshman Liberty Clark (1:41.27) is also expected to be a factor.
Women’s 500 Freestyle – SEC Championships
The distance-freestyle events are undoubtedly strong in the SEC this season. Texas’s Jillian Cox and Georgia’s Kennedi Dobson have been dominant during the 2025-26 campaign, with the top two times in both the 500 and the 1650 freestyles. The 500 distance is where the two are closest, their top times separated by just .04.
Dobson will provide a tough challenge for the defending SEC and NCAA champ in Cox. Will we see a new champion? Or will Cox continue to build her legacy as one of the best college distance swimmers in NCAA history?
Women’s 200 IM – ACC Championships
The 200 IM will similarly be a star-studded showcase in the ACC, just as it has been in previous years. Whether the race features its fullest firepower will depend on if defending NCAA champ Torri Huske decides to contest the event. If she does, Huske will be the favorite, but if she goes another direction, the field remains stacked.
If Huske is absent, Bell will be the favorite in this event. She was the runnerup at last year’s ACC Champs. Less than a second separates her and Cal’s Teagan O’Dell. The swimmers gave us an electric race at this year’s Cal-Stanford meet, posting the top two times in the country, and could deliver again. Gorbenko rounds out the top three, sitting just 0.27 behind O’Dell.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke – SEC Championships
Expect to see plenty of big breaststroke performances out of the ACC meet, but the two most decorated sprint breaststrokers in college swimming will be racing at the SEC meet in Knoxville. Tennessee’s McKenzie Siroky is the highest returning finisher in the 100 breast from last year’s NCAA Championships, and she will hope to have a big performance in her home pool alongside teammate Emelie Fast. But the form swimmer so far this season has been Florida’s Anita Bottazzo, who swam a time of 56.87 at midseason to make her the only swimmer under 57. Texas’ Piper Enge could factor in here as well.
Women’s 100 Backstroke – Big Ten Championships
Entering conference meets, only four women have broken 50 in the 100 back this year. One is defending national champion Claire Curzan, who swims at Virginia, but the other three are Big Ten swimmers who could meet this week. We’ll see whether Sims swims the 100 backstroke at the conference meet; she finished just one hundredth behind Curzan at the 2025 national meet. Indiana’s Miranda Grana and Wisconsin’s Maggie Wazenek are both in the midst of breakout seasons, and they snuck under the elusive 50-second barrier at midseason.
Women’s 100 Butterfly – ACC Championships
While plenty of eyes will be on Cox’s pursuits in the distance events, another star will look to solidify her legacy in the sprint events at ACCs.
Huske, the Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter fly, will attempt to defend her ACC title in the yards event one year after going a personal-best to win the event. Huske could become the second swimmer ever under 48 in the event at either the ACC or NCAA meet. It may take another personal best to recapture the title, thanks to tough competition. Curzan sits just 0.23 behind Huske, and was the runnerup a year ago. The final could also feature Stanford’s Gigi Johnson and Virginia’s Sara Curtis, depending on what races they pick.