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Northwestern Swimming and Diving Dominates UChicago in Return too Competition
Northwestern University’s swimming and diving teams made a resounding statement Saturday, decisively defeating the University of Chicago at the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center. Coming off a training camp in Puerto Rico during the winter break, the Wildcats showcased their readiness wiht a dominant performance on both the men’s and women’s sides.
The Northwestern men’s team secured a 222-76 victory over the No. 25 ranked UChicago squad, while the women’s team triumphed with a score of 247-45 against the No. 21 Maroons. In total, Northwestern swimmers and divers won an notable 29 of the 32 events contested.
Individual Brilliance Shines
Several Northwestern athletes delivered standout performances. Sophomore Joshua Staples significantly improved his time in the 200-yard breaststroke,finishing in 1:54.93 – a personal best that surpassed his previous top time of 1:55.46 set in november against Notre Dame.
On the women’s side, the ‘Cats achieved a clean sweep, winning every event. Graduate student Ekaterina Nikonova excelled, securing first place in both the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle. Sophomore Zoe Nordmann also impressed, winning the 200-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle.
Diving Dominance
Northwestern’s divers also demonstrated extraordinary skill. The women’s team claimed the top five spots in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, with junior Chloe Sharpe scoring 297.53 on the 1-meter board and sophomore Isabella Chen achieving a score of 325.50 on the 3-meter. The men’s diving team mirrored this success,also taking the top five positions in both events. Junior Adam Cohen lead the charge, winning both the 1-meter (385.58) and 3-meter (350.40) competitions.
Relay Success
Northwestern’s relay teams further solidified their dominance. All three of the women’s 200-yard medley relay teams finished first, with the winning A-team – comprised of Nikonova, sophomore Gray Davis, freshman Teya Nikolova, and senior Lindsay Ervin – clocking a time of 1:38.59. Two of the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay teams also secured first and second place in their respective heats.
The men’s 200-yard medley relay team, featuring Staples, junior Stuart Seymour, junior Connor Schuster, and sophomore Oliver Kós, posted the fastest time in their heat at 1:25.15. While UChicago won the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 2:59.11, Northwestern’s team of Schuster, seymour, Kós, and junior Cade Duncan swam a faster time of 2:51.62 but their result was marked as an exhibition swim and excluded from the official standings.
Continuing a Winning Tradition
These results extend Northwestern’s long-standing winning streak against UChicago in dual meets, mirroring the outcome of their previous encounter in 2025, where the Wildcats won 231-63 on the men’s side and 247-50 on the women’s side.
Northwestern will next host Wisconsin’s No. 19 men’s and No. 15 women’s teams for Senior Day at Norris Aquatics Center on January 17.
