University of Illinois
Big Ten Championships
Fighting Illini Gear Up For Big Ten Championships
February 13, 2017 | Swimming & Diving
| Big Ten Swimming & Diving Championships | |
|---|---|
| When | Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 15-18, 2017 |
| Where | Boilermaker Aquatic Center // West Lafayette, Ind. |
| Follow Live | Swim Live Results | Dive Live Results |
| Admission | All-Sessions: Adults - $40; Youth - $25 // BUY |
| Watch |
Wednesday // 5:30 p.m. CT // BTN Plus Sunday (Saturday's finals) // 9:30 a.m. CT // BTN |
| More Info | Championship Central |
Champaign, Ill. - The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team will be back in the pool in West Lafayette, Indiana, for the Big Ten Championships. The event, hosted by Purdue, begins Wednesday, February 15, and will conclude on Saturday, February 18. The first day of competition will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center.
"The team is looking relaxed and they have been training well heading into the conference meet," said head coach Sue Novitsky. "The swimmers and divers are looking for peak performances at this meet."
Illinois will face off against five teams currently ranked in the top-25 nationally (according to the CSCAA poll) including, No. 6 Michigan, No.12 Wisconsin, No. 15 Indiana, No. 20 Minnesota and No. 22 Ohio State. UI did not face regular season action against any of those teams; however, the team did earn a narrow victory of Big Ten Foe, Michigan State back in October.
Senior Gabbie Stecker and junior Samantha Stratford have led the way for the Orange and Blue this season. Stecker holds the top time for the Illini on the season in both the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke, while Stratford holds the spot in three events, including the 200 freestyle, 200 IM and 400 IM. Illinois has also been able to rely on its freshmen this season, as Kristin Anderson, Monica Guyett and Jamie Kolar hold the team's top times in a number of events.
"As a team, we are focusing on improving our average relay placing, increasing the number of top-24 finishers and increasing the number of individual scorers at the meet," said Novitsky. "The second half of the season has been about controlling what you can, staying focused and behind your team and being relaxed and enjoying the moment."
WATCH BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Big Ten Championships will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go. Viewers connected to the internet network of a Big Ten university will have complimentary access to BTN2Go. Fans elsewhere can sign up for the pay-per-view webcasts. Saturday's finals will also be televised on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
Follow the Illini
Check out FIGHTINGILLINI.com for more information about the Orange and Blue. Additionally, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more coverage.
