IOWA CITY, Iowa. - Wednesday night marked the start of the 2020 Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships and the Illini produced right out of the gate, as the 200 medley relay team tied for the fourth fastest time in program history. Redshirt senior Aby Olson led the way in the event, as the Loves Park, Ill., native swam the fourth fastest 50 backstroke in school history with the leadoff split of :25.31. After day one, Illinois sits in 12th place with a point total of 58. 

"Overall, we were not very clean with our details tonight," said head coach Sue Novitsky. "Aby Olson slipped into her start and didn't hit turns cleanly costing us time.  We did have some bright spots even though she slipped on her start. Aby showed some speed, Kristin Anderson swam the fourth fastest 50 free split in school history and Abby Cabush had a lifetime best in the 200.  As a team we have to be more relaxed, focused, in the present and willing to act when they step up on the blocks."

In addition to Olson's split time, senior Kristin Anderson swam the fourth-fastest 50 freestyle in school history with a split time of :22.74. The 200 medley relay team of Olson, freshman Divya Kale, senior Rebecca Corzine and Anderson, combined for a time of 1:41.39, to tie for the fourth fastest relay time of all time and making it a season best. The relay team placed 12th in the event.

The other event of the night was the 800 freestyle relay membered by sophomore Abigail Cabush, freshman Athena Salafatinos, freshman Hannah Aegerter and junior Jimena Martinez. Cabush became the 10th fastest individual in program history in the 200 freestyle, swimming a leadoff time of 1:49.51. The members combined for a time of 7:27.10 to place 13th in the event.

With three days still to go, Michigan leads the way with 118 points, followed by Ohio State (112), Wisconsin (108), Northwestern (102), Minnesota (98), Purdue (92), Iowa (92), Penn State (84), Michigan State (76), Nebraska (72), and Rutgers (66). Indiana rounds out the group with a one-day total of 50.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, Feb. 20 (Preliminaries at 10 a.m., Finals at 6:30 p.m.)
500-yard Freestyle
200-yard Individual Medley
50-yard Freestyle
One-Meter Diving (1 p.m.)
400-yard Medley Relay (Heat 1 & Heat 2)

Friday, Feb. 21 (Preliminaries at 10 a.m., Finals at 6:30 p.m.)
100-yard Butterfly
400-yard Individual Medley
200-yard Freestyle
100-yard Breaststroke
100-yard Backstroke
Three-Meter Diving (1 p.m.)
200-yard Freestyle Relay (Heat 1 & Heat 2)

Saturday, Feb. 22 (Preliminaries at 10 a.m., Finals at 6:30 p.m.)
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
Platform Diving (1 p.m.)
1,650-yard Freestyle (4:15 p.m.)
400-yard Freestyle Relay (Heat 1 & Heat 2)

Scoring Format
A Final Scoring: 32-28-27-26-25-24-23-22
B Final Scoring: 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11
C Final Scoring: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Relay Scoring: 64-56-54-52-50-48-46-44-40-34-32-30-28

Note: Only A & B finals (championship & consolation) will be contested in the diving events.

Watch the Championships 

The Big Ten Championships will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go. Complimentary access to BTN2Go is available to viewers connected to the internet network of a Big Ten university. Fans elsewhere can sign up for the pay-per-view webcasts.

Follow the Illini 

Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini Swimming and Diving. Follow the Orange and Blue on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for even more coverage.