Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, January 17
Evanston, Ill.
4 p.m. CT
Northwestern
161
vs
133
Wisconsin
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
‘Cats Split Ranked Meet Against Badgers
1/18/2026 6:20:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
EVANSTON, Ill. - Hosting ranked Wisconsin, the Northwestern swimming and diving teams split their Senior Night meets on Saturday. The No. 25-ranked NU men's team took down the No. 19 Badgers, 161-133, while the No. 22 Wildcat women fell in a tight 154-146 battle to No. 15 Wisconsin.
The Big Ten battle began by celebrating NU's 12 seniors, and was highlighted by setting two men's program records and earning an NCAA qualification for Northwestern's 200-free relay on the women's side.
"I was really proud of how our team competed this Saturday," said director of swimming and diving Rachel Stratton-Mills. "We saw competitive energy and continued improvement across the board. The men delivered an impressive showing, with performances that compete with the best in the Big Ten. Our women also had some strong, successful moments as everyone continues to learn and adjust. It was a gritty conference matchup, and it built some great momentum for us and the remainder of the Big Ten schedule."
Adam Cohen, Cade Duncan and Diego Nosack posted impressive performances, helping lead the men's team to an upset victory. The women's team was headlined by Lindsay Ervin, Ekaterina Nikonova, Audrey Yu and Amy Pan, as they punched their ticket for the NCAA Tournament with a pool record finish.
TEAM SCORES
Women
No. 15 Wisconsin 154 - No. 22 Northwestern 146
Men
No. 25 Northwestern 161 - No. 19 Wisconsin 133
HOW IT HAPPENED
The conference meet began with the 400 medley relays, where Stuart Seymour, Joshua Staples, Connor Schuster and Oliver Kos clocked a 3:05.27 finish, breaking the facility record by over two seconds.
The 'Cats claimed the first sets of dives, as Chloe Sharpe won the 1-meter diving event with a score of 312.30. On the men's side, Cohen broke program and pool records, improving on his own 3-meter diving best with a final score of 409.75. Breaking the school's record, which he set the previous weekend, Cohen continues to raise the bar on the boards.
Sydney Smith set a new pool record with her 1:45.25 time, claiming first in a competitive 200 free finish. In the men's 100 back, Seymour took another win, posting a 45.25 finish. Staples followed with a victory of his own, clocking a 52.18 time in the 100 breast. Hana Shimizu-Bowers won the women's 200 fly with a 1:58.89 finish, while Schuster took first in the men's 50 free in 19.66.
Back on the boards, Sharpe claimed her second win of the day, posting a final score of 304.05 in the 1-meter dives. Ryan Augustine locked in a 382.25 score in the men's 3-meter diving event for first place.
Duncan made waves in the men's 100 free, finishing in 42.31. The personal best, pool and school record, is good for fourth in the Big Ten. Seymour finished close behind teammate Duncan, also beating the facility's best in 42.38.
Nikonova took an individual victory in the women's 100 fly, clocking a 53.28 finish for first. Schuster claimed first in the men's 100 fly, posting a finals time of 46.43. Nosack finished second in the men's 400 IM, but earned a pool record and personal best in 3:45.83.
Closing out the conference clash with the 200 free relays, the 'Cats claimed first for both squads. Women's quartet Ervin, Nikonova, Yu and Pan set a pool record in 1:28.06, also punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament with an A cut time. Their finish was good for third in the Big Ten, while the men's team of Schuster, Seymour, Duncan and Kos clocked a 1:16.98, registering at fourth in the conference. The men's relay team also set a facility best.
UP NEXT
Northwestern stays in Evanston to host Minnesota and Purdue. The 'Cats take on the Gophers and Boilermakers on Friday, Jan. 30, and Saturday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. CT and 11 a.m. CT, respectively.
Saturday split ?????
— Northwestern Swimming & Diving (@NUSwimDive) January 18, 2026
M: 161-133 ??
W: 146-154 pic.twitter.com/KOIzNS38fE
The Big Ten battle began by celebrating NU's 12 seniors, and was highlighted by setting two men's program records and earning an NCAA qualification for Northwestern's 200-free relay on the women's side.
"I was really proud of how our team competed this Saturday," said director of swimming and diving Rachel Stratton-Mills. "We saw competitive energy and continued improvement across the board. The men delivered an impressive showing, with performances that compete with the best in the Big Ten. Our women also had some strong, successful moments as everyone continues to learn and adjust. It was a gritty conference matchup, and it built some great momentum for us and the remainder of the Big Ten schedule."
Adam Cohen, Cade Duncan and Diego Nosack posted impressive performances, helping lead the men's team to an upset victory. The women's team was headlined by Lindsay Ervin, Ekaterina Nikonova, Audrey Yu and Amy Pan, as they punched their ticket for the NCAA Tournament with a pool record finish.
TEAM SCORES
Women
No. 15 Wisconsin 154 - No. 22 Northwestern 146
Men
No. 25 Northwestern 161 - No. 19 Wisconsin 133
HOW IT HAPPENED
The conference meet began with the 400 medley relays, where Stuart Seymour, Joshua Staples, Connor Schuster and Oliver Kos clocked a 3:05.27 finish, breaking the facility record by over two seconds.
The 'Cats claimed the first sets of dives, as Chloe Sharpe won the 1-meter diving event with a score of 312.30. On the men's side, Cohen broke program and pool records, improving on his own 3-meter diving best with a final score of 409.75. Breaking the school's record, which he set the previous weekend, Cohen continues to raise the bar on the boards.
Sydney Smith set a new pool record with her 1:45.25 time, claiming first in a competitive 200 free finish. In the men's 100 back, Seymour took another win, posting a 45.25 finish. Staples followed with a victory of his own, clocking a 52.18 time in the 100 breast. Hana Shimizu-Bowers won the women's 200 fly with a 1:58.89 finish, while Schuster took first in the men's 50 free in 19.66.
Back on the boards, Sharpe claimed her second win of the day, posting a final score of 304.05 in the 1-meter dives. Ryan Augustine locked in a 382.25 score in the men's 3-meter diving event for first place.
Duncan made waves in the men's 100 free, finishing in 42.31. The personal best, pool and school record, is good for fourth in the Big Ten. Seymour finished close behind teammate Duncan, also beating the facility's best in 42.38.
Nikonova took an individual victory in the women's 100 fly, clocking a 53.28 finish for first. Schuster claimed first in the men's 100 fly, posting a finals time of 46.43. Nosack finished second in the men's 400 IM, but earned a pool record and personal best in 3:45.83.
Closing out the conference clash with the 200 free relays, the 'Cats claimed first for both squads. Women's quartet Ervin, Nikonova, Yu and Pan set a pool record in 1:28.06, also punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament with an A cut time. Their finish was good for third in the Big Ten, while the men's team of Schuster, Seymour, Duncan and Kos clocked a 1:16.98, registering at fourth in the conference. The men's relay team also set a facility best.
Senior Day's B1G scenes ????? pic.twitter.com/tV11mrU1Hn
— Northwestern Swimming & Diving (@NUSwimDive) January 18, 2026
UP NEXT
Northwestern stays in Evanston to host Minnesota and Purdue. The 'Cats take on the Gophers and Boilermakers on Friday, Jan. 30, and Saturday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. CT and 11 a.m. CT, respectively.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
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