MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Swimming & Diving Championships are set to return to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota this Wednesday for four days of the 2026 conference championships.
The 2026 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships will begin on Wednesday night with a preliminary round of the men's one-meter diving competition at 6:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:00 p.m.), followed by finals of that event, plus the men's and women's 200-yard medley and 800-yard freestyle relays. Finals will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Morning prelim sessions will be held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, all beginning at 10:30 a.m. (doors open at 9:00 a.m.). The evening championship sessions on those days will all begin at 6:30 p.m. Doors will open on Thursday and Friday at 5:00 p.m. Saturday's mile race will begin roughly 45 minutes after the morning session. The fastest mile heat will begin the Saturday evening session. The aquatic center will be cleared following the mile races, and doors for the evening session will open again at 5:00 p.m. A complete championship schedule can be found here.
ADMISSION INFORMATION
All tickets will once again be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at the venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device at any time, including while at the venue. To purchase tickets at any time, click the MIAC's HomeTown Ticketing site.
"All-session" tickets will grant admission to all seven sessions of the Championships. Adult passes are $73, and student passes are $31. (Note: $3 HomeTown Ticketing fee included; additional convenience and credit card fees will be added during checkout.) Children ages five and under do not require a ticket. Those eligible for student tickets include individuals currently enrolled in college, high school, middle school, and elementary school. Student ID is required where applicable.
Single-session tickets are also available for purchase online only. Single-session adult tickets are $12 each, while student tickets are $6. (Note: additional HomeTown Ticketing convenience and credit card fees will be added during checkout). Children ages five and under do not require a ticket.
As a reminder, glass is strictly prohibited inside the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. Please do not bring any glass water bottles or vases into the venue.
GOING PAPERLESS
Fans will again be able to download heat sheets and other meet information directly from the championship home page to their smart devices or print at home ahead of time. QR codes will be posted at the venue for fans to scan as needed, and links will be updated with the latest information as soon as it is determined after each session.
CHAMPIONSHIP APPAREL
Official championship apparel is available for online purchase via the MIAC Shop powered by UNRestricted MKTG. The online MIAC Shop features officially licensed short-sleeve t-shirts, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts to commemorate the 2026 conference championship meet. Team champion apparel will be added and available for purchase shortly after the meet.
HANDING OUT THE HARDWARE
A short awards ceremony will follow each event during the four evening sessions. The top three finishers in each event, including relays, will be named to the All-Conference Team, while individual finishers #4-6 and relay finisher #4 will receive honorable mention distinction.
Following the 2026 MIAC Championships, conference head coaches will also select the Men's and Women's Swimmers, Divers, Rookies, and Coaches of the Year. Individual awards will be announced at the meet after the final event is completed on Saturday, February 14.
NATIONAL NOTABLES
Carleton senior Hans Anderson (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) recorded the ninth-best 3-meter six-dive score in NCAA Division III this season with 458.45 points at the Rochester Invitational last December.
Gustavus junior Braden Ripken (Blaine, Minn. / Spring Lake Park) ranks tenth in NCAA Division III for the 50 breaststroke this season with a time of 25.35, recorded at the Luther Invitational last November. Ripken also ranks 14th in D-III for the 100 breaststroke (54.73).
Saint John's senior Brayden Slavik (Green Isle, Minn. / Chaska) swam the tenth-fastest 1,650 freestyle time in NCAA Division III this season, touching the wall in 15:43.14 at the Rochester Invitational in December. Slavik also ranks 11th in D-III for the 500 free (4:30.15) and 12th for the 1000 free (9:30.13).
DEFENDING THE CROWN
Gustavus enters the 2026 Championships, having won the MIAC men's crown at each of the previous six conference meets. The Gusties – who finished with a 167-point margin of victory at last year's MIAC Championships – will be looking to extend their streak to seven in a row, which would give Gustavus sole possession of the third-longest conference-meet win streak in recorded MIAC men's swimming & diving history.
Five competitors are also previous MIAC individual champions heading into the 2026 Championships.
Carleton senior Hans Anderson (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) swept the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions at the 2025 MIAC Championships.
Gustavus junior Braden Ripken (Blaine, Minn. / Spring Lake Park) won the 100 breaststroke at the 2025 MIAC Championships.
Macalester sophomore Kean Pajarillaga (Saipan, Marianas Pacific / Grace Christian Academy) won the MIAC title in the 200 backstroke last year on his way to MIAC Rookie of the Year honors.
Saint John's senior Carsten Reuter (St. Cloud, Minn. / St. Cloud Tech) is the reigning MIAC champion in the 50-yard freestyle.
Saint John's senior Brayden Slavik (Green Isle, Minn. / Chaska) is the two-time defending conference champion in both the 1,650 freestyle and the 400 individual medley. Slavik also claimed the MIAC crown in the 500 freestyle last winter.
AROUND THE MIAC
Carleton senior Hans Anderson (Watertown, Minn. / Watertown-Mayer) won the 3-meter competition at the Dodd Road Diving Invite on 2/3. Anderson posted an 11-dive score of 504.70, securing first place by nearly 100 points.
Gustavus first-year Britton Patee (Sioux City, Iowa / Bishop Heelan) picked up four individual event victories and was part of a pair of runner-up relays at the Gustie Challenge on 1/30-31. Patee recorded the top time in the MIAC this season in the 200 butterfly at 1:55.49, in addition to touching the wall first in the 400 individual medley (4:11.93), 500 freestyle (4:49.56), and 1650 freestyle (16:56.67). Patee also helped Gustavus to second-place finishes in the 400 freestyle relay (3:15.65) and 400 medley relay (3:44.28).
Hamline senior Kevin Bossou (Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall) swept the men's diving competitions in the Pipers' dual meet against Minnesota Morris on 11/1. Bossou claimed victory in both the men's 1-meter (348.45) and men's 3-meter (198.45) events.
Macalester senior Dylan Herlihy (Reading, Mass. / Phillips Academy Andover) won both the 1-meter and 3-meter six-dive events at the Dodd Road Diving Invitational on 2/3 with scores of 201.85 and 178.40, respectively.
Saint John's senior Brayden Slavik (Green Isle, Minn. / Chaska) won three individual events, including a pool-record time of 16:10.20 in the 1,650-yard freestyle, in the Johnnies' 157-143 home win over Carleton on 1/24. The previous pool record of 16:23.13 had stood since 2000. Slavik also finished first in the 200-yard backstroke (1:56.32) and 200-yard individual medley (1:57.65). In addition to his individual wins, Slavik swam the final leg of the Johnnies' first-place, 200-yard freestyle relay that won in 1:26.91.
St. Olaf senior Aiden Yung (Duluth, Minn. / Duluth East) recorded first-place finishes in the men's 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.44), men's 200-yard breaststroke (2:13.67), and men's 400-yard individual medley (4:21.84) in the Oles' dual meet at Macalester on 1/17. Yung also swam on the second-place men's 200-yard medley relay team (1:39.74).
FOR THE RECORD
The MIAC Men's Swimming & Diving Record Book contains annual Conference championship information, all-time award winners, MIAC and program record-holders, and more. The information included in the record book is based on available data, and research for additional historical documents is ongoing.