Boilers Qualify for NCAAs with Record-Setting Relay

MADISON, Wis. – Purdue Men’s Swimming & Diving opened the Big Ten Championships on Wednesday with a record-setting showing, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 200 medley relay while smashing the team benchmark by 0.72 hundredths of a second.

The Boilermakers eclipsed their team record that had stood since the 2021 Big Ten Championships. Alex Hotta, Lucas Byrd, Nathaniel Thomas and Jānis Dzirkalis teamed up for a time of 1:23.10 that doubled as an automatic NCAA Championships qualifying standard (A Cut), assuring Purdue of a berth at the national championship meet in Atlanta. The 2022 season marked the last time Purdue qualified relays for NCAAs.

Dzirkalis closed the race with an event-best 50 freestyle split of 18.41, the fastest 50 ever by a Boilermaker. Two-time Olympian Nikola Acin’s 18.59 on the anchor leg of the record-setting 200 medley relay at the 2021 Big Ten Championships was the previous benchmark, also helping Purdue achieve an A Cut in the event.

Purdue’s 2021 and 2026 200 medley relay quartets each finished fourth at the uber-fast Big Ten Championships.

The Boilermakers also posted the second-fastest time (6:22.82) in team history in the 800 free relay Wednesday. Evan Mackesy, Biko Hooper-Haviland, Dylan Burau and Alexander Cole teamed up for the event. Mackesy swam on the 800 relay at Big Tens for the second year in a row, moving from the anchor leg to the leadoff leg this season.

In the dive well, Nathaniel Grannis, Tyler Wills and Holden Higbie teamed up to for a victory in the exhibition team diving event. The Purdue men were victorious in team diving at Big Tens for the second time in three years, with Higbie part of both trios. Grannis’ score of 79.20 on his back 3 ½ off 10-meter (207C) was the top-scoring dive of the competition. The Boilermakers were victorious by 20 points.

The Purdue men have set at least one relay record at Big Tens in four of the last six seasons dating back to 2021.

The Big Ten Championships continue Thursday with swimming prelims at 11 a.m. ET, 1-meter diving prelims at 1 p.m. ET and the finals session at 6 p.m. ET.

OPENING NIGHT AT THE 2026 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
(A) – NCAA Automatic Qualifying Time

200 Medley Relay
Hotta, Byrd, Thomas & Dzirkalis, 1:23.10 (A) – Finished 4th (52 Points); PURDUE RECORD
Dzirkalis’ anchor leg split of 18.41 was fastest 50 free in the event
800 Free Relay
Mackesy, Hooper-Haviland, Burau & Cole, 6:22.82 – Finished 8th (44 Points); 2nd Fastest in Team History
Team Diving
Higbie (3M), Grannis (1M, 10M) & Wills (1M, 10M), 387.40 – Event Winner

TEAM SCORES THRU WEDNESDAY
1.) #12 Michigan 116
2.) #11 Ohio State 114
3.) #3 Indiana 110
4.) #24 Wisconsin 102
5.) #19 Northwestern 100
6.) #15 USC 98
7.) Purdue 96
8.) Minnesota 92
9.) Penn State 40