The 2026 Big West Swimming & Diving Championships return to CRWC Natatorium on the campus of the University of Houston February 11-14, 2026. Six men’s teams and seven women’s teams including Cal State Bakersfield (men & women), Hawai’i (men & women), UC Davis (women), UC San Diego (men & women) and UC Santa Barbara (men & women) are joined by affiliates Grand Canyon (men), San Diego (women) and Seattle U (men & women) to compete for conference titles in the second year back as a conference-sponsored sport.
In 2025, UC Santa Barbara swept both the men’s and women’s championships. The UC San Diego and Hawai'i women were joined by the Hawai'i and Cal Poly men as team podium finishers in Houston. For the men, it was their 29th Big West crown and the 14th for the women.
All-session tickets, priced at $85 for adults and $35 for students and youth, provide general admission seating for all four days of the event. Single-day passes are $25 for adults and $10 for students and youth. All tickets are subject to processing and handling fees.
The CRWC Natatorium is a completely digital building, so no cash is accepted. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to the event. For additional details
and to purchase tickets, click
HERE.
Digital ticketing for the event will be managed by Big West corporate partner vivenu
, the technology leader in global event ticketing, offering a flexible and advanced ticketing platform tailored to organizers’ brands, sales, and unique business needs.
2025 Big West Men’s and Women’s Divers of the Year, Hawaii’s
Macie Wheeler and
Juan Esteban Ramirez Tamayo return to defend their conference titles. Wheeler earned gold medals in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform diving events while Tamayo took home gold in the 1-meter and platform events.
Men’s and women’s diving team competition begins on Wednesday, February 11, at 12:30 p.m. CT/10:30 a.
m. PT. Championship finals in the 200 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay and men’s 1-meter diving will take place during the evening session beginning at 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT.
Hawaii’s Karol Ostrowski, Big West record holder in the 100 free and a seven-time medalist at last year’s championships highlights the men’s side will be a competitor to watch in 2026. Ostrowski also set school records in the 50 and 100 freestyle at last year’s NCAA Championships. Cal State Bakersfield’s
Vili Sivec, a Big West and Croatian national record holder and GCU’s
Alex Volkov, who has already hit the NCAA cut in the 100 backstroke, also have their sights set on gold in Houston.
UC Santa Barbara’s Samantha Banos, defending conference champion in the 500 freestyle is among those to watch on the women’s side, alongside 2025 Big West Women’s Swimmer of the Year
Asia Kozan. UC San Diego’s Kozan established meet records in the 100 free, 200 and 4oo individual medley and 800 freestyle relay in 2025. She is joined by teammates and Big West record holders
Sophia Bell (1650 freestyle) and
Eva Boehkle (200 backstroke).
Swimming continues Thursday, February 12, with prelims opening the day beginning at 10 a.m. More diving finals will take place in the afternoon with championship finals in the 200 meter individual medley and various freestyle distances (50 m, 500 m, 200 relay) capping the evening session that starts at 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT.
Friday begins again at 10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT with a full slate of prelims, and championships will be contested starting at 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT in every stroke - backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle and medley.
Preliminary action on February 14, the final day of competition, starts at 10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT, with the women's platform diving final midday and a full slate of swimming finals in the 6 o'clock session to crown individual and team champions.
Historically, UC Santa Barbara serves as The Big West powerhouse team capturing 29 men's titles and 14 women's crowns. The Gaucho men claimed 23 straight from 1979-2001. UC Davis (2010 - men & women) and Hawai'i (1987 - women) are also previous Big West title holders.