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Six Gophers Ready for 2025 Women’s NCAA Championships
3/19/2025 3:45:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS - Gopher swimmers Eliot Kennedy, Katie McCarthy, Ava Yablonski, and divers Vivi Del Angel, Elna Widerstrom, and Addie Albrecht will represent the University of Minnesota at the 2024 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in Federal Way, Wash. Minnesota is set to compete on March 20-22.
Washington State University will serve as host of the 2025 NCAA Championships. The meet will be held at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center. Members of the Gophers will participate Thursday through Saturday, with prelims starting at 12 p.m. CT and finals at 8 p.m. CT each day. ESPN+ will be streaming each session.
Fifth-year swimmer Eliot Kennedy, set to make back-to-back NCAA Championships appearances, will swim in the 500 free and 1650 free. Kennedy set a new personal bests in both events at the Big Ten Championships. In the 500 free, she recorded a time of 4:39.82, finishing 8th. In the 1650 free, her time of 15:54.05 earned a third place finish, shattering her seed time by around 14 seconds.
Sophomore swimmer Katie McCarthy, securing a spot in her second NCAA Championships, will also take part in the 500 free and 1650 free, as well as the 400 IM. At the Big Ten Championships, she set a PR in the 500 free with a time of 4:40.44. McCarthy also clinched a personal best at the Last Chance Meet in Madison, Wisc., recording a time of 16:05.75 in the 1650 free.
Junior swimmer Ava Yablonski will compete in the 100 back and 200 back for her debut NCAA Championships appearance. Yablonski twice set a new school record in the 100 back during the Big Ten Championships, first notching a 51.63 in prelims before reaching 51.61 in the opening split of the 400 medley relay finals. She clinched a podium finish in both the 100 back and 400 medley relay. Yablonski also set a new personal record in the 200 back finals at this season's Big Tens, recording a time of 1:53.69, which placed her tenth.
Junior diver Vivi Del Angel will make her third NCAAs appearance, competing in the 1-meter, 3-meter, and platform events. The reigning platform national champion earned a silver medal in platform at the 2025 Big Ten Championships, and was named Second-Team All-Big Ten for the second-straight year.
Sophomore diver Elna Widerstrom is set for her second appearance in the NCAA Championships, scheduled to dive in the 1-meter after placing sixth in the event at the Zone Diving Championships. Widerstrom earned All-American honors after placing sixth in last season's NCAA 1-meter with a score of 293.65.
Junior diver Addie Albrecht, competing for the second time in NCAA Championships, will dive in the 1-meter after placing eighth in the Zone Diving Championships. Last season, Albrecht placed 38th in the same event with a score of 241.60.
Thursday, March 20
500 free: Eliot Kennedy, Katie McCarthy
1-meter diving: Vivi Del Angel, Elna Widerstrom, Addie Albrecht
Friday, March 21
100 back: Ava Yablonski
400 IM: Katie McCarthy
3-meter diving: Vivi Del Angel
Saturday, March 22
1650 free: Eliot Kennedy, Katie McCarthy
200 back: Ava Yablonski
Platform diving: Vivi Del Angel
For more information on the Gopher swimming and diving program, fans can continue to use GopherSports.com, as well as follow the teams on X, Instagram, and Facebook.