Peplowski Captures 200-Yard Freestyle National Title

Friday, March 21

Federal Way, Wash.

9 p.m.

Indiana University

NCAA Championships - Finals

Peplowski Captures 200-Yard Freestyle National Title

3/22/2025 2:59:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving

Results (PDF)

Hoosiers Rise to Fourth at NCAA Championships

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Indiana senior Anna Peplowski captured her first-career NCAA national championship in the 200-yard freestyle Friday (March 21) at the 2025 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

Peplowski out-touched USC senior Minna Abraham by six hundredths of a second with a time of 1:40.50. That time ranks No. 7 all-time, as Peplowski broke her own Big Ten and program record (1:40.69).

Peplowski's title comes as Indiana's first-ever women's freestyle championship. It's also Indiana's first women's title since Tarrin Gilliland repeated as platform champion in 2022 as well as its first women's swimming title since Lilly King captured four straight in both the 100 and 200 breast from 2016-19. The IU women's program has won 19 championships overall.

Michigan sophomore Stephanie Balduccini led the race through 150 yards with Peplowski and Abraham even at a 1:14.94 split. The senior – who finished third to Balduccini and Abraham at the Big Ten Championships – wouldn't be denied her first NCAA title, splitting 25.56 in the final 50 to Abraham's 25.62 and Balduccini's 26.22.

Peplowski's title was Indiana's first of three medals and four program records Friday night. The Hoosiers jumped into fourth place with 209 points going into the final day of competition Saturday. Indiana has never finished better than seventh at a women's NCAA Championships.

"What a fantastic evening for the Hoosiers," IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. "I am so proud of our courageous women. From Anna Peplowski's first national title to Miranda Grana's amazing triple, our team is digging deep for 'Hoosier Nation.' We loved the way the team finished off the session with an outstanding 400 medley relay! More fun to come tomorrow!"

Sophomore Miranda Grana put together one of the more miraculous feats of the night, swimming three different events in which she finished top four and established a program record in all three. Individually, Grana took on the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke double with great success:

Grana's fourth-place finish in the 100 fly is the best in program history as she broke Gia Dalesandro's eight-year-old program record (prev. 50.45) with a 50.01, dropping her personal best time by 78 hundredths of a second.

Grana then became the first Hoosier to break the 50-second barrier in the 100-yard backstroke, taking bronze with a program record 49.62, 61 hundredths better than her prelim 50.23 that tied teammate Kacey McKenna's previous school standard.

Prior to February 2024, no IU women's swimmer had ever recorded a sub-51-second 100-yard backstroke. On March 21, 2025, Grana (49.62), McKenna (50.23) and junior Mya DeWitt (50.78) all have personal best times under 51 seconds.

DeWitt's best time came in prelims as all three Hoosiers qualified for 100 back finals Friday, but she nearly matched it with a 50.79 leadoff for Indiana's historic 400-yard medley relay that ended the evening. The Hoosiers finished fourth with a program record 3:25.83 from DeWitt, senior Brearna Crawford (58.08), Grana's third swim of the night (49.62) and junior Kristina Paegle (47.34). Indiana has finished top 10 nationally in every relay this week, with only the 400-yard freestyle relay awaiting Saturday.

Senior Skyler Liu earned Indiana's eighth diving medal since 2019 – Hoosier divers have medaled at six consecutive NCAA Championships – with her bronze medal performance on the 3-meter springboard. Liu executed five 3.00 degree-of-difficulty (or harder) dives for at least 60 points and finished with a score of 382.35, just five points out of second and seven points away from a title. The senior is also a two-time Big Ten Champion in the event.

RESULTS
100 BUTTERFLY
4. Miranda Grana – 50.01 (All-America, Program Record, Career Best)

200 FREESTYLE
1. Anna Peplowski – 1:40.50 (NCAA Champion, All-America, Big Ten Record, Program Record, Career Best)

100 BACKSTROKE
3. Miranda Grana – 49.62 (NCAA Bronze, All-America, Program Record, Career Best)
13. Kacey McKenna – 50.92 (Second-team All-America)
14. Mya DeWitt – 51.18 (Second-team All-America)

3-METER DIVING
3. Skyler Liu – 382.35 (NCAA Bronze, All-America)
14. Lily Witte – 324.45 (Second-team All-America)

400 MEDLEY RELAY
4. Mya DeWitt, Brearna Crawford, Miranda Grana, Kristina Paegle – 3:25.83 (All-America, Program Record)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS
Brearna Crawford – 200 medley relay*, 400 medley relay
Mya DeWitt – 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*, 400 medley relay
Ching Hwee Gan – 500 freestyle
Miranda Grana – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 400 medley relay
Skyler Liu – 3-meter
Kacey McKenna – 200 medley relay*, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke*
Kristina Paegle – 200 medley relay*, 800 freestyle relay, 50 freestyle*, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay
Anna Peplowski – 800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle
Ella Roselli – 1-meter*
Reese Tiltmann – 800 freestyle
Lily Witte – 3-meter*
* - Denotes second-team honoree

UP NEXT
Saturday marks the final day of the 2025 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships as the Hoosiers look to lock down a program record finish.

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