The women’s swimming and diving team will go into their next meets with momentum.

No. 20 Minnesota finished in fourth place in the Big Ten Championships on Feb. 18 with the NCAA Championships on the schedule for March 15.

“If you told me we would swim and dive like that I would have thought we would challenge for the title,” head coach Kelly Kremer told the media. “The fact that we were in a tight battle and ended up in fourth speaks to the quality of this conference.”

Senior Yu Zhou earned her third straight Big Ten Diver of the Championships award in her final conference championships. Zhou will attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships at the Zone diving meet on March 6.

“Yu Zhou and the rest of our divers are unreal,” Kremer told reporters. “I’m proud we have a true swimming and diving team.”

Freshman Tevyn Waddell impressed in her first Big Ten Championships, picking up Big Ten Freshman of the Year award for her performance. Waddell claimed first place in the 200-medley relay and backstroke. She also earned second place in the 400-medley relay and third in the 800-free relay.

The Gophers also had five swimmers and divers named All-Big Ten First Team. Sophomore Zoe Avestruz, freshman Lindsey Horejsi, junior Danielle Nack, Zhou and Waddell earned the honor.

The Gophers earned third place in the conference championships last year.

Minnesota moves on the NCAA Zone Diving and then the NCAA Championships.

The team’s 400-relay group qualified for the NCAA championships.

“This quartet of swimmers was awesome this week,” Kremer told the media. “The next stop is NCAAs.”