Three New NCAA Qualifiers Emerge at Big West Championships

Swimmers from UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships

Apr. 10, 2026 at 9:39am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a swimming race, with overlapping planes of color and form representing the motion and energy of the competition.The Big West Championships showcase the region's swimming talent, with three new NCAA qualifiers emerging from the latest round of competition.San Diego Today

The Big West Championships saw three new swimmers earn automatic NCAA qualifying times on the third night of competition. Cal State Bakersfield's Vili Sivec qualified in the men's 100 butterfly, while UC San Diego's Asia Kozan and Chloe Braun qualified in the women's 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, respectively.

Why it matters

The Big West Conference is a competitive swimming league, and these new qualifiers demonstrate the high level of talent in the region. Earning automatic NCAA bids is a significant achievement that will allow these swimmers to compete against the nation's best at the upcoming NCAA Championships.

The details

Vili Sivec of Cal State Bakersfield won the men's 100 butterfly in 45.91, two-tenths under the NCAA qualifying standard of 46.11. UC San Diego's Asia Kozan qualified in the women's 200 freestyle with a time of 1:45.52, just one-hundredth under the 1:45.53 standard. Chloe Braun of UC San Diego won the women's 100 breaststroke in 58.95, over a second faster than the 1:00.30 qualifying time.

  • On Friday night, three swimmers earned automatic NCAA qualifying times at the Big West Championships.
  • The qualifications follow four other swimmers who earned NCAA bids on Thursday.

The players

Vili Sivec

A swimmer for Cal State Bakersfield who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the men's 100 butterfly.

Asia Kozan

A swimmer for UC San Diego who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the women's 200 freestyle.

Chloe Braun

A swimmer for UC San Diego who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the women's 100 breaststroke.

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The takeaway

The Big West Conference continues to produce top-tier swimming talent, with three more athletes earning automatic bids to the NCAA Championships. These qualifications highlight the competitive nature of the league and the high level of performance from its student-athletes.