Women's Swimming & Diving | Jan 18, 2026

SAINT LOUIS, Mo., – Omaha Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving returned to competition Jan. 16–17 for their first meet of 2026, sweeping Saint Louis  at the Simon Recreation Center. The men totaled 197 points, while the women collected 245 to secure victories on both sides. 

Saturday's win marked the women's seventh victory in 10 competitions during the 2025–26 season, while the men earned their sixth win in eight meets. Both teams have swept their opponents in each of their last two competitions.
 
Junior swimmer Julia Thomas (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the women, winning all five of her events Saturday to close the meet. Senior Stefan Varga (Stockholm, Sweden) also turned in a strong performance for the Mavericks, claiming three first-place finishes in three of his four events. 

Omaha claimed victories in the relays, winning the women's 200-yard medley relay along with the men's and women's 400-yard freestyle relays. 

In the 1-meter diving event, three Mavericks notched first-place finishes.  

Competing in her first weekend of the season, sophomore Brooke Robbins (Kansas City, Mo.) led the women with a score of 241.25, while senior Bella Price (Minot, N.D.) followed closely with 239.45. On the men's side, sophomore Owen Kipp (Eagan, Minn.) posted a winning score of 295.8. 

"This was a hard fought battle for everyone," said head coach Jessica Hessel. "The team came into their first meet back after break and we have them pretty beat up. The way they pushed past their comfort limits and battled for the wins is promising. It wasn't our fastest meet but most certainly a character win. The coaching staff is very proud of all our athletes." 

"I saw a focused group of divers that were determined to perform well in a different environment," said diving coach Eric Sprague. 
"The women were impressive with their sweeps on both days and all five Omaha divers were within 13 points of each other Friday evening.  It was nice to see Brooke Robbins dive well in her first weekend back into competition and she even picked up the event win for us on Saturday.  The men performed at a high level as well and they had a chance to look at some newer and more difficult dives Saturday. Congratulations to Owen for winning Friday evening's event."

Connect with Omaha Swimming and Diving on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, @OmahaSWM.