University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Swim & Dive Captains Announced for 2025-26 Season
7/22/2025 9:48:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Gophers women's and men's swimming and diving programs have selected their 2025-26 captains, director of swimming and diving Kelly Kramer announced Tuesday.
"I am really proud of the culture our student athletes have created here. They genuinely care about one another, and about our team's success," said Kramer. "This group of talented leaders serve as great representatives of Golden Gopher Swimming and Diving, and I look forward to working with them as we set out to accomplish our goals this coming season."
Rising senior Drew Bennett has been given the mantle of captain for the men's diving team. He is joined by juniors-to-be Ryan Slonac and Ian Steffen as the two captains for the swimming squad. The women's team has junior Katie McCarthy and senior Ava Yablonski as its swimming captains. Diver and former national champion Vivi Del Angel rounds out the last of the six first-time captains for Minnesota.
A Madison, Wis., native, Bennett currently ranks fourth in Gopher history for the platform (425.60), seventh in 1-meter (399.95), and ninth in 3-meter (415.15). As a junior, Bennett was an Honorable Mention All-American on platform as well as an Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He also received the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award at the 2025 banquet.
Slonac and Steffen round out the newly-appointed captains for the men's team. Finishing 10th at the Big Ten Championships in the 200 back, Slonac now ranks third in school history in the event (1:42.67). He also holds the seventh spot in the Minnesota history books for 200 IM (1:44.99). Steffen had a strong 2024-25 season as well, finishing 12th at Big Tens in the 200 back (1:42.87), 17th in the 100 back (47.02) and 23rd in the 100 fly (46.91).
Both Slonac and Steffen were awarded 2025 Academic All-Big Ten honors. Slonac received the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award at the 2025 team banquet while Steffen took home the Hardest Worker Award.
A rising senior from Veracruz, Mexico, Del Angel has been named an All-American five times. She holds the honor of becoming the first ever Gopher woman to win a national championship on platform (2024) along with her third-place finishes on platform in 2023 and 2025. She also ranks second in team history for the platform (371.50) and seventh on the 3-meter (367.85).
Del Angel took home 2024 Big Ten Diver of the Year honors and was named Second-Team All-Big Ten. She is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was named Diver of the Year at the 2024 team banquet.
Yablonski holds the school record for the 100 back (51.61), ranks sixth in the 100 fly (52.59), and fourth in the 200 back (1:53.69). At the most recent Big Tens, she finished sixth in the 100 back and 400 free relay (3:14.84), and fifth in the 400 medley relay (3:32.84). She also qualified for her first NCAA Championships in both the 100 back and 200 back.. Yablonski is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a three-time Outstanding Student-Athlete Award winner at team banquets. She has also taken home Most Improved twice (2023, '25) and the W.I.N. (Whatever Is needed) Award last year.
McCarthy finished 10th in the 500 free (4:39.13) and 1650 free at Big Tens ranking her eighth in school history. She also ranks seventh in the Gopher record books for the 1000 free (9:40.68), 400 IM (4:10.36), and 1650 free (16:05.75). McCarthy has qualified for the Olympic Trials twice and placed in the top-eight at U.S. Nationals. She took home the W.I.N. Award at the 2024 team banquet and was named a 2025 Academic All-big Ten honoree, as well. Additionally, McCarthy received both the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award and Hardest Worker at the 2025 team banquet.