Five All-Americans Lead Huskers into 2021

The unexpected redshirting of the most successful diver in school history and another NCAA-qualifying diver from 2018-19 could not prevent the Nebraska swimming and diving program from continuing to build momentum in 2019-20.

In fact, a world-wide pandemic that prevented a trio of young Husker swimmers and another diver from competing at the 2020 NCAA Championships, could not hold Nebraska back from its steady march to regaining national prominence.

When the dust settled from one of the strangest seasons in college athletics in more than a century, the Husker swimming and diving program emerged ready to potentially produce its best season in two decades in 2020-21.

Although the pandemic has continued to force adjustments to sports around the globe, including the NCAA Division I swimming and diving season, the Huskers are still hungry to compete.

As Nebraska enters its 20th season under legendary Olympic swimmer Pablo Morales, the Huskers are expected to return three 2020 NCAA qualifiers in the pool and three divers who have previously qualified for the NCAA Championships.

While Nebraska’s diving corps led by four-time All-American Abi Knapton, two-time All-American Sara Troyer, and 2019 NCAA qualifier Jessica Warak, could make up the best group in school history, the Huskers also return three swimmers who qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships and earned All-America honors of their own.

“On paper, we have the potential to accomplish some special things individually and as a team this season,” Morales said. “However, we know there are going to be some special challenges in both training and competition created by the coronavirus. It is going to take some outstanding leadership to train at a really high level while also remaining flexible to unexpected circumstances that could be completely out of our control. Luckily, I feel like we have some great leaders with great experience on this team.” 

Nebraska’s potential in the diving well starts with Knapton, who will try to become the first swimmer or diver in school history to earn first-team All-America honors four times in the same event (platform). An honorable-mention All-American on the three-meter board in 2019, Knapton also finished in the top eight on all three dives at the 2019 Big Ten Championships.

Troyer, who earned All-America honors in the one meter and three-meter dives as a sophomore in 2020, added a top-eight finish on the three meter at the 2020 Big Ten Championships and a 10th-place finish on the one-meter board at the conference meet.

While Knapton and Troyer have combined for six All-America awards, Warak finished 22nd on platform as a true freshman at the 2019 NCAA Championships, after posting top-20 finishes in all three diving events at her first Big Ten Championships.

Nebraska’s six-person diving corps is strengthened by junior Hallie Roman, who took 15th on platform at the 2020 Big Ten Championships. Senior Grace Tiernon adds leadership and experience, while redshirt freshman Reagan Hinze has the potential to make a name for herself in the well in 2020-21.

While Head Diving Coach Natasha Chikina has potentially her best corps in 15 seasons leading the Husker divers, Morales and Associate Head Coach Patrick Rowan have their most talented and deepest group of swimmers.

Senior captain Autumn Haebig (Grafton, Wis.), a CSCAA All-American in the 200 freestyle, joins fellow 2020 All-Americans Audrey Coffey (1,650 free) and Madison Coughlen (200 fly) in powering the Husker swimmers.

Haebig, who also qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championships in the 200 and 500 free and the 100 backstroke, owns Nebraska school records in the 100 back (52.29), 200 free (1:44.94) and 500 free (4:41.83).

As a freshman in 2018, Haebig qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 backstroke and the 200 and 500 freestyles. She has produced top-18 finishes in all three events at each of the past three Big Ten Championships.

Haebig has also qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials in the 100-meter back, 200-meter freestyle and 400 freestyle. Her times in the 100 back (1:01.91) and the 400 free (4:14.96) are both long course school records.

A workhouse for the Huskers, Haebig also swam legs on Nebraska’s 400 and 800 free relays and 200 and 400 medley relays at the 2020 Big Ten Championships.

While Haebig continued to elevate her impressive career in 2020, Coffey and Coughlen produced breakthrough campaigns.

Coughlen, a 2021 senior from Frisco, Texas,  smashed the school record with her time of 1:55.78 in the 200 fly and captured CSCAA All-America honors. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 200 fly and 400 IM after finishing sixth in the 200 fly at the 2020 Big Ten Championships. In addition to posting Nebraska’s top times in both the 200 IM (2:02.91) and 400 IM (4:13.02), Coughlen also competed for the Huskers in the 800 free relay and the 400 medley relay at the Big Ten meet.

As a sophomore in 2020, Coffey became a force for the Huskers. After setting a long-course school record in the 1,500 meter (16:48.76) at Speedo Summer Sectionals in Jenks, Okla., in 2019, Coffey earned a spot in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.

She continued to race to faster times in the distance freestyle events throughout the season, culminating with a school-record 1,000-yard split of 9:48.15. She punched her ticket to the 2020 NCAA Championships with an eighth-place finish in the 1,650 free at the Big Ten Championships.  Her personal-record 1,650 free time of 16:18.56 was nearly 16 seconds faster than her best mark as a freshman, and earned her 2020 CSCAA All-America honors.

In addition to the Big Red’s returning All-Americans in the pool, the Huskers have several senior swimmers capable of taking their performances to the national level.

Senior Izzie Murray, a team co-captain as a junior, could hunt for a spot at nationals while being a leader at the conference level. Murray is expected to join Coughlen in competing for All-Big Ten honors in the 200 fly. Both have finished in the top eight in the Big Ten and own the top two times in school history in the event. Murray also held NU’s top time in the 100 fly last season, finishing in the top 24 at the Big Ten meet.

Rachel Powers, a 2021 senior from Sun Prairie, Wis., also has produced impressive gains during her career in the distance freestyle events. Powers finished 15th (16:36.40) at the 2020 Big Ten Championships, slashing nearly 13 seconds off her previous career best.

Junior Katelyn Kilpatrick (21st), sophomore Molly Rosenthal (24th) and junior Maggie Berning (28th) add to a deep and hard-working group of Huskers who could be in position to score at the Big Ten meet in the 1,650 free.

Senior Jessica Pentlarge, who posted Nebraska’s top returning time (2:00.05) in the 200 backstroke last year, could be in position to help the Huskers at the 2021 Big Ten meet.

Pentlarge and fellow backstroker Autumn Haebig also will gain an accomplished training partner in Madesyn Ronquillio. The junior transfer from Boise State was an All-Mountain West Conference performer in both the 100 (8th) and 200 backstrokes (5th) last season. Her personal-best time of 54.09 in the 100 back last season was just 0.8 seconds off Haebig’s top time in 2020. Ronquillio’s top time in the 200 back (1:57.55) was 2.30 faster than NU’s best time last season and would have been good for a top-16 finish at the 2020 Big Ten Championships.

Ronquillio and American Athletic All-Conference swimmer Shannon Stott could also add talented competitors in the butterfly events for the Huskers, alongside Murray, Coughlen and sophomores Kaitlyn Barth and Kimberly Lanaghen. Stott, who transferred from East Carolina after the Pirates dropped their program, finished third in the 200 fly at the 200 AAC meet with a career-best time of 1:58.51. That time would have been NU’s second-fastest in 2020 behind only the All-American Coughlen. It also would have been a top-16 time in the Big Ten. Overall, Stott produced six top-16 individual finishes in just two seasons at the AAC meet.

Barth posted Nebraska’s No. 2 time in the 100 fly (54.67) last season, while adding the Huskers’ top time in the 50 free (23.58). The six-time Wisconsin state champion could be poised for significant gains in her second season.

Lanaghen posted NU’s No. 4 times in both the 100 and 200 fly last year, including a 27th-place finish in the 200 fly at the Big Ten Championships.

Another sophomore, three-time Nebraska state champion Berkeley Livingston, could be ready for significant gains in her second season. Livingston clocked Nebraska’s No. 2 time in the 400 IM (4:19.80) last season, while adding NU’s No. 3 time in the 200 IM (2:04.22). She could be in position to score for the Huskers in both events at the 2021 Big Ten meet.

While Nebraska returns its most talented and deepest group of swimmers in recent years, the Huskers also feature a class of four true freshmen scholarship swimmers who could be asked to make immediate contributions.

Freshman breaststroker Ella Stein could help fill the void left by the graduations of NU’s top 2020 breaststrokers Tori Beeler and Gwen Worlton.

Stein (Hudson, Wis.) swam a career-best of 1:02.98 in the 100 breast on her way to a third-place finish at the 2020 Minnesota Senior State Championships. Stein will also own Nebraska’s best time (2:16.90) in the 200 breast as she enters the Husker program.

Sarah Barton, a freshman from Huntersville, N.C., may help replace Beeler’s 2020 contributions in the individual medley events. Barton owns a top time of 2:03.55 in the 200 IM, which trails only Coughlen among returning Huskers. Barton’s best time of 4:29.03 in the 400 IM trails only Coughlen and Livingston among returning NU swimmers.  However, Barton’s greatest impact could come in the 200 back, where her career-best time of 1:58.79 would have led the Huskers a year ago. Her 100 back time of of 56.57 trails only Haebig among returning Huskers and puts Barton in position to push Ronquillio and Haebig in training.

Caitlyn Cairns could also make an instant impact in the sprint freestyle events and relays. Cairns captured the 2020 Colorado High School Class 3A state title in the 50 free in a career-best 23.09, which would have been Nebraska’s top time in 2020. She added a second state championship in the 100 fly while posting a career-best 55.17, which would have been NU’s No. 4 time last season. Cairns’ career-best 51.18 in the 100 free trails only Haebig among returning Huskers.

Lexi Kucera, who was the Minnesota State High School Class A champion in the 100 fly in 2019, could also help Cairns form the future of the Huskers in the event. Kucera owns a career-best 55.57 in the 100 fly. She also carries a career best of 50.99 in the 100 free, which trails only Haebig among returning Huskers. Kucera’s career-best 1:50.18 in the 200 free would have been among NU’s top five last season in the event.