Four members of the Nebraska swimming and diving team were named All-Americans by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) on Wednesday, April 7.
Nebraska’s four CSCAA All-America selections included swimmers Madison Coughlen (200 Fly), Autumn Haebig (200 Free) and Audrey Coffey (1,650 Free) and diver Sara Troyer (One-Meter, Three-Meter). The selections marked the first collegiate All-America honors for each of the four Huskers.
Haebig, a junior from Grafton, Wis., qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championships with her school-record time of 1:44.94 in the 200-yard freestyle. Her performance came on the opening leg of NU’s 800 free relay, before she added a 1:44.95 to take ninth individually in the 200 at the Big Ten meet. She was also set to swim in the 100 free and the 500 free at nationals. She finished eighth in the 500 at the Big Ten Championships and added a 16th-place finish in the 100 free in a career-best time of 49.30. Haebig also competed in three events at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
“Autumn really solidified her spot as our most accomplished swimmer,” Morales said. “She means so much to our team, not only as a top performer in her individual events, but also as a leadoff in four of our relays. She had an outstanding season, and we know she will be preparing for a great senior year next season.”
Coughlen, a junior from Frisco, Texas, secured her first berth at nationals with a school-record 1:55.78 in the 200-yard butterfly at the Big Ten Championships. She posted Nebraska’s top individual finish at the conference meet with her sixth-place showing in the event. She was also set to compete in the 400 IM after racing to a career-best 4:13.02 to finish 11th at the Big Ten Championships.
“Madison has learned a lot and fully dedicated herself in all phases of her training,” Morales said. “She met the challenges of her freshman year and learned from them and we started seeing her grow and mature as a sophomore. It really started to come together for her in training this year and she was able to compete at a higher level. As we watched her performances throughout the year, it was like, ‘wow, there is still a lot more here.’ We could see her talent really starting to show, and we know there is a lot more ahead for her.”
Coffey capped Nebraska’s trio of NCAA qualifying swimmers by earning a spot in the 1,650-yard freestyle. The sophomore from Naperville, Ill., raced to an eighth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in a time of 16:18.56 – the second-fastest time in school history. It also represented nearly a 16-second improvement over her time in the same event at the conference meet in 2019. Coffey also shattered the school record in the 1,000-yard free with a time of 9:48.15.
“Audrey was a key part of a great distance freestyle corps that showed great spirit and a great camaraderie, and that helped drive her to even higher levels this season,” Morales said. “She is still learning and working to put together even better races. It was truly exciting to see her growth this year.”
Troyer continued a terrific run of success for Nebraska divers in 2020. The sophomore from Goshen, Ind., earned an NCAA bid by taking fourth in the three-meter dive with a career-best 342.00 in the finals of the NCAA Zone D competition in Dallas, Texas. She was also set to compete on the one meter at nationals. It marked the seventh consecutive season that at least one Husker diver qualified for nationals under the tutelage of Head Diving Coach Natasha Chikina.
Troyer, who took fifth on the three meter and 10th on the one meter at the 2020 Big Ten Championships, earned 10 victories throughout the season. Her emergence as a sophomore could give the Huskers one of the best diving corps in the nation next year with the potential returns of four-time All-American Abi Knapton and 2019 NCAA qualifier Jessica Warak after redshirt seasons in 2019-20.
“Sara is a real gamer and competes well under pressure,” Morales said. “She was awesome at zones, competing and outperforming some of the best divers in the nation. It is a testament to her talent and mental toughness to carry the banner for our divers this year. It is also a tribute to Natasha, who brought her along and helped her lay a foundation to compete in the top echelon at the zone meet.”
Executive Director of the CSCAA, Greg Earhart, said the All-America criteria were adjusted for each division this season due to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
“Despite the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, Coach Morales did a remarkable job this season. These four student-athletes had the rug pulled out from them this season, so we are excited to recognize them.”
Nebraska 2020 CSCAA All-Americans
Audrey Coffey, So. – 1,650 Freestyle
Madison Coughlen, Jr. – 200 Butterfly
Autumn Haebig, Jr. – 200 Freestyle
Sara Troyer, So. – 1-Meter & 3-Meter Dives
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