Four Huskers Set for NCAA Championships

Nebraska swimmers Autumn Haebig and Audrey Coffey and divers Abigail Knapton and Sara Troyer will represent the Huskers at the 2021 NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina, March 17-20. 

Live video streams of the event will be available through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.

The national meet begins with the 800 freestyle relay Wednesday, before individual events take center stage on Thursday. Haebig, a senior from Grafton, Wis., will hit the water for the first time in the 500 freestyle prelims at 9 a.m. The three-time NCAA qualifier in the event (2018, 2020, 2021) will hope to fight for a spot in the finals, which will be held at 5 p.m.

Knapton, a four-time All-American for the Huskers, will also open a busy week of competition by shooting for an All-America award on the one-meter dive. The 2021 Big Ten champion in the event, Knapton took 12th on the one meter last week at the NCAA Zone D Diving meet in Lexington, Ky., to secure a place at nationals. A fifth-year senior from Omaha, Knapton was the 2021 Big Ten Diver of the Meet.

She will be joined in challenging for All-America honors in the one-meter dive by teammate Sara Troyer. The junior from Goshen, Ind., was a 2020 CSCAA All-American on the event. Troyer took third on the one-meter board at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and placed 10th at the 2021 NCAA Zone D Diving competition last week.

On Friday, Haebig returns to the pool to challenge for All-America honors in the 200 freestyle. Haebig raced to the 2021 Big Ten title in a school-record time of 1:44.39 in Minneapolis on Feb. 25. A CSCAA All-American in the event in 2020, Haebig became Nebraska’s first Big Ten swimming champion with her victory. She is a three-time NCAA qualifier in the 200 free (2018, 2020, 2021).

Friday’s diving action will feature Knapton and Troyer battling for All-America honors again on the three-meter dive. Knapton captured honorable-mention All-America accolades with her 15th-place finish on the three-meter in 2019, and was the 2021 Big Ten runner-up. She also took fourth at the 2021 NCAA Zone Championships.

Troyer claimed CSCAA All-America honors as a sophomore in 2020 after finishing fourth at the NCAA Zone Championships. She also finished fifth on the three-meter at the 2020 Big Ten Championships, before adding a 10th-place performance in 2020.

The NCAA Championships conclude Saturday with another busy day for the Big Red. Audrey Coffey will make her NCAA Championship debut in the 1,650 freestyle. The 2020 CSCAA All-American in the event took 10th at the Big Ten Championships in a season-best time of 16:19.73. The junior from Naperville, Ill., hopes to slash her career-best time of 16:18.56.

Haebig also will be back in the water again for the Huskers in the 100 free prelims in the morning, hoping to fight for a spot in the finals. 

The NCAA Championships wrap up Saturday with a potential highlight in the diving well. Knapton, a three-time All-American on platform, will try to become the first Husker diver (or swimmer) in history to become a four-time first-team All-American in the same event. Knapton hopes to contend for a podium finish and a national championship after winning the 2021 Big Ten platform title and taking third at the NCAA Zone D Diving meet. Knapton placed fourth on platform at nationals as a freshman in 2017, before taking fifth as a junior in 2019. She added an eight-place finish as a sophomore in 2018. Knapton redshirted for Nebraska in 2020.

As a team, Head Coach Pablo Morales will be trying to lead Nebraska to its fifth consecutive top-40 finish at the NCAA Championships. The Huskers will be gunning for their best NCAA finish since 2001 when they took 23rd. Most recently, Nebraska finished 33rd at the 2019 NCAA Championships behind a pair of All-America efforts from Knapton (5th, platform; 15th, 3-Meter).

Nebraska at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships

Greensboro (N.C.) Aquatic Center

March 17-20, 2021

Thursday, March 18

500 Free – Prelims (Autumn Haebig) – 9 a.m.

500 Free – Finals – 5 p.m.

1-Meter Diving – Prelims – (Abigail Knapton, Sara Troyer) – 9 a.m.

1-Meter Diving – Finals

Friday, March 19

200 Free – Prelims (Autumn Haebig) – 9 a.m.

200 Free – Finals – 5 p.m.

3-Meter Diving – Prelims (Abigail Knapton, Sara Troyer) – 9 a.m.

3-Meter Diving – Finals – 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 20

1,650 Free (Audrey Coffey) – 9 a.m.

100 Free – Prelims (Autumn Haebig) – 9 a.m.

Platform Diving – Prelims (Abigail Knapton) – 9 a.m.

Platform Diving – Finals – 5 p.m.