Huskers Climb to Sixth After Second Day of Big Tens

The Nebraska swimming and diving team finished the Wednesday night races in Minnesota on a great note. The Huskers jumped up from seventh place to sixth place in the Big Ten Championship standings and are set to head into the Thursday morning preliminary races with momentum.

Several Huskers raced in the preliminary races on Wednesday morning, starting with the 200 IM. Gabby Donahue led the way for Nebraska, placing in the top 32, nabbing 32nd place (2:02.05). Berkeley Livingston was the next Husker to finish, grabbing 36th (2:03.24), followed by Madison Coughlen in 43rd (2:04.21). Freshman Sarah Barton and Ella Stein finished back-to-back, taking 51st (2:05.04) and 52nd (2:05.11), respectively. 

In the 50 free, Caitlin Cairns finished first for the Huskers, swimming into a tie for 45th (23.58). Kaitlyn Barth was close behind, finishing in 49th (23.68). Izzy Murray grabbed 84th place (24.97) and Gabby Donahue took 95th (30.84) to round out the event for Nebraska.

The best event of the day came from the swimmers in the 500 free. Senior captain Autumn Haebig made her way into the A-Final with the eighth best time in the prelims (4:45.80). The time also qualified her for a potential NCAA championships bid, securing a B-cut time. Audrey Coffey finished in 14th (4:47.92), placing her in the B-Final races and just seconds away from a B-cut time. Kim Lanaghen and Maggie Berning both had great performances to round out the final races in the 500 free, with Lanaghen securing 18th (4:49.11) and Berning grabbing 21st (4:50.57).

Shannon Stott and Katelyn Kilpatrick both swam good times, finishing right behind one another in the event. Stott swam to a 32nd place finish (4:53.33), while Kilpatrick took 33rd (4:53.63). Molly Rosenthal finished in 43rd (4:55.75) for the Huskers, while Taylor Acheson rounded out the event in 46th (4:56.89).

The final races began at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. Four Huskers appeared in the 500 freestyle and performed successfully. Autumn Haebig swam the best race of the night, improving on her eighth place finish from the preliminaries, to fifth place overall. Haebig’s time of 4:43.30 would have been a school-record, had she not already secured it from a season ago (4:41.83). She helped Nebraska receive 25 points to the team total. 

Audrey Coffey swam another good race, capturing 13th overall and improving on her time from the race prior, with a new time of 4:47.71. Coffey’s time shoots her up to seventh on the all-time record place in the 500 free, squeezing in between Kate Wheeler and Jackie Lobdell. Coffey’s swim awarded Nebraska with 14 points.

Kim Lanaghen and Maggie Berning took of in the C-final, finishing a neck-and-neck race. Lanaghen edged out Berning for 20th place (4:50.38), while Berning came right behind in 21st (4:50.52). The two races gave Nebraska five and four points to round out the event.

The final event of the night came from the 400 medley relay, where the Huskers came in eighth place. The swimmers for Nebraska included Madesyn Ronquillio, who started the race, followed by Ella Stein, Izzy Murray and finished with Lexi Kucera. The race garnered 44 points for Nebraska to cap off a great night in the pool.

In the Big Ten standings, Nebraska is in sixth place, which would be the best finish in their Big Ten history if it stands. Ohio State separated from Michigan, leading the conference with 526 points. Michigan is in second with 358.5, followed by Indiana, who rocketed up to third with 310.5 points. Northwestern sits in fourth place with 258, while Wisconsin is in fifth with 237.

Iowa sits closely behind Nebraska in seventh with 169, followed by Minnesota (164), Penn State (149), Purdue (120), Michigan State (104), Illinois (96) and Rutgers (30).

Events will continue on the Big Ten’s third day of competition tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m.

The Husker diving team will also begin action tomorrow in West Lafayette, Indiana as Purdue hosts the diving portion of the Big Ten Championships. The first day consists of the 3-meter dive, with the prelims beginning at 11:20 a.m., followed by the consolation dives at 2:05 p.m. and the final dives at 6:40 p.m.