Huskers Compete in Olympic Trials Wave II

Nebraska swimmers Autumn Haebig and Audrey Coffey completed their participation in U.S. Olympic Trials Wave II at CHI Health Center in Omaha on Tuesday.

Coffey, a junior from Naperville, Illinois, capped off the swims for the Huskers by finishing 24th in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle. A 2020 CSCAA All-American for Nebraska in the 1,650-yard free, Coffey posted a time of 16:56.31 in her 1,500-meter heat on Tuesday in Omaha.

World record holder Katie Ledecky produced the top time in the 1,500-meter prelims with a time of 15:43.10, which was 22.62 off her own world-record time set in Indianapolis in 2018. It was still 13.14 seconds faster than Erica Sullivan’s second-place time in Tuesday’s preliminary heats. The 1,500-meter final is set for Wednesday.

Haebig also competed against Ledecky and the clock on Tuesday morning in the preliminary swims of the 200-meter freestyle. Haebig, a 2021 All-American and Big Ten champion in the 200-yard free, took 44th among the swimmers in Omaha with a time of 2:02.72. Ledecky, the 2016 Gold Medalist at the Rio Olympics in the event, posted the second-fastest time of the heats with a 1:57.58. Leah Smith notched the fastest time at 1:57.52. The women’s 200-meter semifinals will be held Tuesday night in Omaha, while the finals are set for Wednesday.

Haebig, a senior from Grafton, Wisconsin, who is expected to return to the Huskers for her final competitive season in 2021-22, opened Wave II by finishing 57th in the 100-meter backstroke in a time of 1:03.10. The final of the 100-meter back is set for Tuesday evening in Omaha.

Haebig raced against Ledecky’s top time on Monday in the 400-meter freestyle. The two-time Husker All-American finished 43rd in the preliminaries with a time of 4:19.41. Ledecky, the 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist and world record holder in the event, posted a time of 4:01.27 in Monday night’s final. She defeated U.S. teammate Paige Madden by more than three seconds (4:04.86).