Knapton, Coffey Make History at NCAAs

Greensboro, N.C. – Nebraska’s Abigail Knapton made history by becoming the first member of the Husker swimming and diving team to capture first-team All-America honors in the same event four times with her eighth-place finish on platform to cap the 2021 NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Knapton, a fifth-year senior from Omaha, earned her fifth career first-team All-America award and her second in the 2021 NCAA Championships with her 276.70 total in the platform finals. It followed an eighth-place finish on the three-meter dive on Friday night. Knapton advanced to finals with a total of 313.05 in the prelims, which sent her to the finals as the No. 2 seed.

“Although a championship alluded her grasp, Abi earned All-America status all four years on the platform, and adding the three-meter dive to that list of accomplishments, makes her the most accomplished Husker diver of all time,” Nebraska Head Coach Pablo Morales said. “I could not be prouder of Abi or diving coach Natasha Chikina’s work in developing her into one of the best divers in the nation and an all-time Husker great.”

Overall, Knapton owns six All-America awards, including first-team All-America accolades on the platform in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Knapton’s 11 points pushed Nebraska’s final team total to 33 for the championships, and propelled the Huskers to a 26th-place team finish. The final team finish for the Big Red marked the best NCAA placing since the 2001 Huskers finished 23rd with 27 points. It also gave Nebraska its highest point total at nationals since 2000.

While Knapton scored 22 points individually for the Huskers and freestyler Autumn Haebig added 11 points with her All-America efforts in the 500 (14th, 3 points) and 200 (9th, 8 points) on Thursday and Friday, distance freestyler Audrey Coffey made Husker history of her own on Saturday.

Coffey smashed a 14-year-old Nebraska record in the 1,650-yard free with a lifetime best of 16:14.19. Coffey’s school-record time pushed her past the previous mark set by Lauren Bailey (16:14.36) and propelled her to a 19th-place finish as she just missed All-America honors of her own. The junior from Naperville, Ill., entered nationals with the 34th-best time in the field, and her new personal-best shattered her own previous career-best 16:18.56 set at the 2020 Big Ten Championships.

 

Haebig also wrapped up her NCAA appearance on Saturday by swimming in the 100 freestyle, where she finished 49th (49.38).

Final NCAA Championship Results

March 17-20, 2021

Greensboro (N.C.) Aquatic Center

1. Virginia – 491

2. NC State – 354

3. Texas – 344.5

4. California – 290

5. Alabama – 266

6. Michigan – 224.5

7. Ohio State – 215.5

8. Georgia – 181

9. Stanford – 159

10. Tennessee – 153

11. Kentucky – 152

12. North Carolina – 144

13. Louisville – 108

14. Texas A&M – 107.5

15. Indiana – 102

16. Northwestern – 96

17. Florida – 84.5

18. Missouri – 79

19. Wisconsin – 61

20. Purdue – 56

21. Virginia Tech – 55

22. USC – 51

23. Miami – 42

24. Minnesota – 40

25. Arizona – 34.5

26. Nebraska – 33

27. Arkansas 26

28. Georgia Tech – 24

29. Notre Dame – 12

T30. LSU – 9

T30. Houston – 9

T32. Florida Gulf Coast

T32. San Diego State

34. Duke – 5

35. Wyoming – 4

36. Akron – 3

T37. Oakland – 1

T37. Navy – 1