The most decorated diver in Nebraska history, Abigail Knapton made history again on Friday, Aug. 6, when she was named a first-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Knapton, a fifth-year senior from Omaha, became the first women’s swimmer or diver in school history to capture All-America honors both in competition and in the classroom. She is the fourth CoSIDA Academic All-American in the history of the Husker swimming and diving program and just the second first-team CoSIDA honoree, joining fellow diver Courtney Jensen (2000). Knapton is the second Husker in the past three seasons to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, joining second-team honoree Lindsay Helferich in 2019.
A first-team All-American in both the platform and three-meter springboard with eighth-place finishes at the 2021 NCAA Championships. Knapton is the first Husker diver or swimmer ever to be a four-time first-team All-American in the same event (platform). A six-time All-American overall, she was a five-time first-team All-American including her performance on the three-meter dive at the 2021 NCAA meet.
At the 2021 Big Ten Diving Championships, Knapton rewrote Husker history by becoming the first Nebraska diver to win a Big Ten title, capturing the platform crown with a total of 343.55 – the second-best score of her career. One day later, she added a second Big Ten championship by winning the one-meter competition with a career-best score in the finals of 339.15. Her winning performances, along with a runner-up finish on the three-meter event (career-best 372.20) on the opening day of competition, earned Knapton Big Ten Diver-of-the-Meet honors.
Not only did Knapton become Nebraska’s first Big Ten Diver of the Meet, she was the first Husker diver to claim a conference title since Julie Grimmer won the three-meter championship at the 1995 Big Eight Championships. She also became the first Husker diver to win two conference diving titles in the same meet since Julie May swept the one and three-meter events at the 1989 Big Eight Championships.
Knapton scored 92 points at the 2021 Big Ten Championships – the most points ever scored by a Husker diver in a single conference championship meet in school history. She also became the first diver in Nebraska history to earn All-Big Ten honors.
She continued an impressive hardware haul by becoming just the second Husker in history across all sports to be named both the Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year and the Best Female Athlete. As Nebraska’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year, Knapton also earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor. She also claimed a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2021.
At the U.S. Olympic Diving Team Trials in Indianapolis, Knapton was the only female diver to advance to finals in both the three-meter springboard and on the platform. Knapton finished fifth on platform and seventh on the three-meter dive at the trials.
Knapton is also a four-time first-team CSCAA Scholar All-American and a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. She added a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship to her list of impressive accomplishments at the conclusion of her Husker career. She becomes Nebraska’s NCAA Division I all-time leading 343rd CoSIDA Academic All-American in history across all sports.
The final group of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans across all sports for the 2020-21 season will be released Thursday, Aug. 12, when CoSIDA announces the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams.
2020-21 Nebraska Academic All-Americans (All Sports)
Abigail Knapton – Swimming & Diving (At-Large) – 1st Team
Lexi Sun – Volleyball – 2nd Team
Kobe Webster – Men’s Basketball – 3rd Team
Nebraska Women’s Swimming & Diving CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (All Time)
Abigail Knapton – Diving – 1st Team – 2021
Lindsay Helferich – Swimming – 2nd Team – 2019
Kaitlin Arntz – Swimming – 3rd Team – 2010
Courtney Jensen – Diving – 1st Team – 2000
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