Stott, Huskers Finish Strong at Mizzou

Husker swimmer Shannon Stott dropped four seconds from her previous season-best 200 butterfly time to take the title during the final day at the Mizzou Invitational with a 1:58.76 on Friday.

The senior from St. Albans, Great Britain raced to 200 fly time of 1:58.76, before adding a strong leg in Nebraska’s victorious 800 freestyle relay on Thursday. Stott teamed with freshman Milica Opacic, sophomore Lexi Kucera and senior Autumn Haebig in the 800 free to post the nation’s No. 3 time in the event.

“Our goal was to start out the meet strong and get better each day, and I really think we accomplished that,” Nebraska Head Coach Pablo Morales said.  “As a group, we brought an energy and team spirit rivaled only by the host team and their home crowd. Husker pride was very much on display, and it definitely helped get us through the final day with continued standout performances in the racing pool and diving well.”

Stott had company in the top five of the 200 butterfly with senior Maggie Berning placing third (2:00.24) and junior Berkeley Livingston swimming to fifth (2:02.46). Livingston (Lincoln, Neb.) won an individual title on Thursday after swimming a lifetime best in the 400 IM (4:17.10).

The final day of competition gave NU’s distance corps its first chance to compete in the mile this season. Senior Audrey Coffey notched a runner-up finish with a 16:34.30, while junior Molly Rosenthal (16:58.42) and freshman Ilaria Murzilli (16:59.87) also recorded top-10 finishes.

The Huskers had three finalists in both the 200 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. Freshman Maia Hall led the way for Huskers in the 200 breaststroke, finishing third with a 2:14.62. Sophomore Ella Stein took fourth with a 2:16.23 and freshman Sydney McCracken swam to eighth with a 2:19.91. In the 100 freestyle, Haebig took sixth (49.57), while Kucera finished seventh (50.09) and junior Emily Haimes rounded out the NU finalists with an eighth-place finish (50.71).

Haebig produced strong performances in Columbia with individual victories in both the 500 (4:44.04) and 200 (1:46.00) freestyles during the first two days of competition. Both times are currently ranked in the top five in the nation.

The fifth-year senior from Grafton, Wis., was joined by Haimes, Kucera and freshman Beatriz Padron for a runner-up performance in the 400 freestyle relay to cap off the invitational.

In the 200 backstroke, sophomore Sarah Barton cut three seconds off her previous career-best to finish fifth with a 1:59.40. Senior Madesyn Ronquilio also represented the Huskers in the finals and finished eighth with a 2:01.19.

In the diving well, Hallie Roman competed in platform for the first time this season. The senior from Port Huron, Mich., qualified for finals and scored a 203.80 to place eighth.

“We are looking forward to building upon the hard work and success of the first half of our season,” Morales said.

The Huskers return to action at the U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C., and the Minnesota Diving Invitational (Dec. 1-4).