The Nebraska swimming and diving team will be in action Saturday, Jan. 23, as they return home to host Big Ten foe Illinois. That meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and will take place in the Devaney Natatorium.
Nebraska will enter Saturday’s competition with a 4-2 record. The Huskers were last in action Friday, Jan. 15, when they took down in-state rival Omaha, 178-114. The Huskers were dominant against the Mavs, winning 12 of 16 events and sweeping the top-two spots in 10 of those events.
Illinois will bring an 8-2 record to Lincoln, with the Illini’s only losses coming at the hands of Northwestern and Iowa. Illinois last competed Saturday, Jan. 16, where they fell to Iowa, 174.5-125.5. Saturday will not mark the first time the two programs have competed against each other this season, as Nebraska and Illinois both competed in November’s Big Challenge. Nebraska secured a first-place finish in the event, while Illinois was not far behind in third-place.
Saturday is Senior Day for the Huskers, as they honor nine athletes: Alexandra Bilunas, Taryn Collura, Michaela Cunningham, Bria Deveaux, Katie Ditter, Samantha Hardewig, Jacqueline Juffer, Nicole Schwery and Krista Van Wie.
Over the past four seasons, these talented swimmers and divers have been a part of 24 dual-meet victories, including 2012-13’s school-record 12-win season, and have produced 296 top-five finishes to go with their 69 individual event titles. This group of seniors is made up of nine Tom Osborne Citizenship Team members, 16 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 40 Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selections.
Along with Saturday’s festivities honoring Nebraska’s seniors, free breakfast will be provided for the first 150 fans in attendance Saturday morning.
This weekend’s meet marks the last time Nebraska will be competing at home this season. Nebraska has one more dual-meet competition left this season, as the Huskers will travel to Pullman, Wash., on Jan. 29-30 to participate in a two-day event against Washington State. Check back into Huskers.com for any and all updates regarding the Nebraska swimming and diving team.
Last Time Out: Huskers Race Past Mavs, 178-114
The Nebraska swimming and diving team captured its fourth victory of the season, Friday evening, against in-state rival Omaha. The Huskers dominated the Mavs, racing to a 178-114 victory. The Huskers notched first-place finishes in 12 of 16 events and swept the top-two spots in 10 of those events.
Nebraska was dominant in the backstroke events Friday evening. Erin Oeltjen and Jackie Jeschke led the way for the Huskers, earning first-place finishes in the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, respectively. Oeltjen raced to a first-place time of 57.95 in the 100-yard backstroke, with fellow teammate Morgan McCafferty finishing right behind Oeltjen in a time of 58.93. In the 200-yard backstroke, Jeschke posted a first-place time of 2:07.65, while Cassie Brassard secured runner-up with a time of 2:11.51.
Nebraska also swept the top-two spots in both breaststroke events. Katie Ditter posted a time of 1:07.36 in the 100-yard breaststroke, securing the victory for the Huskers. Krista Van Wie was not far behind, finishing in a time of 1:08.90 for second-place. In the 200-yard breaststroke, Jordan Ehly earned a victory with her time of 2:19.63. Finishing right behind Ehly, Bridget Pacilio raced to a second-place time of 2:23.37. Pacilio also finished second-place in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:09.09.
Nebraska continued its dominance in the diving well. Anna Filipcic and Nicole Schwery both captured victories inFriday evening’s diving events. Filipcic took home the title in the one-meter with a score of 324.15, while Schwery finished in second-place with a score of 272.63. Schwery earned her victory in the three-meter dive with a score of 302.55, while Filipcic finished right behind Schwery tallying a score of 294.00.
Taryn Collura, Jacqueline Juffer and Lindsay Helferich were Nebraska’s top performers in the sprint freestyle races. Collura notched a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle racing to a time of 23.56. Juffer finished second in the race with a time of 24.90. Helferich earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle posting a time of 54.28.
Nebraska was strong in the middle- and long-distance freestyle events. Kaylyn Flatt and Katt Sickle earned victories in the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyles. Flatt finished in a time of 5:07.68, while Sickle swam a time of 10:30.20. Dana Posthuma also added a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.60.
Collura earned her second victory of the evening in the 100-yard butterfly. Collura finished in a time of 56.03, while Oeltjen finished in second-place with a time of 56.96. Jeschke secured a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly after racing to a time of 2:09.21.
The Huskers swept both relay events against Omaha. The 200-yard medley relay team of Juffer, Ehly, Collura and Oeltjen captured first-place after finishing in a time of 1:45.83. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Collura, Helferich, Juffer and Oeltjen earned their first-place finish racing to a time of 1:35.29.
Swimming news courtesy of Nebraska Swimming & Diving.