The Nebraska swimming and diving team kicks off the 2015-16 season on Friday, Sept. 25, with the annual Scarlet and Cream Intrasquad dual. The meet will take place at 4 p.m. at the Devaney Natatorium.
Eleven swimmers and divers will make their Husker debuts on Friday. The squad welcomes freshmen Kara Cottrell, Kaylyn Flatt, Lindsay Helferich, Brooke Holmes, Anna Howorth, Jacqueline Jeschke, Morgan McCafferty, Anna McDonald, Bridget Pacilio, Dana Posthuma and Katrina Voge.
The meet will also mark the beginning of the fourth and final season for nine Nebraska seniors. Alexandra Bilunas, Taryn Collura, Michaela Cunningham, Bria Deveaux, Katie Ditter, Samantha Hardewig, Jacqueline Juffer, Nicole Schwery and Krista Van Wie have combined for 45 victories in their first three seasons of competition with the squad.
The Huskers are entering Head Coach Pablo Morales’ 15th season with the team. Under his direction, Nebraska has a 75-48-1 dual meet record, including a record-setting 12-win season in 2012-13.
The 2014-15 squad set 36 career bests at the 2015 Big Ten Championships. Anna Filipcic led the way for the Huskers at the conference meet, capturing third-place in both the one- and three-meter dives. Julia Roller had the highest finish for swimmers finishing 10th in the 200-yard butterfly. The 400-yard medley relay team set a new school record racing to a time of 3:38.82.
The 2015-16 Swimming and Diving Schedule
Following this weekend’s Intrasquad competition, the Huskers will open the regular season with a dual against Arkansas. That meet will take place on Saturday, Oct. 3, and begin at 11 a.m. at the Devaney Natatorium.
The following weekend Nebraska battles, old Big 12 rival, Iowa State at the Devaney Natatorium on Oct. 9. Nebraska holds a 33-4-1 series lead over the Cyclones.
The Huskers continue a busy fall by hosting the annual Alumni Meet on Oct. 24. Following the alumni meet, Nebraska takes to the road for the first time all season on Oct. 30, to take on Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. The following day the team returns home to take on South Dakota State. Nebraska boasts an 11-0 all-time record against the Jackrabbits.
The Huskers begin a busy November that features another matchup against a former Big 12 opponent. The squad travels to Lawrence to clash with Kansas, on Nov. 6.
In November, Nebraska’s divers travel to College Station, Texas, to compete in the Art Adamson Invite Nov. 19-21. That same weekend the swimmers will be competing at the Kansas Classic in Topeka.
Nebraska kicks off December with the swimmers competing at the USA Winter National Championships, Dec. 3-5, in Federal Way, Wash. That same weekend the divers will be competing at the Iowa Invitational, in Iowa City. The divers then compete at their USA Winter National Championships, Dec. 15-20, in Indianapolis, Ind.
After nearly a month off, Nebraska’s January consists of away duals against Omaha (Jan. 15) and Washington State (Jan. 29-30). The Huskers’ Senior Day will be Jan. 23, when Nebraska welcomes Illinois to the Devaney Natatorium for the home regular-season finale.
The team then competes at the 2016 Big Ten Championships held in Ann Arbor, Mich., from Feb. 17-20.
Following the Big Ten Championships, the Huskers will compete at the NCAA Last Chance Meet Feb. 26-28. The Nebraska divers then take part in the NCAA Zone D Diving Meet in College Station, March 7-9. The season concludes at the 2016 NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Ga., March 17-19.
Swimming news courtesy of Nebraska Swimming & Diving.