WISCONSIN RESULTS
50 Freestyle
22.
Marissa Berg (22.36)
200 Individual Medley
6.
Beata Nelson (1:53.54 – School Record)
200 Free Relay
13.
Marissa Berg,
Emmy Sehmann,
Jess Unicomb,
Beata Nelson (1:28.58)
400 Medley Relay
11.
Beata Nelson,
Marissa Berg,
Ari Saghafi,
Abby Jagdfeld (3:30.96 – School Record)
(Nelson 100 back split: 49.83 – No. 4 all-time)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Last month,
Beata Nelson became an individual Big Ten champion. On Thursday, she became an All-American.
The Wisconsin sophomore added to her standout season with a first-team All-America performance on the second day of the NCAA championships, finishing sixth in the 200-yard individual medley in a school-record time of 1 minute, 53.54 seconds.
Nelson broke the UW record in the 200 IM twice on the day, improving upon her record-setting preliminary performance of 1:53.82 during the final.
"I'm very proud of the way she handled herself today," said Wisconsin head coach
Whitney Hite. "She swam six times today. There's no one in the meet did more.
"And each time she got faster. And that's pretty remarkable, because each time there was more pressure. As far as her growth and development as an athlete and a person, today was a big day. We're really proud of her."
Nelson led off the Badgers' entry in the 400 medley relay with a 100 backstroke split of 49.83, the fourth-fastest time in history and her second sub-50 second time this season.
She joins Cal's Kathleen Baker as the only women to break 50 seconds in the 100 back twice and now owns two of the four fastest times in history, at 49.78 and 49.83.
"She's that good," Hite said. "That was her sixth swim today. To say the sky is the limit is an understatement."
Nelson joined
Marissa Berg,
Ari Saghafi and
Abby Jagdfeld on the 400 medley relay, which finished in a school-record 3:30.96, good for 11th place and honorable mention All-America honors.
"They did a great job of racing," Hite said. "A new school record, just really impressive."
For the 11th-straight season, the Badgers posted an All-America performance in the 200 freestyle relay. Berg,
Emmy Sehmann,
Jess Unicomb and Nelson swam the race in 1:28.58, good for 13th place and honorable mention All-America recognition.
"I thought they did a great job. If you notice, we are right around or better than our times at conference — and that's pretty hard to do," Hite said. "Not a lot of teams that are doing that."
Berg, a senior captain, made her debut in a NCAA championships individual event, finishing the 50 free in 22.36 to finish 22nd overall.
"Tomorrow is a new day," Hite said. "We'll keep chipping away, keep hunting for points."
The Badgers have earned 33 points through two days of competition.
Up Next: Friday's slate should be a big one for Wisconsin. Three Badgers will compete in the 100 backstroke, led by the top-seeded Nelson, and UW's entry is seeded ninth in the 200 medley relay. The day begins with prelims at 8 a.m. (CT).
