March 16, 2018
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Beata Nelson left the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion with another All-America performance; but this time she had a silver medal around her neck.
The sophomore dropped another sub-50 second performance in the 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA championships on Friday — her third such performance in four weeks. She finished the race in 49.92, becoming the first woman in history to swim the 100 back in under 50 seconds three times.
"She did a hell of a job," said Wisconsin head coach
Whitney Hite. "Now, it's been two times that she's been in an A final at the fastest meet in the world. That comes with lot of pressure, but she handled herself super well.
"She was in a heat with a gold medalist and the American record holder, and it didn't faze her. And she's just backing out of the driveway. She's going to get better."
"You see it all the time — people get put in stressful situations and don't deliver, but she did. It's super impressive."
After Day 3 of the NCAA championships, Nelson has competed in a total of 11 races.
The current 100 backstroke world record holder, Ally Howe of Stanford, found a way to edge ahead of Nelson out of the final turn, winning the national title in 49.70.
Wisconsin's 200 medley relay squad of
Katie Coughlin,
Marissa Berg, Nelson and
Jess Unicomb finished in 11th place in 1:37.41, earning honorable mention All-America recognition.
"They did a great job. We mixed up the order, and they responded very well," Hite said. "We found a way to beat teams with a modified lineup, and that's huge."
During prelims, Coughlin and Unicomb finished the 100 back in 23rd (52.50) and 29th (52.92) place, respectively.
Up Next:
The final day of the NCAA championships begins with preliminary races at 9 a.m. (CT), followed by finals at 5 p.m. The Badgers will have Nelson, who is seeded third, and Coughlin in the 200 backstroke, in addition to an entry in the 400 free relay.
"We've got some big swims tomorrow," Hite said. "Katie and Beata in the 200 back and a big relay. The relay will be very important. We'll be ready. This group is battle tested."
