NEBRASKA TRADITION & HISTORY

NEBRASKA TRADITION & HISTORY

The Nebraska swimming and diving program owns a rich history of producing Olympians, All-Americans and conference champions dating back to the early years of the program in the 1970s. Nebraska women's swimmers and divers have earned 254 NCAA/CSCAA All-America awards, including 1996 NCAA breaststroke champion Penny Heyns. A total of 11 Huskers have participated in each of the last eight Olympiads, accounting for a total of 22 appearances. 

Heyns (South Africa), who won 15 All-America awards and 13 conference titles as a Husker, swept Olympic gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Former Husker Therese Alshammar (Sweden) became the first female swimmer in history to appear in six Olympic Games with her most recent appearance at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Alshammar made her first Olympic appearance in 1996, before she claimed 13 All-America awards at Nebraska in 1998 and 1999.

Overall, Nebraska has produced 64 women's swimmers and divers who have captured All-America honors. 

As a team, Nebraska has produced 24 top-40 finishes at the NCAA Championships, with the most recent coming in 2024.  The Huskers, who have grabbed 10 top-20 team finishes at the NCAA meet including four top-10 showings, also have claimed 10 conference team titles and 10 more runner-up conference finishes in just over 40 years of women's swimming and diving as a varsity sport.

For more complete information on Nebraska's All-Americans, conference champions and Olympians, visit the links below.