Huskers Add Five to 2020-21 Roster

Lincoln - The Nebraska Swimming and Diving team announced the signing of Sarah Barton, Caitlin Cairns, Allison Henry, Lexi Kucera, and Ella Stein, adding five new swimmers to the 2020-21 roster. 

Barton comes from Huntersville, North Carolina where she specialized in backstroke and the IM. She was a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All American and has consistently improved throughout her swimming career. In her junior year at Southlake Christian Academy, Barton set a state-record time of 56.57 and won the 100 backstroke at the 2019 North Carolina Independent Schools Division 2 Championships, as well as winning the 200 IM with a time of 2:05.99, just .30 off of the state record. She has competed at the 2019 Speedo Junior Nationals and also qualified for Winter Nationals in the 100 meter backstroke.

Henry joins Nebraska from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has experience in the IM, breaststroke and butterfly. She is a Winter Nationals qualifier in the 200 breast and 200 IM, a Summer Juniors qualifier in the 100 breast and 400 IM, and a Winter Juniors qualifier in the 200 fly. She competed in all five of those events at 2019 Speedo Junior Nationals. She competed at TYR ISCA Junior Championship Cup in March and won the 400 IM, while garnering runner-up finishes in the 100 breast and 200 breast.

Stein joins the Huskers from all of the way up in Hudson, Wisconsin. She swam with the Mako Aquatics Swimming Club and specializes in the breaststroke. She competed in the NCSA Summer Swimming Championships in August of 2019. She swam all of the breaststroke events as well as the 200 IM. Stein also swam a career best in the 100 meter breaststroke (1:12.68) at the Minnesota Swimming Senior Long Course Championships. Earlier in the season, Stein also achieved a season best time in 100 breaststroke (1:04.49) at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships-West.

Kucera comes from Hutchinson, MN, where she swam freestyle with the Hutchinson High Tides Swimming Club. She competed at a high level in her High School events. She was a two-time runner-up in the 100 and 200 freestyle at the Minnesota A State Championships in 2016. The next year in 2017, she won the 100 and 200 freestyle at the MSHSL 3A Girls Sectional Championship, won the State Championship in the 100 free and came in second in the 200 free. Last year, Kucera received second in the 200 free and third in the 100 free, and will continue to compete for championships this year.

Cairns comes just west of Nebraska in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She swims year-round with Pikes Peak Athletics and swims freestyle and butterfly. She won the 50 free (24.19) and was runner-up in the 100 fly (56.88) as a sophomore at the 2018 CHSAA 3A Girls State Championships. Last season she finished second in both events (24.43 in the 50 free, 56.56 in the 100 fly) at the state high school meet. Cairns has also swam many strong performances n club swimming, achieving several career bests and years of experience that she can contribute to the Huskers.