Honors & Awards
- Two Letters (2021, 2022)
- CSCAA Scholar All-American (Second Team, 2022)
- Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2022)
- Academic All-Big Ten (2022)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2020, 2021; Spring 2021, 2022)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2021, 2022)
- Four-Time 100 Breast Wisconsin High School State Finalist (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
- Three-Time 200 IM Wisconsin High School State Finalist (2017, 2018, 2019)
- Two-Time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American (2018, 2019)
2021-22 (Sophomore)
During her sophomore season, Ella Stein was a core member of Nebraska's dominant breaststroke group. At the Big Ten Championships, Stein powered herself to three career-best times and a pair of B-final qualifications. She claimed 14th place in both breaststroke events, clocking a 1:01.45 in the 100 breast and a 2:13.42 in the 200 breast, while also swimming a 2:03.06 in the 200 IM to finish 31st.
Stein had a strong performance at the South Dakota State dual, with an individual victory in the 100 breaststroke and a relay victory in the 200 medley relay. The sophomore from Hudson Wis. continued the trend with an individual victory in the 200 breaststroke and relay win in the 200 medley relay in the dual against Iowa (Oct. 23).
In the last weekend of October, Stein continued to be a leader in the pool with four individual top-three finishes. She raced to two third place finishes in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke against Minnesota on Oct. 29. The very next day Stein swept the breaststroke events (100 breast, 1:04.12; 200 breast, 2:21.55) helping the Huskers to a 186-114 dual win against Iowa State.
Stein continued her success against Kansas (Nov. 5), where she won the 100 breast and swam to third in the 200 breast. At the competitive Mizzou Invitational (Nov. 17-19), Stein competed in the finals in both breaststroke events, where she finished fourth in the 200 breast (2:16.23) and finished sixth in the 100 breast (1:02.89).
Stein traveled to compete in the U.S. Open Championships where she notched a pair of B-final qualifications. In the 100-meter breaststroke, Stein nabbed 10th place with a 1:12.51. She added a 14th-place swim in the 200-meter breaststroke after swimming a 2:39.89. Stein wrapped up the dual season with two titles in the 100 breast against Illinois and Rutgers. She added a runner-up finish in the 200 breast against Rutgers and swam to third in the event at Illinois.
2020-21 (Freshman)
Stein made a major impact in her first season as a Husker by scoring points in both individual breaststroke events and a pair of relays to help Nebraska to its top score and best team finish since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011-12. Stein advanced to the B-Final in the 200 breast at the 2021 Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis after racing to a career-best 2:14.76 in the prelims. She went on to finish 15th (2:15.20) to score 12 points for the Huskers. She added a spot in the C-Final of the 100 breast by posting a career-best 1:02.02 in the prelims before finishing 23rd (1:02.19). She swam to a career-best 2:05.11 to finish 52nd in the 200 IM. Stein contributed to NU 200 and 400 medley relays that combined for 90 team points.
During an abbreviated regular season, Stein earned six top-five finishes including a pair of victories in NU’s lone home dual against Illinois (Jan. 23). She won the 100 and 200 breasts against the Illini, after posting a runner-up finish in her debut in the 100 breast at Iowa (Jan. 16). She contributed third-place finishes in the 200 breast at Iowa and in a tri-dual at Minnesota with Iowa (Feb. 6). She also finished third in the 100 breast against the Gophers and Hawkeyes.
Previous
Stein capped her prep career as a finalist in three events at the 2020 Minnesota Senior State Championships in March. She raced to a runner-up finish in the 200-yard breast in a then-career-best 2:16.90, while adding a third-place finish in the 100 breast in a then-career-best 1:02.98. She also took seventh in the 100 IM (58.76) while swimming for the Hudson Area Swim Association. Stein capped her high school career with a runner-up finish in the 100 breast (1:03.42) at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 1 State Championships in November of 2019. She was also the state runner-up in the event in 2017. Stein was a WIAA Division 1 finalist as a junior (6th, 2018) and freshman (7th, 2016) in the 100 breast. Overall, she was a seven-time WIAA Division I finalist, including four appearances in the 100 breast and three in the 200 IM. Stein previously swam club with Mako Aquatics. She captured runner-up finishes in the 100-meter breast (1:12.68) and 200 breast (2:41.12) in the Minnesota Senior Long Course Championships in August of 2019. She also competed in the 100 breast at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships-West.
Personal
The daughter of Laurie and Paul Stein, Ella was born March 13, 2002, in Edina, Minn. Ella has one brother, Andrew. An advertising and public relations major, Ella was a second-team CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2022. She was also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2022. She is a four-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection and a two-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.
Career-Best Times
| Event | Time | Meet (Date) |
| 50 Free | 23.87 | Big Ten Championships (2021) |
| 100 Breast | 1:01.45 | Big Ten Championships (2022) |
| 200 Breast | 2:13.42 | Big Ten Championships (2022) |
| 200 IM | 2:03.06 | Big Ten Championships (2022) |