2009-10Â (Senior)
Kelsey Ida capped off her career at Nebraska with five top-five finishes in her senior season. Her best swim of the year came on Dec. 12 where she won the 100-yd backstroke (59.42) against South Dakota State. She earned a personal best on Dec. 6 in the 50 Free (25.26) at the Missouri Invite in Columbia, Mo. Ida earned academic All-Big 12 honors for the third time in her career.
2008-09 (Junior)
Ida once again struggled with injuries in her junior season, forcing her to miss several meets, including the Big 12 Championships, the second straight year she wasn't able to compete in the event. Ida had one top-five finish on the year, a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke against Iowa. She also set a career-best time in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.73 at the Texas Invitational. Ida earned academic All-Big 12 honors for the second consecutive season.
2007-08 (Sophomore)
Ida battled an injury in her sophomore season but still managed to put in Nebraska's second-fastest time in the 100-yard backstroke at 58.97. Ida had five top-five finishes in the 100-yard backstroke, but was unable to perform in the Big 12 Championships after an injury in NU's last dual meet forced her to sit out. Ida capped the year by earning first-team academic All-Big 12 honors. She was also honored with the Arthur Ashe Scholar Award, recognizing student-athletes who come from diverse cultural backgrounds and achieve success in both athletics and academics.
2006-07 (Freshman)
Ida competed in six events as a freshman and saw the most success in the 100-yard backstroke, as she swam Nebraska's fastest time with a mark of 57.26. The effort placed her seventh in the consolation finals at the Big 12 Championships and 15th overall, the highest finish of any Husker in the event. At South Dakota State on Dec. 2, Ida earned her first career victory by winning the 200-yard backstroke, one of 12 top-three finishes overall during the season. Five of her top-three showings came in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. She was runner-up in the 100 and 200 against Iowa State after opening the season with a second-place finish in the 100 at Missouri State. Ida finished 21st in the 200 backstroke at the Big 12 Championships in a career-best time of 2:06.84.
Previous
Ida was a high school All-American in the 100-yard backstroke and a four-year letterwinner in swimming at Colorado Class 5A Mountain Vista High School. She was named to the All-Continental League team and earned honorable-mention all-state accolades on two occasions. Ida finished fourth at the 2005 Colorado state meet in the 100-yard backstroke and sixth in the 100 butterfly. She was also a high school Academic All-American and earned a New Nebraskan Scholarship.
Personal
Kelsey was born on Dec. 3, 1987, in Anoka, Minn. She is the daughter of Mike and Therese Ida and has one brother, Colin. Kelsey is an international studies and political science major.