Girls swimming season kicks off with Illinois meet

For some, it will mean the start of a career. For others, it's unfinished business. For everyone, though, it's the start of the Nebraska swimming season.

The Cornhuskers will face Illinois Saturday at the Devaney Natatorium in the first major meet of the season. With 16 freshmen making their debuts, it will be the first time the coaches at NU will get to see how their class compares against major competition.
"Swimming is one of those sports that (a freshman) can jump right into," NU assistant Doug Humphrey said. "Hopefully, some of our new girls will make it as instant players."

The youth of the team means there will be some new responsibilities for returning performers. Sophomore D'Arcy Schmidt, the lone returner from last year's diving team, and senior Mariah Hutchinson, co-captain of the swim team, will be looked to for leadership.

"I want to see D'Arcy lead the team," diving coach Natasha Chikina said. "This year she has better confidence, can help the team push at each other to grow."

Humphrey praised Hutchinson similarly, calling her potential "limitless," and said that "this season will be fantastic for her." But two players will not be enough to move the Huskers past the sixth-place finish they endured at the Big 12 Conference Finals in February.
The team will need to improve its consistency, a major issue due to the youth of the program. Both Humphrey and Chikina expressed doubts about how consistent the team can play in early-season events like Saturday's, but both believed that the team has the talent to make up for its inexperience.

On the player's end, team cohesiveness has been declared the team's goal, but it's not the only one.

"There are so many goals this year, so many things to improve upon," NU junior Jess Andrews said. "We want to improve our conference ranking, our academics, individual performances, team unity. There's really nothing we aren't trying to improve."

NU will be looking to avenge last season's 171-129 loss to Illinois in Champaign. Illinois does not share Nebraska's inexperience issues, as there are ten seniors slated to perform.
But the Huskers don't seem concerned about the Illini upperclassmen. In fact, they are as excited to watch the new freshmen perform as the coaches.

"This (freshman class) is a diverse group with a lot of talent," Andrews said. "There's a lot of girls who will add to the team right away."

The meet with Illinois will be especially important because it is Nebraska's only test before the Big 12 Relays on Oct. 16. Illinois is also the toughest of NU's non-conference opponents.
Saturday will show a youthful contender or, perhaps, how far there is left to go for the program.

Either way, as Andrews said, "There's nowhere to go but up."