NU swimming anticipates success, new competition at Big Ten Championships

A swimming race doesn't last very long. Every second counts from the moment a swimmer's feet leave the block until his or her hand touches the wall. The hard work from the countless practices throughout the year ends with just a couple of races at the end of the season.

For the Nebraska women's swimming and diving team, it all comes down to some of the final races of the year as it competes in the Big Ten Championships, Feb. 15-18 in Iowa City, Iowa.

The swimmers know just how short these races last and how one little thing can make all of the difference. At practice Monday afternoon, the Husker swimmers worked on one important component of a race — their starts — making sure they were as fast as they could possibly be.

The Huskers are looking to go into the Big Ten Championships with their technique at its sharpest. For NU sophomore swimmer Bailey Pons, this is especially critical for her.

"One of my struggles this season has been keeping up technique at high intensity during races. I just want to get to the wall first," Pons said.

Although the technique practice is especially critical as the season winds down, the Huskers have been working on it all throughout the season. With Nebraska having fewer meets on the schedule than the last couple of years, this has given them the opportunity to work on these techniques. While this could work to the Huskers' advantage, there's always an aspect of unpredictability in swimming.

"It's a struggle with this sport," Pons said. "You put in all the hard work, but might not get the result that you want."

Nebraska coach Pablo Morales has confidence that his swimmers are right where they need to be, though.

"We have seen that steady improvement that we have been looking for during this last week of practices," Morales said.

These improvements will be crucial to the Huskers, as this will be the first time that Nebraska will get the chance to race against many of the Big Ten teams. The Big Ten is one of the top conferences in the country for women's swimming, with half of its teams currently ranked in the top 25.

"There is lots of good competition (in the Big Ten)," Pons said. "We are looking forward to this caliber of teams."

Nebraska finished its only dual meet against a Big Ten school with a 152-148 loss to Illinois. In November, the Huskers finished fourth in the TYR Invitational behind three Big Ten schools.

"We want to come in here and represent the University of Nebraska in the highest way possible," Morales said.

In addition to getting a fresh start in a new conference, the Huskers will also get a chance to race in Iowa's new aquatic center. The complex was finished in 2010, and with state-of-the-art facilities, it could help the Huskers reproduce some of their fastest times of the year.

Many members of the Huskers swim team have been spending countless hours in the pool ever since they began swimming. After all those years of dedication, it can be difficult to keep continuing to find room for improvement.

"During my race it seems like a daunting task, but I just keep telling myself to keep pushing through my race," Pons said.

Despite this difficulty, the Huskers have done all they can to prepare for this moment, and now it's all about what happens once they hit the water. Both Pons and Morales offered some words of advice to the rest of the Nebraska women's swimming and diving team as they prepare for their events.

"Remember all of the hard work," Pons said. "No matter what happens, you still have succeeded."

"Be focused on what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it," Morales said. "Leave everything in the pool."

angelahensel@dailynebraskan.com