Nebraska fell 165-135 to Illinois, losing to the same team that beat them in the first meet last season. But not all the news was bad: This season's score was closer, and several Cornhusker freshmen had strong first performances.
Ellan Dufour made a strong impression in her NU debut, winning the 100-meter backstroke – her second win this season. Dufour was ecstatic about her debut.
"I love being a Husker so much," Dufour said. "I think I performed really well, and it was really encouraging for the rest of the season."
Dufour said the team was stronger than she had originally thought, crediting the coaching staff for the quick preparation of her and the other freshmen on the team. The staff, however, gives much of the credit to the players themselves.
"From start to finish, our freshmen made a strong performance," NU assistant coach Doug Humphrey said. "We have a great atmosphere here, but the caliber of our athletes improved. We have good athletes from top to bottom."
Those athletes started strong, winning three of the first four events, but faded down the stretch, losing 10 of the last 12, including the final five. Humphrey blamed the slow finish on the team's lack of experience, saying that with more seasoning, the team could defeat teams of Illinois' caliber.
That seasoning is key as NU attempts to avoid another season like the last five – the Huskers haven't finished higher than fifth out of six teams in the Big 12 Championships since 2004.
Dufour has faith in the season, saying the team "will move mountains" and won't even sniff last place.
A major key to the program's improvement would be a stronger diving program, which showed mixed results Saturday.
Coach Natasha Chikina had previously said that her young team would struggle early, and they did, losing both events. But young divers like freshman Amy Herman stepped up and won key points for NU.
"Amy was really solid and very consistent," Chikina said. "The team performed more like what I want to see."
Nebraska's next test will be the Big 12 Relays on Friday in Columbia, Mo. NU has struggled mightily in the event in recent years, never finishing higher than fifth since 2001. Humphrey, however, thinks Nebraska could reverse that trend Friday.
"This team is much deeper than it was last year," Humphrey said. "We have more bullets in the gun than we did."
seanwhalen@dailynebraskan.com
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