Resurgent Husker swimmers await rematch with Jayhawks

The opponent the Nebraska swim team will face this Saturday has already defeated the Cornhuskers once this season.

But according to NU head coach Pablo Morales, whose swimmers and divers recently reported back to Lincoln for training, the Kansas Jayhawks will face a revamped Husker squad at this weekend's dual.

After an eight-day holiday break, the swimming and diving team returned to campus.

They began with a training session in Lincoln and then traveled to their annual Holiday Training Trip Competition in Miami.  

Morales said he is ready to get started with the spring season of swimming after seeing the team perform at their holiday training session.

"We did some really hard training and got some good training in," Morales said.

"Before South Dakota State, we went to the Missouri invite, which is a good mid-season race to see how we are progressing in our training."  

Before the holiday break, the Huskers beat South Dakota State and will look to improve their record to 4-1 when they take on Kansas.

The Huskers got a preview of the Jayhawks in the fall at the Big 12 Relays where Nebraska placed sixth, one spot behind the Jayhawks.

Although Kansas finished ahead of the Huskers at the relays, Morales said that competition is not always a good indication of who will win when they face off in duals.

"The Big 12 Relays are an early season race, and is generally not a really good predictor of the how teams will finish the season," Morales said.

"Our team tends to do better towards the end of the season, once there has been more training."

One person Morales believes has done a good job of filling in and helping the team is senior Hailey Dean.

Dean swam the individual medley, which consists of four different strokes, during her first three years of college.

But now, in her final year as a Husker, she is able to focus solely on the breaststroke and freestyle.

"The year's been going pretty well," Dean said.

"I really like where I'm at right now."

Although it is Dean's last year, she still feels as if she is starting something new in the freestyle group.

"I think I was just a little frustrated with the IM and I like being able to focus on one thing and sprinting," Dean said.

Dean said she is ready to start the second half of the season, and won't be disappointed even if she does not place at a meet.

That's because no matter what happens, Dean said she'll know that she has given it her best.

"I'm not a very outspoken person, but I'm definitely a person that likes to have fun," Dean said.

"If you're not having fun, then there is no reason to do what you're doing."

chrisdorwart@dailynebraskan.com