LINCOLN, Nebraska, October 20. NEBRASKA won its first two dual meets for the fourth time in the last five seasons as it defeated South Dakota State, 167-108.
Nebraska's underclassmen accounted for six of the Huskers' 11-straight wins to open the meet, allowing NU to compete exhibition in the final five events. Sophomore Mariah Hutchinson tallied Nebraska's last win with a time of 2:29.11 in the 200-yard breaststroke, 33 one-hundredths of a second ahead of Julie Giehl (2:29.44). The freshman from Boulder, Colo., was less than an hour removed from a victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:53.32) to help start the Husker run after NU took the 200-yard medley relay to begin the meet.
Hutchinson did not swim one of her primary events, the 200-yard butterfly, but freshman Blaine Hoppenrath filled the void by winning the race in 2:06.86. Hoppenrath was joined classmates Kelsey Grushecky (200-yard freestyle, 1:56.01) and Meredith Matthies (50-yard freestyle, 25.21) to win events before the first diving break. Grushecky also won the 100-yard freestyle (54.19), while a pair of Illinois natives in senior Lynn Siemert (100-yard breaststroke, 1:11.23) and junior Christina Yemm (200-yard backstroke) rounded out Nebraska's swimming wins.
In the diving well, junior Courtney Jolly won the one meter competition (287.26) while competing against former teammate Amie Buoy, who is in her first season as the diving coach at South Dakota State. Buoy was a 2005 NCAA Championship qualifier for the Huskers and a four-year letterwinner (2003-06) before ending her career as one of the most successful divers in school history.
Special thanks to Nebraska for contributing this report.