Lone Star Luster: Badgers open NCAAs with All-American performance

Wednesday, March 20

Austin, TX

9 AM / 5 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

NCAA Championships

Photo by: Alex Kulstad

Lone Star Luster: Badgers open NCAAs with All-American performance

March 20, 2019 | Women's Swimming & Diving

Wisconsin notches fastest 800 free relay in school history

AUSTIN, Texas – Everything is bigger in Texas, as was the Badgers' impetus on day one of the NCAA women's swimming and diving championships.

The 800-yard freestyle relay squad of Lillie Hosack, Megan Doty, Beata Nelson and Jess Unicomb eclipsed UW's all-time record by nearly two seconds, clocking in at 6 minutes, 57.54 seconds. The previous standard was 6:59.18.

"We couldn't have started the meet off any better," head coach Yuri Suguiyama said. "I was super proud of how those women competed this evening – to not only break a school record, but to get on the podium as well."

"We had nothing to prove," Nelson said. "We were really there to be Badgers, be proud and swim for one another. I didn't think for a second that everybody wasn't going to give it their all.

"We all wanted to break the school record, so it was really awesome when we did."

Seeded 14th, the foursome defied expectations and jumped seven spots to grab a seventh-place finish, the biggest leap of any team and a placement good for first-team All-America honors.

Wisconsin now shifts its focus to events on Thursday, including the 200 freestyle relay, 200 individual medley and 400 medley relay, which are set to begin with 9 a.m. (CT) prelims, followed by 5 p.m. finals.

"We're going to keep it rolling," Suguiyama said. "If we can manage the ups and downs of a seven-session, three-and-a-half-day competition, we'll continue to be successful."