Nebraska women’s swimmers Shannon Guy and Bailey Pons recently earned Scholastic All-America recognition from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
Two of Nebraska’s leaders in the classroom and in the pool, the 2012 sophomores both claimed honorable-mention recognition to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team.
In addition to earning CSCAA Scholastic All-America honors, Guy and Pons were both named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars following the season. The academic All-Big Ten selections were both named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in both the fall and spring semesters of 2011-12.
Guy, an Omaha native and graduate of Millard West High School, posted 13 top-five finishes in the pool as a sophomore, including five victories. She also moved into the No. 2 spot in the Husker record books with a time of 54.23 in the 100-yard butterfly at the Big Ten Championships. During the summer of 2012, she participated at the U.S. Olympic Trials at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha.
Pons, a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, added 14 top-five finishes on the year, including eight event titles. She was unbeaten in the 1,000-yard freestyle on the season and swam a personal-best in the 200-yard free at the Big Ten Championships.
Also, Nebraska Head Coach Pablo Morales announced the addition of Assistant Coach Patrick Rowan to the Husker women’s swimming and diving staff on Tuesday, July 24.
Rowan, a former volunteer assistant for the Huskers and a long-time coach in the Nebraska Aquatics program, rejoins the Nebraska staff after spending the past five years at Missouri. As an assistant for the Tigers, Rowan helped build the program into one of the nation’s top 15 programs.
“We are very excited to have Patrick come back to Nebraska,” Morales said. “He brings extensive and successful coaching and recruiting experience at the collegiate level. Patrick has a tremendous work ethic and an unmatched passion for Nebraska. He will make an immediate impact on this program and play a key role in helping us achieve our Big Ten Conference and NCAA goals.”
A Nebraska native, Rowan helped orchestrate a steady rise into national prominence at Missouri. In his first season at MU, the Lincoln Southeast High School graduate helped the Tiger women’s team finish 38th at the 2008 NCAA Championships. After a 28th-place showing in 2009, the Tigers climbed to 23rd in 2011 before finishing 14th at the 2012 NCAA meet.
— Jeff Griesch, Nebraska Sports Information