2021-22 NSIC Women's Swimming & Diving Preseason Coaches' Poll

9/30/2021 10:00:00 AM

Minnesota State earns top spot in NSIC Swimming & Diving Coaches' Poll

BURNSVILLE, Minn. - Minnesota State University, Mankato was picked by the league coaches in the NSIC Swimming & Diving Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The defending NSIC Champions received all eight first place votes (coaches cannot vote for own team) and amassed 64 points, seven points ahead of St. Cloud State. SCSU received  57 points and the other first place vote, while Sioux Falls was third with 49 points .

Augustana's Taylor Beagle was named the NSIC Preseason Swimmer of the Year while St. Cloud State's Mady Brinkman earned NSIC Preseason Diver of the Year honors. Both student-athletes repeated as preseason athletes of the year following their NSIC Swimmer & Diver of the Year accolades from 2020-21. 

The NSIC sponsored women’s swimming and diving during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years with the aid of affiliated members. In 2016-17 season, NSIC Swimming and Diving returned as a seven team all NSIC sport. In 2019-20 the NSIC moved to eight participating members with the addition of Southwest Minnesota State and is now an nine-team league with the addition of Concordia-St. Paul in 2020-21.  

The NSIC Swimming and Diving season will get underway on October 1 with the regular season culminating at the NSIC Swimming & Diving Championship on February 9-12, 2022 at the Midco Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; hosted by the University of Sioux Falls.  

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Taylor Beagle (Distance, Free, 400 IM, FY-Sr., Lead, S.D. / Lead-Deadwood HS) - Augustana University
  • Earned  NSIC Swimmer of the Meet and NSIC Swimmer of the Year the past two seasons
  • Currently holds two NSIC records; the 1000-free (10:10.03) and the 1650-free  (17:02.46)
  • Conference champion 10 times during her time at Augustana
  • Earned All-America honors in the 1000-free, 500-free and 400-IM in 2021
Taylor Beagle has been an amazing leader for our team and has really helped our young program get put on the map. She has an undeniable work ethic both in the pool, in the classroom and in the community. Although the 2020-21 season was full of unknowns, it was Taylor's best season as a student-athlete. She was the NSIC swimmer of the meet and swimmer of the year, was an All-American in the 1000 Free and an HM All-American in the 500 Free, 1650 Free and 400 IM. Following the season, she was also named 1st team CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Head Coach Lindsie Micko
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Madison Brinkman (Diving, FY-Sr., Grey Eagle, Minn. / Melrose HS) - St. Cloud State University
  • 2021 NSIC Diver of the Year 
  • 2020 & 2021 NSIC Championships Diver of the Meet 
  • Set NSIC 1M diving record with a score of 446.90 at 2020 NSIC Championships
  • Set NSIC 3M diving record with a score of 482.65 at 2021 NSIC Championships.
  • Finished second at the 2021 NCAA Championships in the 3m Dive to earn First Team All-American honors
  • Finished 11th at the 2021 NCAA Championships in the 1m Dive to earn Second Team All-American honors 
Mady is a model student-athlete. She has worked extremely hard to become one of the top divers in Division II. She is a leader in practice and the classroom where she is a Radiology Tech major.
Head Coach Jeff Hegle

NSIC TEAM PREVIEWS & ATHLETES TO WATCH

AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY 

Last year at the NSIC meet, the Vikings placed fifth scoring 358 points. Senior Taylor Beagle led the way for the Vikings scoring 76 points winning three events in the 1000-free, 400 IM and 1650-free, setting a new conference record in the 1000-free and ultimately repeating as NSIC Swimmer of the Meet and Swimmer of the Year. Beagle went onto NCAA’s and accumulated All-America honors in the 1000-free, 500-free and 400-IM. Augustana brings in seventeen newcomers to compete for the Vikings this year along with the first year of divers for Augustana. 

2021-22 should be an exciting year for the women's team at Augustana. Not only do we bring back an All-American, we also have 16 new swimmers and divers on board. This should be our best team we have had in the first 5 years of the program with more depth ever. We are very excited about the potential of our team and look forward to see them race!
Head Coach Lindsie Micko
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Taylor Beagle (Distance. Free, 400 IM, Sr., Lead, S.D. / Lead-Deadwood HS) 

  • Earned  NSIC Swimmer of the Meet and NSIC Swimmer of the Year the past two seasons
  • Currently holds two NSIC records; the 1000-free (10:10.03) and the 1650-free  (17:02.46)
  • Conference champion 10 times during her time at Augustana
  • Earned All-America honors in the 1000-free, 500-free and 400-IM in 2021
Taylor Beagle has been an amazing leader for our team and has really helped our young program get put on the map. She has an undeniable work ethic both in the pool, in the classroom and in the community. Although the 2020-21 season was full of unknowns, it was Taylor's best season as a student-athlete. She was the NSIC swimmer of the meet and swimmer of the year, was an All-American in the 1000 Free and an HM All-American in the 500 Free, 1650 Free and 400 IM. Following the season, she was also named 1st team Cosida Academic All-American.
Head Coach Lindsie Micko

Skylar Anderson (1m/3m Dive, Fr., Aurora, Colo. / George Washington HS) 

  • First diver in Augustana’s history
  • Holds personal best 265 points for 1m dive
  • Holds personal best 372 points for 3m dive
Skylar comes to Augustana with an experienced club diving background and is the first diving recruit for the school. We look forward to seeing how Skylar performs and helps lead the young diving crew.
Head Coach Lindsie Micko

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, ST. PAUL 

The Golden Bears swimming & diving program enters their second season of competition in 2021-22 and their first under head coach Rachel Busch. Busch, a former standout swimmer at Minnesota State, joins CSP after a successful stint at the helm for Buffalo High School. In the first season under Busch, the squad has more than tripled in size with seven swimmers on the roster. The team’s two returners, Sydney Fleming and Laura Vekony, are the relative veterans of the bunch as both earned valuable experience in their first season on campus. Fleming became the first Concordia swimmer to qualify for a final in the NSIC Championships as she placed 22nd in the 400 individual medley while Vekony earned the team’s first points with a 13th place finish in the 200 butterfly. The duo will be joined by five newcomers, including junior Dejah Jackson and freshmen Farida Maher, Stephanie De Leon, Charly Horn and Imani Simmons. Maher, CSP’s swimmer to watch, joins the Golden Bears after a highly decorated career at the Egyptian American International School in Cairo, Egypt. Maher competed for the top swim club in Egypt and placed first in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle in the 18 year old age group and captured the overall women’s championship in the 200m freestyle. Jackson and Simmons join from nearby Harding and Como Park High Schools, respectively, after serving as team captains of their programs. De Leon was a four-year letterwinner and captain at Nevada State High School in Las Vegas while Charly Horn enters her first season from Berlin, Germany.

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Farida Maher (100, 200, 500 Free, Fr., Cairo, Egypt / Egyptian American International School)
  • Competed for the top swim club in Egypt, keeping top ranking nine consecutive years
  • Placed first in the 18 year old age group in all of her events: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500m freestyle in April 2021
  • Captured overall women's champion in the 200m freestyle (2:06.57)
  • Finished second overall in the 400, 800, 1500m freestyle and third overall in the 100m freestyle
Farida Maher enters her freshman year at CSP with experience competing on the national stage in Egypt. In April 2021 she placed first in the 18-year old age group in all of her events, the 100, 200, 400, 800, & 1500 meter freestyle. She was the overall women’s champion in the 200 meter freestyle with a time of 2:06.57. She was second overall in the 400, 800, & 1500 meter free and third overall in the 100 meter free. We are looking forward to Farida making a strong showing in the NSIC and NCAA.
Head Coach Rachel Busch

UNIVERSITY OF MARY

The University of Mary swimming team looks to improve upon last year’s fourth-place finish in the NSIC CHampionships. Head coach Leah Neiheisel brings in an exciting group of returners and new faces. Notable returners include Andrea Lee, who earned All-American Honors in the 1650 free at NCAA Championships. Lee finished second in the 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free and the 1650 free at the NSIC Championships.  Victoria Murillo looks to continue her dominance at the NSIC Championships as she won the 200 and 500 free last season. The Cancun native qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 free, 500 free and 1000 free.  Breena DeLegge returns after winning the 100 free in the NSIC Championships. DeLegge qualified for the 2019 NCAA Championships in the 50 and 100 free.  Rylie Webb earned NSIC all-conference honors last season after finishing third in the 100 IM. The Marauders will welcome nine new freshmen to the team. They are Ellie Wilson, Marina Conde Revuelto, Mariapocs Ruiz Martinez, Megan Miller, Camille Merimee, Breanna Lund, Rachel Bailey, Elle Holland and Emma Bradley.

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Andrea Lee (Free, Sr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead Senior HS)
  • Earned All-American honors after finishing 16th at the NCAA Championships
  • Lee finished second in the 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free and the 1650 free at the NSIC Championships
  • She is the school record holder in the 800, 1000 and 1650 free
Andrea is set up to have a tremendous senior season. She has steadily improved each year. Last season she earned All Conference honors in 4 events, qualified to NCAAs, and earned 2nd Team All American Honors in the 1650 at NCAAs. She will also serve as team co-captain this season.
Head coach Leah Neiheisel

MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO 

The Minnesota State women’s swimming and diving team will see 33 letterwinners return from the 2020-21 season. Last season’s team went on to claim the second NSIC Championship in program history. Minnesota State also went 4-0 in its four duals during the 2020-21 season. In total 12 Mavericks claimed 28 All-NSIC honors during the 2021 NSIC Championships and 11 of those Mavericks will return for the 2021-22 season, including senior Anja Enervold. Last season, Enervold claimed four All-NSIC honor, which included first place finishes in the 200 medley relay, the 800 freestyle relay and the 200 backstroke. Junior Ayla Taylor also returns for the Mavericks after claiming third place, and All-NSIC honors, in the 1-meter diving event and fifth place in the 3-meter diving event at back-to-back NSIC Championships. Senior Emily Goodman and sophomore Olivia Meinberg also return for the Mavericks after both claimed a total of five All-NSIC accolades last season, including a first place finish in the 200 medley relay.  Sophomores Ella DeFerver and Elise Mishmash were also members of the 800 freestyle relay team that finished first at the NSIC Championships. Senior Katie Streiff also claimed a pair of All-NSIC honors as she finished first in the 100 IM and first in the 200 medley relay.

We're excited for a more normal schedule in terms of practices, competitions, and team travel. We have a large and talented group of athletes that should be competitive within the NSIC. It will be fun to begin the competition season and see how the team comes together.
Head Coach Nathan Owens
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Anja Envervold (Sprints,  Jr.,  La Crosse, Wis. / Homeschooled ) 

  • Claimed four All-NSIC honors during the 2021 NSIC Championships
  • Won the 200 backstroke at the NSIC Championships in 2021
  • Has received six All-NSIC honors during her career with the Mavericks
  • Named to the NSIC All-Academic Team/Team of Excellence twice
Anja has been our team MVP the past two seasons. She's versatile swimmer that can do every event from the 50 to the 1,000 plus everything in-between. In addition, she's the reining two-time conference champion in the 200 Backstroke. It will be exciting to see what Anja can do her senior year.
Head Coach Nathan Owens

Ayla Taylor (Diving, So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Cedar Rapids HS)

  • Earned All-NSIC honors in the 1-meter diving event as she finished third at the NSIC Championships in 2021
  • Took fifth place in the 3-meter diving event at the NSIC Championships in 2021
  • As a freshman she also claimed All-NSIC honors in the 1-meter diving event at the NSIC Championships in 2021
  • Named the NSIC Diver of the Week as a freshman after winning the 1-meter diving event against the University of South Dakota
Ayla is an explosive athlete and talented diver. She's continued to improve throughout her college career and looks to build off of a strong sophomore year where she finished third overall in one-meter diving and fifth overall on three-meter. We're excited to see her continue that progression during her junior year.
Head Coach Nathan Owens

MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD

MSUM is a young team which includes a large freshman group. Four experienced seniors return for Head Coach Charlie King, including Katelin Winter, Lexie Bray, Kate MacGregor and Dru Perry. The team will have three members of its 400 free relay team that finished fifth at the conference meet back — Arina Bratamidjaja, Winter and Bray. Winter qualified for the ‘A’ final in the 200 butterfly at the NSIC Championships last February.  Former All-American Erin Sullivan has joined the Dragons’ coaching staff as an assistant in 2021-22.

We are young team and very excited about the enthusiasm we have at practice. We have a lot of talent spread among some fun and exciting people. We are connecting as a team and really starting to find our confidence as student athletes. We are looking forward to first semester GPA and hope to be in the top 20 in the country.
Head Coach Charles King
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Vasilina Shipilova (400,IM, 200 IM, Fr., Aukland, New Zealand / Mount Albert HS)
  • Expected to contribute in 400 and 200 IM events
  • Won national titles in New Zealand in 200 IM, 200 breast, 100 back and 400 IM
  • 2019 New Zealand Secondary Schools Champion
Vas is an outstanding student athlete. She is great at setting and achieving daily goals. She has tremendous work capability and we are excited to see how it pays off this year.
Head Coach Charles King

NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY

The 2020-21 Northern State swim team finished the season with a record of 1-8 overall. Northern went on to close the season with a sixth place finish in the NSIC Championships totaling 209 points; the program’s highest finish since the move to nine competing teams. The Wolves return two swimmers with multiple top-10 finishes in last year’s conference meet in Lauren Forsyth and Maddie Gonzales. Forsyth recorded a fifth place finish in the 200 fly and seventh place finish in the 100 fly, while Gonzales recorded a seventh place finish in the 200 back and tenth place finish in the 100 back. Both Forsyth and Gonzales were also on the 200 and 400 medley relays that placed eighth and seventh respectively. The program enters their first season under the direction of Kaden Huntrods, following a two-year stint as the men’s and women’s head coach at Iowa Lakes Community College. The Wolves return 16 swimmers from last year’s roster and add six incoming freshmen to the team. They open the 2021-22 season at home versus UMary and Concordia-St. Paul on Friday, October 1. 

We have a great combination of returning swimmers and incoming freshmen that are hungry for competition. After this past short Spring season due to COVID we looking to have a great Fall/Spring season. I don't think we could ask for a better combination of captains and swimmers for this upcoming season. From the beginning of training, they are pushing each other to do well. Starting October 1st, we have a good competition schedule that will prepare us well for conference and will push us throughout the season. Lastly, we have a great team dynamic with solid group and individual goals for the year.
Head Coach Kaden Huntrods
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Haley Osborne (Freestyle/Backstroke, Fr., Boise, Idaho / Mountain View HS)
  • 4-time state medalist and 2020 Idaho State Champion in the 100 free
  • 3-time prep all-conference selection
  • 2020-21 national qualifier, placing second at the 2018 YMCA Nationals
Haley is a go getter in the pool and actively seeks to push herself and teammates in practice. Haley will be competing primarily in the mid-distance freestyle and backstroke events. We look forward to seeing her dive into competition this season.
Head Coach Kaden Huntrods

UNIVERSITY OF SIOUX FALLS

Led by the return of several veterans, including All-American Elizabeth Spaans, USF Swimming will again try to earn a top-three finish at the NSIC Championships in Sioux Falls on Feb. 9-12. The Cougars, which open the season with a double dual against St. Cloud State and Augustana on Oct. 15-16 at the Midco Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., brings back a strong core of swimmers, led by Spaans, who was named CoSIDA Academic All-District this summer and is USF’s Athlete to Watch. A seven-time NSIC title holder (team/individual), Spaans earned All-American honors in 2020 and she has made two trips to the NCAA DII nationals. A year ago at the NSIC Championships, the Cougars, who earned 12 dual wins and was nationally ranked, finished third for a fourth straight year at the NSIC Championships. The Cougars, which had seven individuals or relays crowned champions at the 2021 NSIC Championships, had 10 provisional marks and 36 All-NSIC performers during the 2021 season. USF returns a group that includes Domenica Solano, Ilinde du Plessis, NSIC Freshman of the Year Paulina Ruelas, Val Childs, Ursula Demarquet, and Abigail Ford, who all made a major impact a year ago in dual competitions as well as the league meet. Then, the Cougars added a strong recruiting class and USF Head Coach Chris Hamstra has a squad that again will battle for one of the top three or four spots at the league championships. 

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Elizabeth Spaans (Back, IM, Free, Sr., Brandon, S.D. / Sioux Falls Christian HS)
  • CoSIDA Academic All-District At Large Team 
  • Three-time Academic All-NSIC and All-Academic Team of Excellence honoree 
  • Owns seven NSIC titles – team or individual 
  • Named CSCAA All-American in 2020 
  • Three-time D2 ADA Academic Achievement Recipient 
  • Advanced to nationals in each of the past two years while leading USF to three straight third place finishes at the NSIC Championships
Lizzie is amazing. This is her Senior year and her 3rd year as a Captain. We absolutely love her leadership in our program, she really is the heart of our team. She is coming off a great year, successfully defending her 200 IM and 100 Backstroke NSIC titles. We expect big things from her again!
Head Coach Chris Hamstra

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

Southwest Minnesota State University begins its third collegiate swimming & diving season in 2021-22 and looks to continue on its upward trajectory and improves on its eighth-place finish at last season’s NSIC Championships. SMSU third-year head coach Marty Wahle has expanded the roster once again this season and has 24 athletes on the roster, including 13 letter winners and 11 newcomers.  Headlining the list of returners is junior Natalie Bohnert, who earned All-NSIC accolades last season in two events for the second straight season. She placed second in the 100 backstroke and finished third in the 200 backstroke. Sophomore Maija Geier returns after earning points at last year’s championship with an 11th place finish in the 200 backstroke, while sophomore Kendyl Near is also back after finishing 11th in the 100 yard IM. Junior Annika Freiburger competed in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the NSIC Championships and notched earned a 10th place finish. Junior MacKenzie Kallevig and junior Addi Schroeder both competed in several events last season and were both members, along with Near, on SMSU’s 200 freestyle relay that set a school record last season.  Freshmen Sheyann Bertschinger and Sarah McDonald will be the team’s divers this season.  

Now entering our third season as a team, we are continuing to grow and add depth each year. Our returners have come back motivated and are doing a great job connecting with our first year athletes, both in and out of the water. We talk about daily improvement and focusing on the process - we are hopeful we see great results at both mid-season and NSIC champs.
Head Coach Marty Wahle
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Nat Bohnert (Backstroke & IM, So., Petersburg, Ind. / Pike Central HS) 

  • All-NSIC First Team, 200 backstroke and 100 backstroke (2021)
  • All-NSIC First Team, 200 backstroke and 100 backstroke (2020)
Nat has been a consistent performer in both regular season meets and at NSIC champs the past two seasons. Nat is a four-time All NSIC performer in her two years at SMSU. She will be looking to keep the positive momentum going into the 21/22 season
Head Coach Marty Wahle

Sarah McDonald (1/3M Dive, Fr., Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake HS) 

  • Will compete in both 1 and 3m at SMSU
  • As a senior in high school, placed fourth among a talented group of divers in Section 2AA
Sarah is a first year diver for us and has been looking great on both 1 and 3m. In 2020, Sarah placed 4th among a talented group of divers in Section 2AA. She is excited to see her skills translate over to collegiate diving when we start competition in mid-Oct.
Head Coach Marty Wahle

ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY

St. Cloud State looks to return to the top of the NSIC after a second place finish at the 2021 NSIC Championships.  The Huskies, who have won five of the seven  NSIC Swimming & Diving Championships, return NSIC Diver of the Year Madison Brinkman, the NSIC record holder in both the 1m and 3m dives.  Two year captain Lexie Burroughs also returns for her senior season with a wealth of experience, having qualified for nationals three times.  Diving will be a strength for the Huskies again this season as five divers made the trip to Alabama for the NCAA Championships last season. Returning with Brinkman are Meredith Matchinsky , Annaliesa Anderson  and Taylor Terfher. Matchinsky, Anderson and Terfher all made their debuts at the national meet, while Brinkman made her fourth appearances.  The Huskies will open their season on October 8-9 at the Davenport Tri in Marquette, Michigan, hosted by Northern Michigan.  

We have an assortment of experience with two seniors and and exciting group of under classmen who have competed at a high level within the conference and nationally.
Head Coach Jeff Hegle
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Lexie Burroughs (50 Free, 100 Free, 100 Breast, 100 IM, Sr., Ladysmith, Wis. / Ladysmith HS) 

  • Part of the 200 Yard Medley that set the NSIC record in a time of 1:42.45 in 2020
  • Part of the 400 Yard Freestyle that set the NSIC record in a time of 3:24.58 in 2019
  • Earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 200 and 400 Free at the 2019 NCAA Championships 
  • Named All-NSIC 12 times in career
Lexie is a two year Captain and is a member of NSIC record in the 200 Medley and 400 Free relays. She is a three-time NCAA qualifier and has earned All American Honorable mention. She has been chosen as an all conference swimmer 12 different times.
Head Coach Jeff Hegle

Madison Brinkman (Diving, FY-Sr.,  Grey Eagle, Minn. / Melrose HS)

  • 2021 NSIC Diver of the Year 
  • 2020 & 2021 NSIC Championships Diver of the Meet 
  • Set NSIC 1M diving record with a score of 446.90 at 2020 NSIC Championships
  • Set NSIC 3M diving record with a score of 482.65 at 2021 NSIC Championships.
  • Finished second at the 2021 NCAA Championships in the 3m Dive to earn First Team All-American honors
  • Finished 11th at the 2021 NCAA Championships in the 1m Dive to earn Second Team All-American honors 
Mady is a model student-athlete. She has worked extremely hard to become one of the top divers in Division II. She is a leader in practice and the classroom where she is a Radiology Tech major.
Head Coach Jeff Hegle
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