One team that has built and relied on a strong sprinting corps for a number of years now is the University of Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers are poised to catch a lot of teams off guard next week with their combination of resilient veterans and promising youngsters chomping at the bit. Leading Nebraska into battle one last time will be one of the most successful sprinters in school history, and our next featured senior is none other than Taryn Collura out of Phoenix, Arizona.
An absolutely dominant swimmer in the high school and club realms in Arizona before joining the Cornhuskers, Collura was destined to have a big collegiate career given her accolades at the time. Representing Sunnyslope High School, Collura would win three Arizona High School State titles individually over the course of her career (50 free in 2008 and 2010, 100 free in 2010). While competing for the Phoenix Swim Club, Taryn was also a multiple-time Junior National and Senior National qualifier in the sprint freestyle events.
Collura actually had a peculiar start to her NCAA Career, as she did not actually compete during her True Freshman season. After having initially committed to swim for the University of Nevada, a last-minute switch to become a Cornhusker instead of a member of the Wolf Pack conflicted with NCAA transfer rules, thus rendering Collura ineligible to compete during her first season in Lincoln.
Despite the temporary setback, Collura took advantage of her redshirt status to break out stronger than ever the following season at the 2012 Big Ten Championships. Collecting best times in each of her individual events, she would record finishes of 6th in the 50 free (22.46, 22.42 in prelims), 13th in the 100 free (49.52, 49.45 in prelims), and 20th in the 100 fly (55.32, 55.11 in prelims). Notably, her effort in the prelims of the 50 free struck down a thirteen-year-old school record previously held by legendary Swedish Olympian Therese Alshammar.
Additionally, Collura was oustanding as a member of Nebraska’s relays, contributing legs to the team’s 200 medley relay (1:39.13, 7th), 200 free relay (1:30.11, 4th), and 400 free relay (3:18.10, 4th). Notably, all three relays had identical rosters (Collura, Shannon Guy, Hayley Martin, and Ariel Weech), and all set new school records in the process.
Thanks to her record-setting performance in the 50 free, Collura would receive an opportunity to swim at that year’s NCAA Championships in Indianapolis. She would leave the meet with individual finishes of 33rd in the 50 free (22.62) and 56th in the 100 free (50.08).
Coming off a monstrous Redshirt Freshman season, Taryn continued to fine-tune her sprinting abilities as a sophomore. At the 2014 Big Ten Championships, she would record finishes of 12th in the 50 free (22.83, 22.68 in prelims), 16th in the 100 free (50.52, 49.54 in prelims), and 15th in the 100 fly (54.30, 54.07 in prelims). That 100 fly performance was a career best at the time.
Though she was slightly slower than her personal bests in her freestyle races individually, Collura was much better in relay action. She swam legs on Nebraska’ 200 medley relay (7th, 1:40.07), 400 medley relay (3:41.93, 9th), 200 free relay (1:31.48, 8th), and 400 free relay (3:20.24, 8th). Notably, she led off the 400 free relay in a 49.28, a new collegiate best for the then-sophomore.
As a junior, Collura continued to be a major source of points for the Cornhuskers at the Conference Championships. She would secure individual finishes of 20th in the 50 free (22.99, 22.94 in prelims), 14th in the 100 free (49.75, 49.50 in prelims), and 12th in the 100 fly (53.69, 53.50 in prelims), and for the third consecutive year, her 100 fly race at Big Tens would represent a new career best. As a member of Nebraska’s relays, Collura contributed to team finishes of 12th in the 200 medley relay (1:40.54), 9th in the 400 medley relay (3:38.82), 8th in the 200 free relay (1:30.92), and 9th in the 400 free relay (3:20.91), with the 400 medley relay representing a new program record as well.
Although most would expect Taryn to be brilliant as usual in the pool during her last Big Tens due to her having an admirable track record during Championship Seasons in the past, her performances this season are what truly make this year’s Conference meet a must-watch for the senior. At the 2015 Big Challenge, she posted lifetime bests in the 100 free (49.00) and 200 free (1:48.76), representing the second-fastest and fifth-fastest times in school history respectively. Additionally, she went career bests in long course competition at the 2015 AT&T National Championships in the 50 free (25.89), 100 free (56.55), and 100 fly (1:01.30).
With her 100 free being only one-tenth of a second off what it took to make it to NCAAs last year, and multiple team records in sight, it is not a question of whether we will see a big collegiate finish from the senior, but rather, it is about just how many heads Taryn Collura & Co. will turn when the action commences on Wednesday.
Best Times (SCY/LCM):
50 Free: 22.42*/25.89
100 Free: 49.00/56.55
200 Free: 1:48.76/2:07.27
100 Fly: 53.50/1:01.30
200 Medley Relay: 1:39.13*
400 Medley Relay: 3:38.82*
200 Free Relay: 1:30.11*
400 Free Relay: 3:18.10*
*Denotes school record
School Major/Degree: Psychology and Film Studies
Favorite Event: 50 Free
Favorite Hobby: Cooking and generally hanging around the kitchen
Favorite Movie: Being a film studies major, it’s impossible to choose just one
Person You’d Like to Meet Growing Up: Johnny Cash
Favorite Food/ Pre-Race Meal: A good New York Strip and Grilled veggies
At what age did you become involved with swimming? How did you get into it?
Being from Arizona, I learned how to swim very early to escape the heat. After that my parents had trouble keeping me out of the water and I participated in summer swimming until the age of five, when my coach took my mom aside and told her to seriously consider enrolling me in a year-round program. So that’s what we did, and it turns out I was a very competitive kid so swimming was perfect for me.
What is your favorite collegiate swimming memory and why?
It had to have been my first year competing at B1Gs. It was the very last event, the 400 free relay, and up to this point I had been having a fantastic meet. The other Nebraska sprinters were also having the meet of their lives, so we knew that this relay was going to be good. This was Nebraska’s second year in the B1G so we were still kind of an unknown on deck, our relays had done pretty well up to this point in the meet (we had succeeded in breaking three school relay records by then) but we were definitely more of a wild card more than anything else. We were in the break in between the last individual event and the relay and I just remember feeling electric.
My relay team included myself, Hayley Martin, Ariel Weech, and Shannon Guy. I was technically a freshman but the rest of the team was two seniors and a junior, so there was this incredible energy. We got behind our block and we just went for it, nothing else mattered. I think we were in lane 8, or at least one of the outside lanes. We were just lucky to have made it into the final heat so I don’t think that we figured we had anyplace to go but up.
My team was going wild on the sidelines and I could feel them, their excitement the entire time. I was the anchor, because I love harnessing nervous energy, and I just remember stepping up on that block and thinking, “We’re really in this race, we have a shot here”. I dove in and swam for my team yelling on the side of the pool, just like full of raw energy. Honestly I barely even remember that 100 at all, but I hit the wall and my ears almost burst, I hadn’t even had the chance to look up yet but my relay team was basically trying to get back into the water to hug me and so excited. The relay ended up just barely getting out touched for third place. But that is my favorite collegiate memory because it the first moment in my life I really felt like even though they weren’t all in the water with me, I was swimming for my entire team and could feel them behind me supporting me. When we were up at that 4th place podium, I remember thinking that this is why I swim. If you don’t set any limitations for yourself, there really aren’t any and you can achieve anything with your team behind you. The 400 free relay is still my favorite event at B1Gs.
As a Redshirt Freshman, you qualified for NCAAs individually, and competed in the 50 free and 100 free at that meet. Can you tell us what your first NCAA experience was like?
Terrifying and exciting, definitely. I was the only swimmer on my team to make it and so it was just my two coaches and myself. When you check in for the meet they give everyone a participation medal; I remember my coach handing me this medal and I was like “But I didn’t win anything.” And he was just like “You won the opportunity to compete here.” After that I tried to just constantly remind myself of that, because when I got up on the blocks for my first race I was noticeably shaking, I thought they might disqualify me for shaking. In no way did I play it cool at this meet, at all.
That race was decent, close to my seed time. I went to talk to my coach and after making fun of me for shaking he was like, “It’s okay to be nervous, that was just your first race. You’ll get over it and your next race will be better.” I agreed. I was a race deep, I totally belonged there. My second race was actually awful. It was the 100 free and to my defense, I had the best first 75 of my life. However, I got a little ahead of myself and turned way too early on the last wall. I was so far from the wall that I don’t even think that my foot touched it; I was at a dead stop in the water. I couldn’t come back from it and my time was probably the slowest in the meet. My coaches and I ended up laughing at it because what else can you really do at the point. The overall experience was definitely informative, and a lesson in confidence for me, but it was also great just to witness that level of swimming in person.
In last year’s Senior Spotlight, we interviewed one of your old teammates, Rebekah Land, and asked her what it was like to have such an incredibly accomplished coach, Pablo Morales, as a mentor. In your opinion, what is it like to have one of the greatest male swimmers in U.S. history on deck with you on a daily basis, and do you feel like that has given you a unique collegiate experience?
Pablo is an awesome guy, honestly. He’s so humble and his story is an inspiration. That said however, he is the most humble, distinguished man you’ll ever meet. What makes him a great coach isn’t his Olympic past, but I’ve never met someone who loves coaching and the sport of swimming for that matter, more.
Back at a last chance meet in Georgia a couple years ago, we had a Nebraska swim team of two present at this meet so we kind of joined together with another team on deck. We became good friends with their swimmers and our coaches became close with their coaches so by the end of the meet we were pretty much just one big team. Anyway Pablo was videotaping each of our (the Nebraska girls) races on his iPad and then breaking it down with us afterwards, but there was this one race that one of the girls from the other team was in the same heat as me. So after I had watched and fully discussed my race with Pablo he calls the girl from the other team over. He casually just says “Hey I have your race on tape, do you want to watch your race with me?” She said sure, went over there and once again Pablo breaks down and discusses her race with her in depth.
It was watching this that I really understood how much he loves to coach. I think that his greatness in the pool stemmed from a very deep passion for the sport and that is what makes him a uniquely great coach. Because for that passion never left him, he loves truly loves the sport. For me personally, having him as a coach has changed the way I regard swimming in general. His passion has fed my passion, as I feel like it has to every swimmer he coaches.
You have had a tremendous season already, with lifetime bests in the 100 free and 200 free coming from the 2015 Big Challenge, and lifetime bests in long course swimming coming in the 50 free and 100 free coming at the 2015 AT&T Winter Nationals meet. Would you be willing to share some of your goals heading into your final Championship season with the Cornhuskers?
I think this season has been so smooth for me because I have really just been trying to channel my first year of college competition. That was a year that I didn’t have any exact goals, but had an attitude that was about seeing how far I could go. I’m interested to see what I can do honestly. My goal is to remain open minded and positive. I want to walk into B1Gs with the confidence that I have learned these last four years but with the raw excitement I had my freshman year. This year I’ve really taken what I’ve done in and out of the pool to a new level and I’m interested to see where that takes me.
Do you have any plans/commitments following the completion of your collegiate career?
That’s never an easy question for a senior in college. I think my immediate plan is to continue swimming and cash in my Olympic trial cut in Omaha. I’ll be graduating in May, and then most likely stay and train with my team until trials. After that I’m afraid it’s time to lay my swimming career to rest. It has been a long, wonderful, adventurous, journey but I think it is time to move on. My immediate plan it to travel and see as much of the world as I can, and then probably back to school to pursue my master’s degree. My academic interest is in sport psychology so I have a feeling that I’ll remain hanging around the swimming community. Ultimately I would love to remain involved in college swimming/athletics in some way or another.
What should we look forward to from Nebraska as a whole at this year’s Big Ten Championships?
I am so excited for B1Gs. This year’s team is not like any I have experienced in my time here. We have a very big freshman class with a ton of talent. On the other end of the spectrum we have a huge senior class as well, definitely an hourglass shaped team. But between the fresh, young speed and the girls who are looking to go out with a bang, I think that we’re going to have an explosive championship season. The entire team has been motivated since August.
