No Wisconsin swimmer had ever won more than one individual title at an NCAA meet before Beata Nelson entered the 2019 NCAA Championships.
The Wisconsin junior returns to Madison with three individual titles to her name after a record-breaking weekend in Austin, Texas in which she shattered the American record in the 100-yard backstroke by over half a second.
The Verona, Wisconsin, native kicked off the Championships last Wednesday as part of the team’s 800-yard freestyle relay unit, which broke the UW school record in the event by nearly two seconds. Despite finishing seventh, Nelson was proud of what she and her teammates had accomplished.
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“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.”
Nelson then took her talents to Thursday’s 200-yard individual medley in grand fashion, stunning many by swimming the second-fastest time in event history en route to her first career national title.
Up against the event’s defending national champion — Stanford’s Ella Eastin — Nelson was unaware of her position until late in the race, when she heard her name over the arena’s PA system.
“I honestly had no idea where I was at, how I was swimming until I got to the breaststroke leg and I could hear the announcers saying my name,” Nelson said.
Remarkably, Nelson followed up her 200-yard IM performance with a dominant showcase in Friday’s 100-yard backstroke final — Nelson’s incredible time of 49.18 seconds is the fastest in the event’s history, eclipsing the previous American record that she set in December.
On her mindset going into the event, Nelson said she felt more at ease given her track record in the event.
“Thursday was kind of unexpected, and tonight there was more of an expectation for me to win,” Nelson said. “So it was a different feeling, but there was a sense of calmness tonight.”
Nelson’s coach, Yuri Sugiyama, said her triumph Thursday contributed to her incredible performance Friday.
“I think Beata’s success last night really allowed her to just race her best this evening,” head coach Yuri Sugiyama said. “The thing about Beata is that she’s not afraid to get out and perform for people.”
Nelson achieved her personal goal of becoming a three-time national champion Saturday, winning the 200-yard backstroke despite being challenged neck-and-neck by Stanford’s Taylor Ruck throughout the race. Nelson’s time of 1:47.24 is an NCAA record, capping off an unforgettable weekend in which she won three national titles in three days and was fittingly named Swimmer of the Championships.
In what will surely go down as a special weekend in Wisconsin athletics history, Nelson’s record-breaking performance was followed by the women’s hockey team clinching its fifth NCAA title Sunday afternoon.
The junior will now switch course toward preparing for the U.S. National Championships in July.
“I’m planning on hitting some pro series (meets) this summer,” Nelson said. “If this meet was any indication of where I’m at, I think it’s a good one.”
