Haebig competes in fourth NCAA meet

The career of one of the most decorated swimmers in the history of Grafton High School may have come to a close this month.

The reaction of 2016 grad Autumn Haebig after her final event at the NCAA Division 1 Swimming and Diving Championships matched the moment.

“I went up to my parents right after my race and there were some tears in our eyes but they were happy tears,” the star University of Nebraska swimmer said. “I’ve had many opportunities and friendships that have come with swimming, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Haebig finished 55th in the 100-yard freestyle in 49.62 seconds.

“I actually felt like I didn’t have a great race, but I kept telling myself that I was proud of myself. It’s a hard meet to get to and just being there is a blessing,” she said.

Haebig has been there competing in three events four times. For three straight years, she qualified in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle races. In 2018, it was the 100 backstroke and 200 and 500 freestyle.

This year at the championships at Georgia Tech, she was 23rd in the 200 in 1:45.69 and 28th in the 500 freestyle in 4:43.46.

Her 500 finish was 19 spots better than her seed and a season best time.

“I hadn’t touched that time this year,” she said.

The other two races weren’t timed to Haebig’s strength.

“Morning swims are always tough for me. I’m happy with how the swim went,” she said.

She also liked the meet’s format after restrictions due to the pandemic were loosened from last year’s championships.

“Luckily, I was able to hang around on deck. My parents were up in the stands and saw my last short course races,” she said.

Haebig, who took advantage of a fifth season of swimming thanks to an NCAA clause due to the pandemic, isn’t sure if her career in the water is over yet.

“I’m currently waiting to hear about my retirement,” she said.

The World University Games are slated to be held in Chengdu, China, in June. The USA isn’t sending a team, but the Big Ten Conference may take one, Haebig said. One swimmer from each university would be invited.

Regardless if Haebig has a swim left or not, she said her final season was special.

One of the highlights was the Big Ten Women’s Championships, namely its location — Madison.

“Being able to compete at my final Big Tens in Wisconsin was pretty fun,” Haebig said.

“I had a lot of family members who could make it. It was my last time swimming in my home state.”

Haebig, the defending champ in the 200 freestyle, finished sixth in 1:45.74. She was 10th in the 500 in 4:44 and 17th in the 100 in 49.09 — third fastest in Husker history.

In December, Haebig won the 50 backstroke in 26.5 and the 100 backstroke in 56.66 in a victory over Omaha and earned her first Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honor.

She was the only fifth-year Cornhusker, but many of her younger teammates returned to the team this season. She said she got to meet some of the freshmen and make new friends.

Haebig will graduate May 14 with degrees in advertising and public relations, and sports media and communications.

She has a post-eligibility opportunity to get an internship paid for by the University of Nebraska, and she hopes to land a job back in Wisconsin.

At Grafton, Haebig won 14 state titles and was named Wisconsin Swimming Coaches Association Division 2 Swimmer of the Year in 2016.