Taylor Acheson is a former student-athlete at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, where she was a scholarship athlete on the swim and dive team, hailing from Overland Park, Kansas. Throughout Taylor’s academic pursuit of a marketing and finance degree, she dedicated herself to both the classroom and the pool, always striving for continuous improvement.
Taylor is deeply committed to community service and making a positive impact. As a volunteer Side Walker at Heartland Therapeutic Riding, she helps people with disabilities through equine-assisted services. By establishing relationships built on trust, she works closely with riders to provide a safe and enjoyable horseback riding experience.
Acheson's experience as a member of the swim and dive team has honed her ability to push beyond perceived limits and has equipped her with invaluable skills that extend beyond the confines of traditional education.
The rigorous demands of balancing academics and athletics have instilled in Acheson a profound understanding of time management and effective leadership, qualities that she aims to leverage as she transition into the professional realm.
Taylor is eager to apply her competitive spirit in the service-oriented environment while pursuing further education in business through the graduate program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Outside of competitive swimming and higher education, Acheson is deeply committed to community service and making a positive impact. As a volunteer Side Walker at Heartland Therapeutic Riding, she helps people with disabilities through equine-assisted services. By establishing relationships built on trust, she works closely with riders to provide a safe and enjoyable horseback riding experience.
Taylor Acheson came to Nebraska after a win at the 2016 Summer Sectional meet. Acheson did not compete for her high school team but swam for Coach Gardner Howland with the Kansas City Blazers. Acheson qualified for Junior Nationals, Futures and NCSAs. In 2016, Acheson was a member of a winning relay team at Summer Futures.
Freshman: Acheson finished a strong first season with five top-five finishes, including one victory in the 500 free (5:12.63) and a runner-up finish in the 200 free (1:57.06), both against South Dakota State.
She racked up four career bests with two coming at the Hawkeye Invitational in the 200 free (1:50.81) and the 400 IM (4:23.37). She added a career best in the 200 IM (2:07.23) at the Big Ten Championships. She also swam a then-career best in the 500 free at South Dakota State (5:12.63).
Acheson competed in three events at the Big Ten Championships, including the 200 fly, 200 IM and 200 free. On campus, Acheson earned spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters. She was also a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.
Sophomore: Acheson was a contributor for the Huskers as a sophomore in the freestyle and butterfly events. She posted a then-career-best time of 4:56.91 in the 500 free at the Big Ten Championships. She added a season-best time of 1:51.33 in the 200 free at the Big Ten meet.
Acheson added a 2:05.50 in the 200 fly at the Mizzou Invitational. She notched a season-best third-place finish in the 1,000 free in the dual win over South Dakota State, and added a fifth-place finish in the 200 fly in a dual victory over Omaha.
In the classroom, Acheson was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition.
Junior: Acheson continued to contribute in her third season for the Huskers. The junior earned a season-best fourth-place finish in the 500 freestyle in a dual against Illinois (Jan. 23). She swam to a career-best time of 4:56.89 in the 500 free in the prelims at the 2021 Big Ten Swimming Championships in Minneapolis (Feb. 24).
Acheson also competed in the 200 butterfly (2:04.23) and the 200 free (1:53.04) at the conference meet.
Senior: Taylor Acheson kicked off her senior season at the South Dakota State dual (Oct. 2). She swam to a third-place finish in the 500 freestyle and anchored the fourth-place 200 free relay.
Acheson, from Overland Park, Kansas, followed that up with a sixth-place swim in the 100 butterfly at the Iowa dual (Oct. 23). As October came to a close, Acheson continued to see improved times in the 500 freestyle and butterfly events, with duals against Minnesota and Iowa State.
At the competitive Mizzou Invitational (Nov. 17-19), Acheson swam to a top-ten finish in the 200 butterfly and top-25 finish in the 500 freestyle. She wrapped up the dual season with a career-best 100 butterfly time (1:04.25) against Omaha to finish sixth and an additional sixth place finish in the 200 butterfly against Rutgers on Jan. 28.
Acheson closed her senior campaign at the Big Ten Championships, where she swam in the 200 freestyle (1:54.50), 500 freestyle (5:00.12) and 200 butterfly (2:06.94).
Honors & Awards:
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Four Letters (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
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Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2020, 2021, 2022)
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Academic All-Big Ten (2020, 2021, 2022)
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Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021; Spring 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
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Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Education:
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Highest Degree Earned: Masters in Business Administration
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Institution Attended: University of Missouri-Kansas City
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Graduation Year: 2024
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Other Relevant Educational Background: Bachelors of Science in Business Administration (Marketing Major with Finance minor) Undergraduate from University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2018-2022
