Women's Swimming 12/21/2021 3:58:00 PM NWU Sports Information

NWU’s Hepler Competes In FINA World Swimming Championships

Women's Swimming 12/21/2021 3:58:00 PM NWU Sports Information

NWU’s Hepler Competes In FINA World Swimming Championships

LINCOLN, Neb. (December 21, 2021) - Competing on one of the world's biggest stages in your sport isn't a fact most people can pull out. But for Nebraska Wesleyan women's swimming student-athlete, Kayla Hepler, it is.

From December 16-21, Hepler competed in the 15th Annual FINA World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Hepler represented her home country of the Marshall Islands in the event that also included some of the biggest names and countries in the sport.

At the FINA World Swimming Championships, Hepler competed in the women's 50 freestyle and the women's 50 butterfly. Hepler clocked a 30.03 in the freestyle and a 32.46 in the butterfly. Despite missing the podium, Hepler's times were among her best in international competition.

No stranger to international swimming events, Hepler competed in the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships and a year later in the Oceania Swimming Championships. Hepler's mother is also a coach for the Martian Islands Olympic Federation.

With all the international swimming experience, it was actually a sibling's connection with head swimming coach Kyle Hunt that led Hepler to find a home as an intercollegiate swimmer at Nebraska Wesleyan.

"As a native of the Marshall Islands, I connected with Kayla's older sister when I was coaching for Club Husker at the University of Nebraska. We built a connection a number of years ago and that connection led Kayla to come swim at NWU," said Kyle Hunt.

As a sophomore for the Prairie Wolves, Hepler swims on the scoring varsity team and competed this fall before recently traveling to Abu Dhabi.

"Kayla has excellent fundamentals, a strong work ethic, and a wonderfully positive personality. She is a great asset to our program as well as the NWU community, and we are excited to watch her continued growth in our program."

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