Former KU Swimmer From Ballwin Gets Special Nod

The same day that Ballwin's own Catherine Dolan this week, another athlete from our own backyards was honored for her triumphs.

Swimmer Kristin Nilsen graduated from University of Kansas in 1998 after holding the school's record for the 200 meter breaststroke and 400 meter individual medley, in addition to being a member of fastest 400 individual medley relay team in the school's history.

Those accomplishments were more than enough reason to honor Nilsen for the school's "Throwback Thursday" feature, when solid athletes from KU history are remembered for athletic greatness.

Check out our highlights from the featured QnA session with Nilsen below, and if you happen to know Nilsen, be sure to give her a shout out the next time you see her.

At what age did you start swimming? Who or what inspired you?
"I started swimming when I was eight years old for a summer team. I got into the sport because my family and I went to the city pool one time and it was closed because of a swim meet, so I said to my parents, `I want to do that next year' ... They never thought I would take off, but I did and started year-round swimming when I was 10 years old."

What is one thing you knew at the end of your career that you wish you had known as a freshman?
"Just to enjoy each moment because I think as a freshman you think `oh my gosh, I still have four more years,' but each year goes by faster and faster. I would say, enjoy it because you only have four years of eligibility and you can never get that back."

What do you currently do for a living?
"I actually graduated from Kansas with a business degree and was working in the business world for about 4.5 years.  It was okay, but I just was not happy being in business.  I knew in my heart that I needed to go back to school and become a nurse after seeing the treatment and care that my brother had received at the doctor's office with his nurse. So because of that, I ended up going back to nursing school from 2004-06. I fell in love with pediatric medicine and the last five years I have been working in Hematology/Oncology."

Do you still keep in contact with former teammates/coaches at KU?
"I try to make it to the Alumni meet every other year and I actually went and saw my former coach (Gary Kempf) and his wife in Kentucky around January.  I keep in touch with them because Gary did not treat me like just an athlete. He saw me as a person first, then as an athlete.  I say this because I got the news that my brother had cancer the day before the start of the Big 12 Championships. My mom was not able to come down, but my dad came to the meet and had to tell me why my mom was not in the stands.  Gary always told me that if I was at the biggest meet of my life and I needed to be home, they would make sure I would get home as soon as possible. I have always respected him because of that."

If you could give one piece of advice to a current member of the swimming & diving team, what would you tell them?
"My advice to freshman would be to make sure you get good grades your first semester, because if you put yourself in a hole, it is really hard to get out of.  It is important to just use the support the athletic department provides you with."

To read the complete interview with Nilsen, click here.