Former Husky inducted into Luther College HoF

Former standout Owatonna Huskies and Luther College Norse swimmer Elissa Cohen (formerly Schmidt) was inducted into the Luther College Hall of Fame earlier this month to honor her accomplishments as a member of the Norse swimming team.

Schmidt, who competed from 2004-08, set multiple school records and even finished as the Women’s Liberal Arts Championship High-Point Swimmer in 2008.

“It felt awesome honestly. They called me in March and told me, and I got teary-eyed. Part of me thinks it feels kind of funny because these are things I did 15 years ago, but also I’m like, ‘This is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.’ It was really flattering and a special day,” said Cohen.

Cohen’s induction into the Luther College Hall of Fame was kick-started via nominations from her teammates – a gesture from lifelong friends for whom Cohen said she is very thankful.

While Cohen noted her induction into the hall of fame came as a bit of a shock, her resumé suggests she was certainly deserving of the recognition.

In her four years swimming for the Norse, Cohen set records in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events as well as being the nation’s high-point swimmer in the Women’s Liberal Arts Championship in 2008.

Cohen’s 100 and 200 freestyle records of 51.66 seconds and 1:51.25 still stand over 15 years later, with only her 50 freestyle record being broken.

What makes Cohen’s records even more special to her is how she earned them.

“I set the 100 and 200 freestyle records in the last meet of my senior season, so it was kind of like my season was on the line. I remember finishing in the 200 and thinking, ‘Did something go wrong? Am I the only one swimming right now?’ I was swimming so fast that I didn’t see anyone during the race. When I finished, I saw how far ahead I was and when I heard my time, that’s when it began to sink in. I beat my previous time by like five seconds. Then the next day I set the 100 freestyle record in 51 seconds,” said Cohen.

Cohen’s spectacular stretch of times earned her a spot at the national championships, where she went on to dominate and earn her high-point swimmer honors.

According to her, she didn’t feel as if the spotlight was on her as she competed; however, that wasn’t the case for the media.

“I got done competing and this photographer came up to me and said he’d been following me in my races during the meet and had been taking some photos. It was really cool because I wasn’t expecting that to happen and now, I have those memories forever,” said Cohen.

As 15 years have now passed since her last time swimming for the Norse, Cohen has since moved onto a new chapter in her life: being a mom.

Cohen and her husband, Jake, are the proud parents of two young boys, Dax and Remy, and have hopes of one day watching their kids follow in their footsteps as athletes.

“My husband and I are both pretty athletic, so it’s exciting to think that one day our kids might be athletes as well. Obviously, I’ll support them in whatever they choose to pursue, but it’s almost kind of scary to think about the fact that I might now be the swim parent taking my kids to and from meets like my parents used to do for me,” she said.

Cohen extended many thanks to her parents, Robin and Brian Schmidt, and all of her coaches who helped bring her up through the Owatonna Swim and Dive program, as well as those who helped continue her development at Luther College.

“I was a bit of a shy kid, but my coach Martha Bloomenrader got me to come swim with the high school team. I told her I’d go to practices, but that I didn’t want to compete because I was scared – and she said that was OK. Over the years, my coaches took in this shy kid and taught me how to be successful, and they’re a huge part of the reason why I was fortunate enough to have so much success,” said Cohen.