2008-09: Senior stalwart for the 'Cats, leading the freestyle squad while also concentrating on the 200 fly in 2009 ... Recorded the team's season-best times in the 200, 500 and 1,000 free, along with the 200 fly ... Appears on NU's top season times list in the 50 free, 100 and 200 back and 400 IM, as well as anchoring the 'Cats' best 200 free, 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relay teams ... Broke school records for the Wildcats in the 500 free, 1000 free and the 200 fly, and holds the second-best time in the 200 free ... Finished 17th in the 200 free, 21st in the 200 fly and 25th in the 500 free at the NCAA Championships ... Broke the school record in the 200 fly with a 1:44.05 at the NCAA meet ... Also had a career-best 1:34.78 in the 200 free at NCAA's ... Finished second in the 500 free and third in the 200 free at the Big Ten Championships, also notching an eighth-place finish in the 200 fly ... Compiled an exceptional seven different NCAA `B' cut times at the Big Ten Championships ... Swam to a first-place finish in the 200 free at the TYR Invitational (11/21) earning an NCAA provisional `B' cut for the time ... Earned three more `B' cuts at the Invitational, in the 500 free (first place) 200 fly (first place) and the 400 IM (first place) ... Against Carthage (1/10) scored a pool record in the 1,000 free, swimming the 500 free split fast enough to set a pool record in that event as well ... Finished first every time he raced the 400 IM during the dual-meet season, while bringing home the top time in the 500 free at every meet but one and the 200 free at every meet but two ... Secured 20 first-place marks in eight different events during the season ... Closed the door on his senior dual-meet season with 29 top-five finishes for the Wildcats.
2007-08: Northwestern's most versatile swimmer, earned spots on NU's top times list in 9-of-14 individual events ... Earned two All-America honors as a member of the 200 free and 400 free relays, bringing his career All-America total to five ... Swam a career-best 1:35.91 in the 200 free to finish 18th at the NCAA Championships ... Also had a career-best time of 1:45.25 in the 200 fly to end up 17th overall at the NCAA meet, just .05 of a second out of the points and an All-America accolade ... Competed in the 500 free at the NCAA Championships ... Qualified for the championship final in all three of his individual events at the Big Ten Championships, finishing fourth in the 200 free, fifth in the 200 fly with a career-best 1:45.73 and sixth in the 500 free ... All six of his preliminary and finals swims were NCAA `B' marks ... Member of NU's 200 free, 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relays at the Big Ten Championships, finishing second with the 400 free squad and earning NCAA `B' cuts in all four events ... Held NU's top times of the year in the 200 free, 500 free, 1,000 free, 1,650 free, 100 back and 200 fly, earning NCAA `B' cuts in the 200 free, 500 free and 200 fly ... Also ranked on NU's top times list in the 100 free, 200 IM and 400 IM ... Had nine first-place finishes in dual-meet races ... Won the 200 fly, 200 free and 500 free against No. 21 Notre Dame (1/19) ... Won both the 400 IM and the 500 free while finishing second in the 200 free in a double-dual meet against Purdue and No. 22 Texas A&M (11/3) ... Won the championship in the 200 free at the Georgia Invitational, while finishing third in the 500 free and sixth in the 200 fly (11/30-12/2) ... Finished first among all collegiate entries (and second overall behind several Olympic gold medalists) in the 500 free, 200 free and 200 fly at the prestigious Classic at SMU (1/11-1/12).
2006-07: Made the first NCAA individual final of his collegiate career, finishing 16th in the 500 free after swimming a school-record time of 4:18.86 in the prelims ... Swam on the 'Cats record-setting 400 free relay at the NCAA Championships that finished third ... Narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the 200 free, setting a personal-best time of 1:36.08 en route to an 18th-place finish ... Finished 22nd in the 200 fly at the NCAA Championships ... Also swam on the 800 free relay that finished 17th ... Earned two All-America honors to push his career total to three ... Recorded NU's best time of the year in the 500 free, 1000 free and 200 fly ... Finished fourth in the 500 free at the Big Ten Championships with a 4:21.48 after swimming a school-record 4:19.20 in the prelims ... Took third in the 200 free with a 1:36.58 at the Big Ten meet ... Finished eighth in the finals at the Big Ten Championships in the 200 fly after posting a career-best time of 1:46.61 to take fifth during the prelims ... Won 20 events throughout the season ... Named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for November 7 ... Set a Norris Aquatics Center pool record in the 200 free when he swam a time of 1:36.79 for the 'Cats leadoff leg in the 800 free relay at the TYR Invitational ... Also broke the Norris Aquatics Center pool record in the 500 free during preliminaries for the TYR Invitational (4:20.78) ... Broke Notre Dame's pool record in the 500 free (4:23.27) ... Set personal bests in the 200 fly and 500 free ... Won three different events at the TYR Invitational (500 free, 200 fly and 400 IM).
2005-06: Earned an All-America honor during his first NCAA Championships, swimming with the seventh-place 400 free relay ... Recorded the team's best times of the year in the 500 free, 1000 free and 1650 free ... Recorded the team's second-best times of the year in the 200 free and 200 fly ... Recorded the team's third-best time of the year in the 400 IM ... Member of the relay team that had a 1:18.25 in the 200 free relay at the Big Ten Championships ... Finished fourth in the 500 free at the Big Ten meet in 4:22.61 after swimming a career-best 4:22.47 in the prelims ... Finished second in the consolation final of the 200 free at the Big Ten meet with a 1:37.74 ... Swam a personal-best 1:36.33 in the 200 free at the NCAA Championships, earning a 17th-place overall finish ... Won three individual events against Notre Dame: the 200 free, the 200 fly and the 500 free ... Placed second in the 500 free at the Dallas Morning News Classic ... Named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week on 1/24 ... Second-team All-Big Ten honoree.
High School: Named Boston Globe's Swimmer of the Year twice ... Received multiple All-American honors ... NISCA Massachusetts Swimmer of the Year ... Holds Weston High School records in the 100, 200 and 500 free, 100 back, 100 fly, 200 IM, 200 free relay, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay ... Member of three state championship teams ... Swam eight years of club with the New England Barracudas ... Three-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American ... Honor roll student.
Personal: Born Eric Thomas Nilsson ... Son of Robert and Beth Nilsson ... Chose Northwestern over Harvard, Michigan and Virginia ... Majoring in statistics with a minor in pyschology.
NILSSON'S PERSONAL BESTS
| 200 Fly | 1:44.05 |
| 200 Free | 1:34.78 |
| 500 Free | 4:17.31 |
| 1,650 Free | 15:32.85 |