Swimming tunes up to tackle long-course
By A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA swimming will test the long course, as opposed to the
normal short course, at the Southern California Invitational today
through Sunday at USC. While the majority of the team is resting up
for the Pacific 10 Championships held at Long Beach, Feb. 15-17,
five Bruins will be going on the trip across town.
Lindsay Etter, a sophomore breaststroker, will be competing in
the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke. Etter has already qualified
for the NCAA trials in both events on the short course, and set a
school record in the 200-yard breaststroke earlier this year with a
mark of 2:13.59.
Asked about the team’s health, head coach Cyndi Gallagher
replied, "(We’re) as healthy as we’re gonna get. Lindsay’s sick,
but it can’t affect you at this point. If you’re sick, so what.
Swim fast anyway."
Senior butterflier/freestyler Annette Salmeen has not only
improved on personal bests in her four main events, but has also
qualified for the NCAAs in the process. In addition, she has set
school marks in the 200-yard butterfly and the 200-yard freestyle
with marks of 1:57.41 and 1:48.37, respectively.
Freshman Emmanuelle Schick will swim in the 400-meter individual
medley. Her time of 4:24.67 has qualified her for NCAAs.
"We’d like to take eight athletes to the NCAAs," Gallagher
said.
At this point Gallagher’s squad has four individual qualifiers
along with three relay teams.
Sophomore Cindy Bertelink, who will swim in the IM and freestyle
events, is still looking for a qualifying time, while coming within
1.6 seconds of the 500-yard free cutoff and 2.64 seconds of the
1650-yard free cutoff.
"(This meet is ) no big deal. They’re just going there to swim,"
Gallagher said. "With Olympic trials coming up (March 6), the
athletes just want to be at a meet that’s 50 meters."
The regulation meets for the Pac-10 and NCAA are 25 yards. This
course, being considerably longer, is a tune-up for the Olympic
Trials, which are held in the long-course format.
Graduate assistant coach Kristy Heydanek, currently ranked ninth
in the world in the 100-meter backstroke, will join the Bruins at
the Invitational this weekend.
Sprinter Jill Jenkins, who has already qualified for five events
at the NCAAs, will rest this weekend.
Daily Bruin file photo
Lindsay Etter will swim the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke at
the Southern California Invite today.
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