Olympic trials bring out best in UCLA
Etter, Jenkins swim personal best times in Indianapolis
By A. CinQue Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
After five days on the road, including four days of events, four
UCLA swimmers will end their tour of Indianapolis Tuesday at the
conclusion of the Olympic Trials.
Keeping a Bruin streak of swimming lifetime best times alive,
sophomore Jill Jenkins swam a lifetime best 57.49 in the 100-meter
freestyle Wednesday. As of Saturday, the Bruins were the only team
with 100 percent lifetime bests.
"We’ve been swimming really fast," Jenkins said.
After the first three events, Jenkins, sophomore Lindsay Etter
and senior Olympian Annette Salmeen had done better than they ever
had before in their events. Etter’s 1:11.25 in the 100 breaststroke
was two seconds better than her previous best.
"Lindsay’s been swimming out of her mind," head coach Cyndi
Gallagher said.
After the preliminaries in the 200 breaststroke, Etter was sixth
overall. She finished the final in eighth place.
"She’s never even scored before in a national meet," added
Gallagher.
Salmeen, whose swim preceded Jenkins’ and seemed to motivate her
also, chose a great time to swim her best. Her 2:01.18 in the 200
free, just .01 faster than the next finisher, was good enough for a
fourth-place finish and a spot on the 800 free relay team in
Atlanta.
With volunteer assistant coach Kristi Heydanek still to swim the
200 backstroke and Salmeen still to swim her best event, the 200
butterfly, there may be more additions to the Olympic team.
As for Jenkins and Etter, who have completed their events, rest
is a necessity to prepare for the NCAA Championships in Ann Arbor,
Mich., March 21-23.
"It’s been a lot of fun out here," Jenkins said. "There are a
lot of great moments. It doesn’t matter who you are, you’re always
signing autographs. But it’s freezing and I’m ready to get home (to
warm weather)."
***
Etter earned All-American honors last year by placing 11th in
the 100 breast and 13th in the 200 breast. She was also a member of
the 200 and 400 medley relay teams.
Jenkins, also an All-American, finished fourth in the 100 back
and ninth in the 200 back. Salmeen, a three-time All-American and
1995 Academic All-American last year, finished seventh in the 200
fly, 13th in the 100 fly and 17th in the 500 free. Accompanying
Salmeen, Jenkins and Etter to Michigan will be sophomores Cindy
Bertelink and Shawna Larsen, and freshman Amanda Hall.
Bertelink earned All-American honors at last year’s NCAAs. A
member of the seventh-place Bruin 800 free relay team, Bertelink is
one of UCLA’s most versatile swimmers.
Hall and Larsen will be traveling to the championships for the
first time.
SUSIE CHU/Daily Bruin
Annette Salmeen swam 2:01.18 in the 200-meter freestyle at the
Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, earning her an Olympic spot.
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