IRVINE “”mdash; A far cry from the typical UCLA swim meet, where
fans fill a handful of small bleachers in the mild fall weather,
the 2005 ConocoPhillips National Championships, which took place
this week from Aug. 3 to 7, brought thousands of spectators out to
see a wide variety of male and female swimmers from around the
nation.
Despite the long days spent in the sweltering Irvine summer heat
at the William Woolett Jr. Aquatic Center, the Bruins had a
satisfying trip racing against swimmers from across the nation.
“They’ve all done very well,” said UCLA coach
Cyndi Gallagher. “It’s hot and we’re tired, and
sometimes it shows, but we’re swimming well.”
UCLA was very well represented at the competition as 10 Bruins
swam in 23 heats over the course of five days, with some
individuals swimming as many as four events ““ all of which
wrapped up Saturday night with evening finals.
Junior Katie Arnold had a very successful weekend, finishing
10th in the 100-meter backstroke (1:04.00), and coming only 0.8
seconds from snagging a qualifying time for the final heat. Arnold
also came in 21st in the 200m backstroke (2:18.48) and won her heat
in the preliminary round of the 100m butterfly with a time of
1:01.52.
Despite the fast times, Arnold was slightly unhappy with her
100m backstroke race, in which she nudged the lane line, causing
her to lose a little time.
“I am very happy with the way I swam,” Arnold said.
“I am not happy with the mistake, but it was a learning
experience.”
Arnold has successfully recovered from last year’s
shoulder surgery, and Gallagher is completely confident that Arnold
will continue to progress.
“Arnold is doing great,” Gallagher said.
“She’s been swimming very fast all summer and has
trained well.”
Another Bruin with a particularly successful weekend was senior
Eileen Seissen, who swam two lifetime bests in the 100m and 200m
breaststroke.
Seissen, from Atlanta, Ga., shaved close to two seconds off her
200m time and tied her lifetime best in the 100m race.
“I felt great in the water,” Seissen said. “We
all did. I wanted to swim faster in the 100, but you can’t be
disappointed with a lifetime best, even if it was a tie.”
Chiemi Yamamoto, a sophomore from Japan, made the console finals
in the 400 IM with a time of 4:54.59 and showed signs of hard
summer training paying off.
Senior Kim Vandenberg was noticeably tired from her training for
the World University Games, as she did not qualify for the finals
in any of her four events ““ something she is not used to
doing.
“(Vandenberg) hates losing, but in two weeks when
she’s rested, she’ll swim just as fast as the top
swimmers here,” Gallagher said.
Despite not winning her events, Vandenberg still managed to
reach the console round in both the 100m and 200m fly.