Final tournament goes swimmingly as team sets records

Monday, April 6, 1998

Final tournament goes swimmingly as team sets records

Bruins overcome few entries with personal heroics, capture 13th
spot

By Steve Kim

Daily Bruin Staff

There were some things about the NCAA women’s swimming and
diving championships that were predictable way before the meet,
like Stanford winning its 12th national team title.

With only six swimmers and no divers entered in this
championships, UCLA was expected to take a plunge. Since placing in
every event counts in team scoring, many schools had the advantage,
with the number of participants in the teens.

Little did they know the few Bruins who participated would
literally give their lifetime bests and finish 13th in overall team
standings against teams with more swimmers entered in the meet.

Going into the championships, UCLA women’s swimming was ranked
No. 17. With just six swimmers entered in the NCAAs, a high team
placing was nearly impossible. So they concentrated on individual
efforts and personal bests. And the preparation paid off.

Whether in relay or individual racing, every one of the six swam
her personal best time. In fact, four UCLA records were set during
these championships.

Senior Lindsay Etter had a sweet season, coming first in just
about all of her breaststroke races. Her 100-meter breaststroke
race at the NCAA’s was a cherry on top.

Etter just keeps getting better. She swam her lifetime best of
1:00.45 to lower the school record she set a year ago. Etter later
placed fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke while her sophomore
teammate, Amber Wines, came in 11th in the 100-meter
breaststroke.

"Before the race all the hype was on these other two girls,"
Etter said. "So I was kind of pressure-free – no TV cameras on me
and all alone in Lane 5. I just figured I was going to go for it
and ended up swimming my best time. You can’t ask for much more
than that."

Continuing the school record-breaking streak was another senior,
Cindy Bertelink. After swimming her lifetime best in the 500-meter
freestyle and placing 10th, she went on to break the longest
standing school record, the 400-meter individual medley, set back
in 1985.

Bertelink came close to breaking the record in her freshman year
but had a dry spell for the next two years. Come her senior year,
she didn’t want to let it slip out of her reach at her final
attempt.

"At the morning preliminary, I just missed the record and was
wondering if I could swim like that again later in the evening. I
was like, ‘Oh I’m going to suck,’ and just swam it.

"I touched the wall, looked up at the score board and said,
‘Yes!’ I was so happy after having to struggle in that event for
two years and then finish with a best time."

The third senior Bruin, Jill Jenkins, swam her lifetime best in
the 100-meter butterfly and then showed some backstroke versatility
in her leg of the 400 and 200-meter medley relays. The 400-meter
medley relay team, which consisted of Jenkins, Etter, Beth Goodwin
and Keiko Price, turned out to be yet another school
record-breaker.

Etter joyfully exclaimed, "We finally broke a relay record after
being here for four years! That record just had to go down."

It was a year of the seniors – and sophomore Price. Besides
doing her part in the 400-medley relay, among other relays, Price
achieved one of her season goals by setting the school record in
the 100 freestyle. The interesting thing is she accomplished this
in the preliminary, where athletes usually hold back for the final
race.

The final heat later in the evening, however, was a
disappointment when Price was disqualified. She false started after
having been in the starting position too long with the others,
waiting for one competitor to get set.

"I was on the block for a long time and just lost my balance,"
Price said. "They called everyone back up for a false start and I
knew it was me. I had to watch the rest of the race from the
warm-down pool and I was pretty upset because I wanted to have a
great race.

"I feel great about the prelim, though, because my biggest goal
was to make it back to the NCAAs and swim my best time. I’m looking
forward to making the finals again next year."

Although head coach Cyndi Gallagher hoped more swimmers would
have qualified to the NCAAs, she was happy with the results of what
small number she had. In her 10 years of experience as head coach,
she says this was the best NCAA experience she’s had.

"It was the best group – most relaxed and most focused. And we
had fun. Even if we get a way better team placing in future NCAAs
it’ll be hard to duplicate what we did with these individuals."

For Gallagher, it was especially a memorable event since three
seniors she’s known for so long finished their collegiate swimming
careers with a bang. She’s always emphasized on improving until the
very end and finishing the senior year with personal bests.

"They’ve matured," Gallagher said. "They understand and get what
this whole experience is about – college, swimming, being part of
UCLA athletics. And they appreciate it, which is why they’re fun to
coach.

"They’re like blue-collar kids. They’re very down-to-earth and
hard working. They’re great role models for the younger swimmers to
follow."

Thirteen wasn’t exactly the number the Bruins had hoped for, but
their season finale at the NCAA’s was good enough to be considered
"one of the best."

As Etter reasons, "We got more out of our six swimmers than any
other team got out of its entire entourage of girls."