Publication Date: Friday, August 13, 2004
Friedman makes waves in Jr. Nationals
Friedman makes waves in Jr. Nationals
(August 13, 2004) Palo Alto High senior wins her first national title with triumph in 200 fly
by Keith Peters
It came a month too late, but Monika Friedman now knows she has the talent to compete for a berth on the 2008 U.S. Olympic swimming team.
Friedman would have been splashing in the above-ground pool in Long Beach last month, side by side with America's finest at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, but she didn't have the qualifying time.
She does now. The Palo Alto High senior got the time she wanted by clocking a personal best of 2:16.38 to win the 200-meter butterfly on Tuesday night in the National Club Swimming Association Junior National Championships at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Complex.
"It was really cool," Friedman said of her victory and performance. "I'm really excited to win my first national title."
And to get that Olympic Trials qualifying mark.
"One of my goals was to get that Olympic Trials time, and I did," she said. "It'd good to know I have it. A month late, but at least I got it. I have plenty to look forward to."
Right now, Friedman is looking forward to taking some time off. She and her teammates on the Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics team had three straight meets leading into the Junior Nationals. They competed at the Sectional championships in Clovis, then at the Far Western championships in San Jose. The following week was the ConocoPhillips Summer National Championships at Stanford, followed by the Junior Nationals.
"I've been swimming and training all summer," Friedman said. "It has been fun. It's still nice to be doing well (late in the season)."
Friedman came into the Junior Nationals after swimming the 200 fly in the Senior Nationals, where she failed to reach the semifinals.
"At Senior Nationals, I was really nervous," she said. "I put too much pressure on myself."
With that done, the PASA coaches let their swimmers decide whether they wanted to compete at Junior Nationals.
"They wanted it to be more of a fun meet," Friedman said. "At this point, I just wanted to relax."
With that mindset, Friedman was surprised with her lifetime best in the 200 fly.
"I was more focused on just having fun," she said.
Had Friedman swum the her 2:16.38 in the Senior Nationals, she would have finished fifth. At the Olympic Trials, that time would have gotten Friedman 26th.
So, obviously, there's plenty of work to be done. First off, however, Friedman will take at least two weeks off before entering her senior year at Paly. School starts Aug. 24.
Before swim season begins in the spring of 2005, Friedman will keep busy with college applications. She's looking at Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, UCLA and Cal and hopes for early admission in order to put that process behind her before her final prep swim season.
Friedman likely could follow in the footsteps of PASA teammate and incoming Stanford freshman Brooke Bishop. She starred at Junior Nationals last spring, then graduated to the Senior Nationals last week at Stanford. There, she won her first senior title, in the 50-meter freestyle.
Friedman, too, will be ready to move on from Junior Nationals this coming season. The only problem is with her event. The butterfly is loaded. American recordholder Misty Hyman is still competing, as is Olympic Trials champ Dana Kirk (a Stanford junior). In fact, of the top 16 finishers in Long Beach, all are young enough to be around in 2008. Hyman is the oldest, currently 25.
While most of Friedman's teammates were helping host this week's meet, a handful were in the pool. Katie Sutherland, 15, of Sacred Heart Prep and Danielle Hildebrandt, 16, from Menlo-Atherton, also swam the 200 fly on Tuesday in addition to other events during the week. Also competing was PASA's Katherine Wong, the former Aragon High standout.
In other races this week:
David Russell of the Cudas on Wednesday won the boys' 100 backstroke in 56.81. Had he swum that time at Senior Nationals a week earlier, he would have placed second. In the girls' 100 free, Chelsea Nauta of Tampa Bay won in a time (56.97) that would have gotten her fifth at Senior Nationals.
The Junior Nationals conclude today with prelims at 9 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. Today's finals include the 50 free, 1,500 free, 50 back, 100 breast, 200 IM, 100 fly and 400 medley relay.
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