Four Rams Place in Top Eight on Day 3

HOUSTON – The preliminaries are all about earning a lane.

Getting back in the evening is the goal. Getting a lane in a better heat than expected is a major boost for a team. But ask Sarah Mundy. Nothing tops getting back to your old self.

"It definitely is. It was like I felt like that was finally me again," she said. "I don't know why, for some reason, that part of me only comes out in me in these types of competitions. It just felt like me."

She put a frustrating senior season of illness and injury behind her in Friday's preliminaries, jumping from 30^th in the psych sheet to the eighth seed for the 200-yard freestyle finals by dropping a clean 3.23 seconds down to a 1:49.90. It was a swim from the past, just a scant .37 off her personal best, a time which ranks fourth in school history and the definition of outside smoke as she won her heat outside of the barrel-seeded ones from Lane 7.

Her swim was just half of the good news in the event for the team as junior Anika Johnson, seeded 12^th entering the day, moved up six spots with a 1:49.74. The difference was Johnson (ranked second at the school in the event) has hung around her neighborhood all season, and as a two-time All-Mountain West performer in the race, the feeling was she was going to deliver when called upon.

The pair represented half of the Rams who reached the championship finals in an event, with Erin Dawson's sparkling meet continuing with a third-place showing in the 400 individual medley. When the day began, only two Rams had ever broken 4:20 in the event, now there are four.

Dawson posted a 4:17.81 in the finals, even lower than her prelim time of 4:18.71, ranking third all time. In the 'B' final, teammate Maya White became the newest member of the group with her 4:19.79 to place 10^th.

As the night continued, the attack on the program's chart toppers continued with Lucy Matheson placing sixth in the 100 butterfly in a time of 53.73, which ranks third in program history. Right behind her is Amanda Hoffman, who went 54.11 to place 11^th in the event.

Matheson, who has been a regular on relays so far, is just getting started as an individual, with her best two events coming the final day.

"I like to take things one race at a time. If I think far in the future, I freak myself out," she said. "One race at a time, one day at a time, one session at a time. That's my mindset. I was really happy with my swim today. I think the 100 fly and 200 fly are really different, so it was nice to swim some butterfly."

Saturday, she'll tackle the 200 fly and the 200 backstroke. She's tuned up for the backstroke on relays, but her workload is toughest on the final day. Both races require some endurance, the 200 fly rather grueling all on her own.

It seems like a lot, but not to someone who has done if for quite a few years now. It won't be just the two races, but four, factoring in the finals. Which she plans to make. In the top eight.

"I'm very comfortable with it. I've swam those races a lot in my day," she said. "It'd different to do it at conference with an old-person body, if you will. I'll be excited for finals. I have to get the job done in prelims, but 'A' final in both is the goal. I'll see what I can do after that. One race at a time, one placing at a time. That's how I handle it mentally."

The team had two other 400 IM placers, with Olivia LeBlanc placing 16^th (4:28.44), Caroline Perry 20^th (4:28.06). Megan Hager added to the point total in the 200 free by placing 14^th (1:50.24). A trio of Rams placed in the 100 breaststroke, led by Katie McClelland in 19^th (1:03.67); Claire Wright was 20^th (1:03.71) and Emma Breslin 24^th (1:04.79). The night finished with Liza Lunina's 55.56 to place 11^th in the 100 backstroke.

The evening started with a fifth-place showing in the 200 freestyle relay, with Lexie Trietley, Hager, Matheson and Azalea Shepherd clocking a 1:32.55.

But the 200 freestyle made a huge impact, considering what was expected when the meet started.

If Mundy has proven anything in her career, she's a gamer. She shows up every year at the Mountain West Championships and makes an impact. So, she figured why not give it her best shot, regardless of what had transpired this season.

She earned the eighth spot and finished there with a 1:52.24, but the fact she made the 'A' final for the first time – she's been in the consolation final the previous three campaigns -- in a season where she couldn't keep a consistent training flow was somewhat poetic.

"It was a sigh of relief, because it was the best race I've done this season," Mundy said of her reaction to seeing the board in the prelims. "It just felt good. It felt like me again. I was like, 'I can breathe now, I did good.' I was proud of myself that I did well this morning versus how I felt.

"I don't know really where it comes from. Just put it all out there. I have nothing to lose at this point."

For Johnson, the 200 free final is old hat, and she moved up a spot in the final to place fifth in a tie of 1:49.85. She's now earned all-conference honors in the event all three of her seasons. Saturday, she'll look to place in the 100 free final for a third time, just like she has already in the 500 free.

Woodard knew what both were capable of doing, but the truth is, he had all the confidence in the world Johnson would show up when the curtain raised. Generally, he has the same kind of faith in Mundy, but this year was such a mixed bag, he didn't know what she could pull out.

Her time came early, so she kept checking times on the board. When the final heat was done, she knew she made the final heat and the tears flowed.

Her coach was carrying a feeling of pride for her.

"It was a little bit of relief. I know despite the interruptions in her training, she's always capable of doing something great," he said. "But for every athlete, you have to have some confidence with the physical, and she was struggling with that. Having that swim was a breakthrough.

"There are certain girls who have that quiet demeanor, but when it comes up there, there's something inside – oh no, I have to do this. She's had years where she's struggled, but she's been able to pop off something during the year to give her confidence. This year has not been that. This was almost solely on experience and faith."

At the close of the day, the Rams stood in seventh in the team race with 518 points. Saturday's final session of the meet being with preliminaries at 9:30 a.m., Mountain time, followed by the preliminaries for platform diving; the consolation finals for that event will follow immediately after. The finals will begin at 5 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Emma Breslin

Erin Dawson

Katie Flynn

Megan Hager

Amanda Hoffman

Anika Johnson

Olivia LeBlanc

Liza Lunina

Lucy Matheson

Sarah Mundy

Caroline Perry

Azalea Shepherd

Lexie Trietley

Maya White

Claire Wright