Local swimmer competes in Olympic trials

By Jason simcoe

Published: June 30, 2008

All this week, Katherine McDonnell is competing on swimming’s biggest state at the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. She brought her A-game Monday, swimming a life-time best in the 100-meter breaststroke.

The Boston, Va. native, who just finished up her sophomore year at U.Va., finished 42nd out of 105 swimmers. She lowered her personal record from 1:12.6 to 1:11.33, and afterwards felt she still had more to give.

“I was happy with the race,” McDonnell said by phone from Omaha Monday. “I dropped a second so I can’t complain about that. I felt I had faster swim with me, so I might time trial Tuesday or Wednesday.”

The trials are the topper to what has been a whirlwind year for McDonnell, whose mother, Janet, swam in the Olympic trails in 1976. She finished in the top eight in three individual events at the ACC Championships in February, then hit the Olympic trials qualifying mark at a meet in Maryland a few weeks later.

Since then, she’s been training daily in Charlottesville. In a final tune-up before the trials, McDonnell won the 50-meter breaststroke at the Charlottesville Ultraswim in June.

She’s one of 25 current members of the Cavaliers swim team in Omaha this week. McDonnell isn’t one to get flustered, even in a big time meet like this, but it helps having some friendly faces around.

“I don’t really think about the pressure of the meet,” McDonnell said. “I’m not swimming with pressure. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

McDonnell’s week isn’t over. She turns her attention to the 200-meter breaststroke event, scheduled for Thursday. There she’ll face 86 other swimmers, all chasing an Olympic Berth. The top two finishers in each event advance to Beijing.

For now, she’s focused on soaking up the atmosphere and keeping it loose for Thursday’s race.

“Between now and then I’m just going to stay relaxed and get in the water everyday,” McDonnell said. “(The trials are) the most exciting and adrenaline-filled thing ever. It’s unique experience.”

Jason Simcoe can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or