Freshman swimmer Kirsten Groome takes a break to talk to her coach Rick Walker during practice Monday at the Edward J. Shea Natatorium. Groome will compete in the 500 and 1650 freestyle events today and Satrurday at the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving National Championships at Purdue University. Groome is the first SIUC woman swimmer to qualify for nationals in 21 years. – Jess Vermeulen | Daily Egyptian
As freshman standout swimmer Kirsten Groome steps onto the starting block today and Saturday for the final time this season she has one thought on her mind: swimming fast.
“When I get up on the block I will be ready to go and totally focused,” Groome said.
Groome found out March 4 her times were fast enough to qualify for NCAA Division I National Championships. She will be the first female Saluki swimmer since Tonia Mahaira of the 1989 season to compete at nationals.
Nerves will be a factor, but Groome said she has confidence in herself because she has been training for this moment all year.
“As soon as I get there I will be nervous, but I feel pretty good,” Groome said. “I’ve raced a lot of these women before so I know how they swim and it is going to be a tough competition, but I think I am ready for it and I’m excited.”
Groome will compete in two events at the NCAA Championships at Purdue University: the 500 free preliminaries at 11 a.m. today and the 1650 free on Saturday.
SIU head swimming and diving coach Rick Walker said Groome is as ready as she can be, but it is up to her to do what she can and do it better than most people.
“She has trained from the beginning for this to happen,” Walker said. “She is in the right frame of mind and the right physical condition. Every indication we get in our training shows that she is in the right place at the right time.”
Graduate assistant coach Brittany Massengale, who has swum in the NCAA Championships and is a former member of the United States National Team, said swimming in a big competition is not new for Groome — who finished fourth in the 5K Open Water World Championships in 2006.
“For a lot of the women out there, their biggest goal is to qualify for nationals. They work so hard to make the meet and when they get there they have a tendency to fall apart,” Massengale said. “The big benefit for Kirsten is that she is used to competing on a pretty big stage and she has been on that top tier of competition for a while now.”
Groome will race against the best swimmers in the country and the world, Walker said. He also said Groome would not be the lone Saluki there.
“I hope Kirsten will know that there is a team full of men and women that will be going to this meet with her,” Walker said. “I hope our men and women understand they should feel some satisfaction in knowing that one of us made it and hopefully this will fuel their fire to be here in years to come.”
Ryan Simonin can be reached at rsimonin@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 282.
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