Hultin Takes A Big Step In Qualifying For Nationals

Shannyn Hultin posted some of the top times at the California-Nevada swim sectionals of the Speed Championship Series last week at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center.

One of them earned her a spot in the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships.

Hultin, who will be a senior this fall at Agoura High, finished third in the 400-meter individual medley and will compete against a loaded field at the national meet, which will include Olympians and world record holders from all over the country.

"Well, this is actually not the first time I have competed at the same meet as some of these Olympians," said Hultin. "I've competed against them in Grand Prix meets. Seeing them race and swim fast is really exciting and inspiring. It gives me high goals to go after."

In the 400 individual medley, Hultin's best event, she will swim against three-time Olympic medalist Katie Hoff and Olympian Elizabeth Biesel, who is the top-ranked swimmer in the country in the event.

Hoff holds the American record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:31.12. Hultin qualified for the event with a time of 4:56.31 at the sectional meet.

The 17-year-old Hultin doesn't expect to reach the finals in any of the three events she is entered—by qualifying for the national meet, she can swim in two other events and will be in the 200 individual medley and 200 breaststroke.

But that doesn't diminish the importance of her qualifying for the meet.

Gardner Howland, her coach at the Conejo Simi Swim Club, said Hultin will be able to attract the attention of college recruits at the national meet, which opens Tuesday and runs through Aug. 7 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine. She also will be able to test herself against some of the top swimmers in the nation.

"It was important for her to get in some good swimming over the summer for college," Howland said. "Qualifying for nationals was an important threshold for her to cross."

Hultin said her goal entering the sectional meet was to qualify for nationals in the 400 IM and the 200 IM. In her preliminary races, Hultin was two seconds off qualifying for nationals in the 400 IM, but somewhere between preliminaries and the finals she found a way to shave off those two seconds.

"I went in to this meet wanting to make nationals. I was confident, not nervous," Hultin said. "I went out a little harder, tried to stay focused. I was a little more sharp and focused."

Though she didn't qualify for nationals in the 200 IM, she said she was satisfied with her race, mainly because she considers herself more of a distance swimmer.

"After the 400, it felt pretty easy," Hultin said. "I'm not much of a sprinter."

Hultin is going up against two Olympians in the 400 IM, while the 200 IM field includes Ariana Kukors, the world and American record holder, and Julia Smit, the US Open champion.

The 200 breaststroke might have the most challenging field, led by Rebecca Soni, who won a gold medal in the event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Soni once held the world record and is the American record holder in the event, and also has two silver medals from the Beijing Olympics.

Howland said Hultin made a dramatic change in her commitment to swimming last year. She was a talented swimmer throughout high school, but she started focusing on increasing her speed and mechanics within the past few months.

"Suddenly, she got really motivated. She won't miss a practice," Howland said. "She's committed and focused."

While most swimmers who compete in the individual medley have one stroke where they excel, Howland said Hultin is unique. The breaststroke might be her most efficient stroke, but all her strokes are fairly equal.

"One stroke doesn't stand out," Howland said. "She's really balanced, as pure an IM swimmer as I've ever known."