Barely a moment after she enters the water, the bedlam begins for Annie Fittin. Arms churn and feet flutter without pause as patches of white water dance alongside swimmers competing in the fastest event in their sport.
In track and field, the 100-yard dash identifies the fastest human alive. In swimming, a similar title is bestowed upon the winner of the 50 free: fastest man — or woman — in the water.
Fittin, a senior on the Terrapin women’s swimming team, already holds that distinction in the ACC. But tonight, she’ll look to earn it nationally.
For Fittin and three other Terps — Blair Cross, Megan Lafferty and Ginny Glover — tonight marks the start of the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship in Austin, Texas, where the quartet will look to best last season’s 25th-place finish.
Fittin, a senior captain for the Terps and the No. 4 seed in the 50 free (22.00), has an opportunity to capture the team’s best result in an individual event at the championship meet since 2003, when Shandra Johnson nabbed fourth place in the 200 free.
The trip to the championship marks the third time in as many years that coach Sean Schimmel has traveled with the women’s squad to the most prestigious and formidable meet in college swimming.
“I’m excited about all the girls going, Annie included,” Schimmel said. “She had a great ACC [Championships], and she really set herself up here to build on that and have an even better NCAAs. … She’s continually challenged herself to be better than she’s ever been before on a daily basis. How she lives her life with her training — mentally, physically, it’s the whole package. And that’s what it takes to go to NCAAs.”
Relays, particularly the 200 free and 400 free races, have been a strong point for the Terps this season. A noteworthy performance in the 200 free relay tonight — the team is the No. 14 seed (1:29.69) — would go a long way in helping position the squad among the top 25.
“I’m really confident in these relays,” Glover said. “We’ve run them over and over this year at almost every dual-meet, and it’s usually the same four or five of us. We know how they work and how to do them.”
Besides the pair of relays, the Terps also have nine individual swims scheduled. Lafferty, Glover and Fittin are set to participate in three apiece.
Lafferty, a sophomore, is the No. 12 seed (52.39) in the 100 fly, the event she captured at ACC Championships. She also earned the No. 20 seed in the 50 free (22.35) following her second-place showing to her training partner, Fittin, at the conference championship.
Schimmel, who called going to NCAAs an honor, said he shares a sense of excitement with his swimmers as they face their final test this season.
“They know that they’re here because they earned it, and they’re excited about it,” he said. “I want them to be relaxed and take a lot of deep breaths and have that quiet confidence and step up on the blocks. They’re ready to go into the NCAA championships and compete with the best people in the country.”
TERP NOTE: Freshman Jenni Roberts will accompany the team as an alternate at the championship, which spans three days and concludes Saturday evening.
castello@umdbk.com
