Friday, August 11, 2000
Dusing one race from Olympics
By Jeff Carlton
The Cincinnati Enquirer
INDIANAPOLIS — Nate Dusing does not intend to sound bored about winning NCAA championships. But the Covington Catholic graduate already has won five in his University of Texas swimming career.
A spot on the Olympic team always has been Dusing's long-term goal, and he took a big step toward ach ieving that with an impressive showing in Thursday's 200 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials.
Dusing swam the second-fastest time in the morning preliminary and qualified for today's finals with a 1:48.99 in the semis, finishing sixth in that session. Josh Davis swam the fastest Thursday, 1:48.45. The top two finishers tonight will swim the event in Sydney.
The first semifinal heat also featured Sycamore graduate Dan Ketchum. His 1:51.72 put him 15th, not fast enough for the finals.
“I've had short-term goals, like winning the national championship in March, and got that out of the way,” Dusing said. “The Olympics has been where my focus was for the last four years.”
Also Thursday, veteran stars Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres made the Olympic team in the 100 butterfly; Ed Moses and Pat Calhoun went 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke; Diana Munz and Brooke Bennett made it in the 400 freestyle and Tom Dolan and Erik Vendt qualified in the 400 individual medley.
Dusing approached his first three years at Texas with an eye toward Sydney, compiling credentials that include 20 All-American honors, the Big 12 swimmer of the year award and the American record in the 100 butterfly, an event he no longer considers his strongest.
He garnered another credential Thursday evening: At this early stage of the swim trials, Dusing looks to be one of the Tristate's most probable Olympic hopefuls.
Ketchum took a crack at qualifying for the 200 freestyle finals. He finished 12th overall in the morning preliminary, which got him to the semis.
“This is the part I wanted to get to,” Ketchum said after the semis. “I was a bit nervous and made a lot of stupid mistakes. I knew it would take a (heck) of a swim to get on the team.”
Ketchum finished 21st in the 400 freestyle Wednesday. That performance was something of a disappointment, because he was seeded 10th at that distance. Ketchum said he succumbed to the pressure of his first trials.
“I spent (Wednesday) trying to get the nerves out,” Ketchum said. “I didn't think it would get to me, but it definitely did.”
Dusing also almost let the pressure of the crowd and the competition get to him in his morning swim. He jumped out to a huge lead in his heat and spent the last 50 meters in agony.
“I felt really good until that last 50,” Dusing said. “With about 25 to go, I told myself to just go on, keep going and try to get a good spot for (the semifinals).”
Dusing also is entered in the 100 freestyle and the 100 fly, the event he specialized in before coming to Texas.
Once he got to the swimming powerhouse, Dusing switched to other strokes when he realized the talent in front of him on the team.
The switch has brought him to the brink of the Olympics.
“The real hard part's over,” Dusing said. “(Friday) I beat the person to the left of me, I beat the person to the right of me, and I'm on the team.”
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