By Neil Schmidt
Enquirer staff writer

Nate Dusing could have Queen City camaraderie on an Olympic swimming relay.

In the Olympic Trials, which begin today in Long Beach, Calif., the Covington Catholic graduate might be joined Friday in the 200-meter freestyle finals by St. Xavier grad Jayme Cramer and Sycamore grad Dan Ketchum. Usually the top six finishers in that event qualify for the Games - the top two for the 200, all six for the 800 free relay - and all three locals have times seeded in the top 10.

LOCALS IN THE SWIMMING TRIALS

MEN NATE DUSING, 25 The Covington Catholic and Texas grad, one of the nation's top freestylers, is chasing a repeat Olympic berth. JAYME CRAMER, 21 The St. Xavier grad, a Stanford senior-to-be, is entered in five events; best hope is in 200 freestyle. DAN KETCHUM, 22 The Sycamore grad, who recently finished swimming at Michigan, is seeded seventh in the 200 free. KYLE RANSOM, 19 The St. X grad and Stanford sophomore-to-be is seeded 43rd in the 200 individual medley. SCOTT RANSENBERG, 22 The St. X grad, who recently finished swimming at Stanford, is seeded 22nd in the 100 butterfly. PETER CAROTHERS, 18 The St. X grad, bound for Stanford, is seeded 34th in the 100 fly. KEVIN NEAD, 18 The CHCA grad, a Virginia signee, is seeded 24th in the 400 IM. NICK THOMAN, 18 The Mariemont grad, bound for Arizona, is seeded 15th in the 100 back. WOMEN ERIN PHENIX, 23 The Ursuline and Texas grad, an Olympic surprise in 2000, tries to land on a freestyle relay again. WHITNEY MYERS, 19 The Ursuline grad and Arizona sophomore-to-be is in four events; highest seed is 16th in the 200 fly. TAMI RANSOM, 21 The Ursuline grad and Stanford senior-to-be, slowed by injuries, is seeded 22nd in the 400 IM and 24th in the 200 IM. JACQUE FESSEL, 19 The St. Ursula grad and Tennessee junior-to-be is seeded 56th in the 100 backstroke. MEGAN TOMES, 18 The Anderson grad and Tennessee sophomore-to-be is seeded 58th in the 200 IM. KATIE BALL, 19 The St. Ursula grad and Florida sophomore-to-be is seeded 49th in the 800 free. MARGY KEEFE, 19 The Ursuline grad and Penn State sophomore-to-be is seeded 24th in the 400 free and 31st in the 800 free. TRISHA LAMB, 20 The Miami University senior-to-be is seeded 46th in the 200 back.

"I think that's pretty impressive," Ketchum said. "It says a lot for the swimming in Cincinnati."

Said Dusing: "It'd be great for the city if all of us could swim on that relay together."

Dusing, who earned an Olympic silver medal in 2000 on the 800 free relay, will swim three events at Trials; Cramer will swim five. Yet for them and for Ketchum, the 200 represents their best chance to make the team.

Those three swimmers carry the highest hopes among the 16 Greater Cincinnatians entered at Trials. They are continuing a local legacy in the 200: Joe Hudepohl qualified for the Games in 1992 and '96 through this race, as did Dusing in 2000.

"It's pretty amazing," Cramer said. "The 200 free seems to be the event for Cincinnati guys."

Dusing is tied for second in the 200 free seedings; he's fourth in the 100 free and fifth in the 200 individual medley. Cramer, seeded ninth in the 200 free, is sixth in the 200 butterfly and eighth in the 100 backstroke. Ketchum is seventh in the 200 free.

No other local carries a top-10 seed. Only the top two finishers in each event swim that event in the Olympics.

As in the 200 free, the 100 free will take up to six finishers to fill out a 400 free relay team. That's where one shouldn't count out Erin Phenix. The Ursuline grad, who, like Dusing, swam at Texas, parlayed a surprising sixth-place finish in the 100 free at the 2000 Trials into Olympic gold in Sydney on the 400 free relay.

Phenix is seeded 13th in the 100 freestyle and 11th in the 50 freestyle.

Dusing, a three-time national champion and 11-time NCAA champion, is fairly well-known. Ketchum and Cramer have had decorated careers, too.

Cramer, a Stanford senior-to-be, won the NCAA 200-yard free title this March - beating runner-up Ketchum by seven-hundredths of a second. Cramer was the top scorer among all juniors at NCAAs.

Ketchum, who just completed his career at Michigan and will retire after this summer, anchored the winning 800-yard relay at NCAAs. He was named 2002 Big Ten swimmer of the year.

Cramer and Ketchum roomed together for a week last year while training for the Pan American Games, at which they teamed on a winning relay.

"It could be called a rivalry (with Ketchum), but there's a friendship as well," Cramer said. "It's fun racing him."

Ketchum has suffered from a slightly torn rotator cuff the past six weeks but said he doesn't expect it to slow him in this event.

Preliminaries for the 200 are Thursday morning. Sixteen semifinalists compete that night for a spot in the eight-man finals Friday.

"If you make finals, it's just a race to beat at least two people" to make the team, Ketchum said.

The 200 free finals are to be shown live on NBC shortly after 8 p.m. Friday.

Another intriguing name to watch is Whitney Myers. The Ursuline grad and Arizona sophomore-to-be won a national championship in the 100 fly in 2002 and is seeded 20th in that event, one of four in which she's entered.

Swimming Trials

When: Today through July 14. Day sessions begin at noon, night sessions at 8 p.m.

Where: Long Beach, Calif.

TV: Ch. 5, 22 (live, 8-9 p.m. Friday and 8-9 p.m. Sunday; taped, 1-3 p.m. July 18).

At stake: Top two finishers in each event qualify for Olympics. As many as four more from the 100- and 200-meter freestyle also may qualify.

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E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com