Rebecca Ejdervik still isn’t quite sure why she was disqualified in the 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries at the 2011 NCAA Women’s Swim Championships, but the memory remains one year later.
“It was a stupid thing,” the senior swim captain said. “(The officials) told me you have to do this thing where you had to separate your hands before you have to do the pull out, or a kick. It’s kind of complicated. But we have it on videotape, and according to us, I’m not doing the error they tell me I’m doing, but the official in my lane told me ‘nope.’”
With the No. 21 ASU women’s swim team heading into the 2012 National Championships in Auburn, Ala., on March 15-17, Ejdervik, the reigning three-time Pac-12 champion in the 100 breast, will return to the big stage for the last time of her collegiate career hoping to get her revenge. She said she has been trying to correct her technique in practice all season and will ask the head official to inspect her pull out during warm-ups.
“It is what it is,” Ejdervik said. “It was a year ago, and now it’s a new time, and I’ve prepared in every way. I think I’ll be ready.”
As for Ejdervik’s teammates, they are just as hungry to improve from their 18th-place finish in last year’s championships.
“This group has kept their eye on the ball all season long,” swim coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker said. “Their goals have been (to improve their) performance for the NCAA championships all year. They’ve come back from the Pac-12 championships more fired up and prepared for the next couple of weeks. I like where we’re at.”
The Sun Devils have a total of seven swimmers entered in this weekend’s championship meet. Ejdervik, senior Kelli Kyle and juniors Caroline Kuczynski and Shannon Landgrebe make up each of ASU’s 400 and 200 medley relay teams.
“The relays will be a lot of fun,” Ejdervik said. “We hope to place top-eight in our relays, and especially in our medley races in a very high position.”
As for individual events, junior Mattie Kukors will race in the 200 and 400 IM events, sophomore Tristin Baxter in the 800 and 1650 freestyle; Kuczynski in the 100 butterfly; Kyle in the 100 backstroke; Landgrebe in the 100, 200 and 800 free; and Cassie Morrice in the 500 and 800 free.
Diver Elina Eggers joins the swimmers in Auburn, and will compete in the 1-meter springboard and the platform events.
Every ASU athlete entered in the NCAAs this year is returning from last year’s national championships, which Tierney-Walker believes will serve as an advantage for the Sun Devils.
“It’s really valuable,” Tierney-Walker said. “Last year, we had a lot of first-timers there, so we had a lot of deer in the headlights. This year, they know what to expect. They know the quality of the meet is exceptional. There’s very little room for error.”
Reach the reporter at jnacion@asu.edu
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