Team standings through two days

We're in 20th place (out of 33 teams who have scored at least 1 point) with a team total of 15 points. With two more events for Mariya and Felina's best event coming up on Saturday, we look to add to this total.

Mariya Pavlovskaya's 2nd All-American swim

Junior Mariya Pavlovskaya once again achieved Honorable Mention All-American status by winning the consolation heat of the 400 yard IM finishing in 9th place overall. She dropped over 3 seconds off her prelim swim which was already her best time this season. After her 11th place finish in the 200 IM, a 9th place finish in the 400 IM makes her two-for-two in events in which she's scoring points for the Nanooks.

"Nationals are a very important competition and it's really exciting for me as an athlete to be a part of such an anticipated and great event. It takes a lot of commitment, endurance, support and motivation to actually make it through the entire season and get here. Nationals are like a summary statement that provides a conclusion to everything you did throughout the year. As a team we started in September and worked all the way through to the end and we had some amazing victories both in the pool and in school. My teammates' achievements and attitude helped me significantly to reach where I am right now. Every day they would prove their highest ambitions and their powerful will. I'm thankful to be a part of such an amazing team.

This year Nationals take place in Canton, Ohio. It's pretty peaceful out here - no huge shiny buildings as in Houston, Texas, where nationals were held last year. This year our national team has been reduced to only two of us - Felina and me. Scott is the only coach who came here so it makes three of us from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. People here are not as friendly as in Fairbanks which makes me miss our campus a little. We got here on Sunday afternoon and settled down in one of the hotels which is close to the pool and the mall and all different kinds of restaurants.

On Monday and Tuesday we swam four times which was nice and relaxing after the plane ride and helped us to get a feel for the water. I was surprised that the water temperature was the same as in our pool at home because usually the pools we compete in are much warmer. The pool is pretty good, not counting that the showers are ice cold and there are no locks on the bathroom doors so you have to hold the door when you go in. It brings some challenges to the settled routine we're used to once we're at the pool.

There are many teams here and it's really challenging to get bleacher space. However, we are few and we managed to get a good spot and not get in anybody's way. Warming up in the main pool takes a lot of skill because it's overcrowded with swimmers who try to kick, sprint and do drills all at the same time.

On the first day of the meet I swam my 200 IM and I consider that swim as one of my best races this year. I felt really smooth and relaxed. It was a good start to the championships.

Today was my 400 IM and in the morning it felt harder than I expected. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get into the "big" finals finishing prelims in 10th place. In the afternoon, however, I felt much better and I didn't even feel tired afterwards. So far nationals are going pretty well for me: I swam my best times this season and I'm very excited for the two races that I have coming up.

Felina's thoughts going into her last event

This season has been a lot of fun. I was nervous at the beginning of the season: I wasn't sure how hard it would be for me to come back into the swimming scene after taking three years off. The girls on the team were very supportive in helping me get back into shape and get used to the demanding schedule. I'm surprised at how fast everything seemed to fall into place.

My best meet of the season so far was the Toshiba Classic, a big invitational held in Long Beach, California, every November. This is where I made my national cuts in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles. Thanks to that meet I'm able to enjoy the full experience of being a national level collegiate athlete. I was really excited coming into nationals for two reasons: the obvious reason is because it's nationals! but also because it's my last meet before I retire for a second time.

Our journey to nationals started with a very long flight from Fairbanks to Canton, Ohio. Mariya, Scott and I all managed to get stuck in middle seats on the three and a half hour flight to Seattle. Of course we all got "trapped" next to interesting characters . . . The next two flights from Seattle to Chicago and Chicago to Canton, though long, weren't nearly as bad because I was able to sit next to Mariya and Scott sat in the emergency exit row most of the way. To make a long story short, we left Fairbanks a one o'clock in the morning and arrived in Ohio at close to five in the afternoon after traveling through four time zones.

Monday and Tuesday we found ourselves at the pool both morning and afternoon to get used to the facility and work off the jet lag. The pool is a pretty nice 50-meter pool, separated by bulkheads with an attached diving well. On Monday we were able to stretch out and enjoy fairly empty lanes but when we arrived at the pool on Tuesday morning you'd have sworn the meet was just about to start! There were teams everywhere and it was a struggle to find calm water.
Nonetheless, we accomplished what we needed to do and Mariya and I were both sprinting very well and feeling ready for the meet to start.

Wednesday was the first day of the meet and I swam the 50 free. I was excited going into the 50 because this is the first time I've ever trained as a sprinter and I was feeling confident that I was going to have a fast swim. Unfortunately, I think my nerves got a hold of me. I pulled down in an awkward position on the start, which caused my shoulder to pop and consequently my start was delayed and my breakout suffered. In a 50 there just isn't enough time to make up for such a costly mistake. Even so, I was able to pull off a 24.24, a time just two tenths of a second off my lifetime best. Two tenths of a second doesn't sound like much to complain about but in a 50 it makes a world of difference, especially considering I had my heart set on breaking in to the 23s.

Today I was hoping to turn things around. The 200 free was my favorite event all through high school and I was a high school All American my junior year. I've been focusing mostly on my 100 free this season but with all the work I put in training at altitude over the break, I felt that I would have a very successful 200 as well. Once again, I was a little disappointed in how things turned out. I felt confident and relaxed in the moments leading up to the race. Sadly, after about 125 yards, I felt like my body hit a wall and I struggled to finish the race.

Thankfully I have Friday to recover from my last two events before I compete in the event I've been focusing on - the 100 free. I'm ranked very high going into the race and I'd love to make it into the championship final. It'll be a challenge, but it's a challenge I'm looking forward to conquering. Only after I achieve this goal can I look forward to my second retirement and starting a whole new chapter in my life.

Mariya qualifies for consolation finals in the 400 IM

Mariya Pavolvskaya had the 10th fastest time during the preliminary heats of the 400 IM to qualify for the consolation finals tonight. Yesterday she finished 11th in the 200 IM earning Honorable Mention All American honors. Her time of 4:29.08 in the 400 IM is her fastest this season.

Mariya is an Honorable Mention All American!

Congratulations Mariya! The Nanook Junior dropped two seconds from her prelim time nearly breaking her varsity record and moving up three places to finish 11th in her first event of the Championship! Her 2:06.09 was her fastest this season and nearly as fast as she swam last year in a high tech suit. Those suits have been banned from swimming world-wide so this year our team is wearing normal lycra suits. That time is the fastest Mariya has ever swum at an NCAA championship meet.

Mariya's prelim swim in the 200 yard IM

Mariya felt super strong in her 200 yard IM this morning. Her time wasn't her best, however, it was good enough to get her a second swim. Tonight she'll race in the consolation heat due to her 14th place finish from this morning's prelims. The top 16 swimmers swim in finals. Her 2:08.02 is slightly slower than her time at the US Short Course Nationals last December. Because of the tremendous success she had training this year with her dedication to gaining as much endurance as possible, she never got tired in this morning's race. She'll sprint the entire 200 tonight and should drop her time considerably.

Felina's 50 yard freestyle

Prelims for Day One are in the book. Felina swam well but didn't make it to finals. She has a chronic shoulder injury that she aggravated during her start. The pain of "throwing her shoulder out" was enough to cause a poor entry and a bad breakout. Even with that kind of start she was still within .17 of her best time finishing with a 24.24. In the end, however, she wasn't able to capitalize on all the sprint training we did this year and she finished in 32nd place. She knows to be careful with her start tomorrow in the 200 yard freestyle.

Felina and Mariya warming up

The day before the meet starts - Felina and Mariya warm up with some faster strokes off the wall

Swimmers Discuss Pool Conditions

Mariya Pavlovskaya: It is a fast pool and feels really good. Although we're having lots of fun, we also remember that we will have to race in a day. I'm very excited and looking forward to it:) And the dinner tonight was amazing!

Felina Rosadiuk: The pool is pretty nice. The water is crisp and clean. The showers are cold! And the water level (gutters/deck) gives the pool a nice taste of home. I think this meet is going to be a fast one!

Preparing for Swimming Championships

We've had a chance to swim in the CT Branin Pool and we can tell you it's FAST! We've never seen a high school pool this nice. From what the coaches who have swum here before say, this is one of the fastest pools in the country

A Long Journey Back East

Senior Felina Rosadiuk, Junior Mariya Pavlovskaya and coach Scott Lemley have finally arrived in Canton, Ohio. Wednesday the 2010 NCAA National Swimming & Diving Championships will begin and for 4 days Nanook swimming will shine.

We left Fairbanks during a snow storm Saturday night having been up all day tying up loose ends so we could leave town with a clear conscience. We arrived in Canton at 6:00 pm tonight, found our hotel, grabbed a dinner to go from Panera and are settling in.

Tomorrow morning we'll try to get on the wake-sleep schedule that we'll follow the rest of the week.

We're off to Nationals

We're taking two girls to NCAAs this Saturday. Last year Mariya was an All-American in the 400 IM.