At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps won an unprecedented eight gold medals.
And while Cornhusker junior Brandie Kavalec might not quite be to that level, she has placed first in five different events through four meets this season.
Coach Pablo Morales hopes she can carry that success into the coming conference meets.
“She’s really hitting her stride,” Morales said. “Because of her emphasis on improving, (she) has really put herself in a position to win more races.”
Kavalec spends much of her practice time on long-distance training, a strategy that she said helps her develop the stamina she needs for races of all lengths.
“It means a lot that my training comes into play,” she said. “It feels like the training has been worth it.”
There’s no doubt that the training has come up big for Kavalec.
She’s won races this year swimming freestyle, backstroke and the individual medley ranging in length from 100 to 1,000 meters.
Though the competition will pick up as conference play approaches, Kavalec is hopeful she can have more strong showings for the team.
Top-five finishes have been Kavalec’s specialty this year – she has already racked up 11 of them. That’s more than half her total of 18 last season.
“If I can go out and be top-five more, that’s what we strive for,” Kavalec said.
Morales said Kavalec’s early success has allowed her to assert herself as a leader on a freshman-laden squad.
Kavalec said she hopes she leads by example through working hard at practicing and seeing results in competition.
Morales has been impressed with Kavalec’s new stature as a leader, a role he says is a natural fit for her personality.
“By nature, she’s a gregarious, not-shy person,” Morales said. “She’s using her natural personality more in kind of a leadership role.”
Kavalec’s leadership helped Nebraska take the title of the Husker Invitational last weekend, where they beat out Rice, Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota State and Iowa State.
NU’s 1,901 team points were almost 600 more than second-place Rice. Last year, Rice won the meet and Nebraska finished fifth.
The Huskers were led by senior Mariah Hutchinson whose three first-place finishes over the weekend gave her seven on the season.
Kavalec also placed high, taking home two more top-five finishes and placing third in the 1,650-yard freestyle and fourth in the 500-yard freestyle.
After taking the Thanksgiving weekend off, the Huskers will travel to Columbia, Mo., next for the Missouri Invitational Dec. 4-6.
mitchsmith@dailynebraskan.com
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