Miller Ends NCAA Championships With Record-Breaking Performance
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In her final race of the 2013-14 season, sophomore Chelsie Miller broke two KU all-time records and placed 17th in the 1650-yard freestyle inside the Minnesota Aquatic Center Saturday afternoon.
Finishing with a time of 16:09.00, Miller broke the record of 16:22.44 she set just three weeks ago at the Big 12 Championships. She also clinched a record-breaking time in the 1,000-yard split of the race (9:49.14) and touched the wall only one tenth of a second behind the 16th-place finisher, Hann Borgersen of Virginia.
“She went into the race relaxed and not expecting anything,” head coach Clark Campbell said. “She got into a good rhythm from the start and kept building her momentum. She ended up having a great race. She had a 17th place finish, but doing that at the NCAA Championships was impressive.”
All in all, Chelsie has broken five school records this season; 1650-yard freestyle, 1000-yard freestyle, 200-yard butterfly, 200-yard individual medley and 400-yard individual medley. She currently holds more school records than any other past or present KU swimmer. Miller was also the only Jayhawk to be voted Big 12 Swimmer of the Week this season due to her performances at the 2013 AT&T Winter Nationals.
“At the start of the season, we talk about accomplishing lifetime-best times,” Campbell said. “Chelsie was on a mission to get to this level. It started a little over a year ago when she began dropping times in all of her events. She worked harder and was more focused. She has made good decisions in and out of the pool and has reaped the rewards of making that type of commitment. It is a true testament to her and how she is focused on the process and not the end results.”
With two more years left in her college career, Campbell anticipates that this is only the beginning of what Miller can accomplish. He also hopes the team will follow suit and gain inspiration from Miller.
“It was a fantastic race and year,” Campbell said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her and the team as a whole. Everyone on the team has played a part in this weekend and her success. She was getting support from her teammates all year while she was training. They pushed her in and out of the pool. Chelsie’s performance and her All-American status is a tribute to the team and all the positive steps it took this year.”
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