SWIMMING The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, March 11, 1996 - 78 Dolan and Piersma's riva extends beyond the pool hy Roommates earn Olympic berths in 400 freestyle By Alan Goldenbach Daily Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS - Michigan's Tom Dolan and John Piersma couldn't have asked for a better finish in the 400- meter freestyle. The Wolverine duo walked away with the top two times and places on the Olympic team in the event. But besides being teammates on America's team as well as Michigan's, the two are also roommates at school. It presents an interesting scenario for them when it comes to competing against one another. "It's always fun to race against each other, knowing that Notebook we're roommates and the top two Americans," Piersma said. "Before we were rivals, but right now it's special to be on the team together." THAT'S THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT: Heated rivalries are nothing new to sports, in- cluding swimming. It's kind of strange that during the Olympic trials, where patriotism and team unity is paramount, that there's a rivalry between fellow countrywomen. Janet Evans, the world-record holder, 1988 gold-medalist and 1992 silver-medalist in the 800 freestyle, had her reign at the top of long-distance swimmingended by 16-yearoldBrooke Bennett last summer. After which, the brash Bennett proclaimed herself the "queen" of distance swimming.. However, age and maturity proved stronger than youth and trash-talking at the trials as Evans took first place in the 400 freestyle with a time of 4:10.97. Bennett placed a distant fourth, almost afull three seconds behind Evans' pace. "I feel like I made a statement," Evans said following her win. "I feel it is more an image of everyone else because I believe in myself and I knew I could make the Olympic team, but the only person I had to prove it to was myself." QUANCE'S QUAGMIRE: Southern Cal's Kristine Quance, considered to be a lock for the Olympic team in the 400- meter individual medley, was disquali- fied in the preliminary round of the event for a "technical rule violation" concerning her transition from breast- stroke to backstroke. This wasn't the first time Quance was unable to compete in this event at the trials. In 1992, due to a six- monthlong bout with mononucleosis, Quance only had enough energy to race in the 200 breaststroke which she wound up qualifying for. But the 400 IM has always been her best event and one that she would have loved to compete in. Following the disqualification, Quance said, "This will be the biggest test of my character, to see how I will come back from this. It is the biggest disappointment of my career." Quance bounced back marvelously. The following evening, she placed sec- ond in the 100 breaststroke, securing a spot for herself in Atlanta. "What happened yesterday, definitely motivated me," she said after her sec- ond-place finish. "I watched the 400 IM last night and knew I could do one of two things: feel sorry formyselfandcry or use it to make me mad. "I proved to everyone and myself what I can do and not have something so devastating hold me back." THE "P" ISN'T FOR PIERSMA: Folllowing his win in the 200-meter freestyle, Piersma had to go throughthe standard procedure of taking a drug test by giving officials a urine sample. Rt turned out to be not so easy. It wound up taking Piersma until 11:30 p.m., over two hours. after the conclusion of events, until he was able to give a sufficient sample. The only positive to come out of it was that Piersma got to see his name painted on the wall of Indiana University Natato- rium later that evening with all of the. other'past and future Olympians. "It's always a gut-wrenching experi- ence to have to pee on command," Piersma said ANGRY GUYS FINISH SECOND: Former- Wolverine Eric Namesnik second- place finish to Dolan in the 400 IM should have been reason to celebrate. After all, "Snik" is on his way to At- lanta. Well, Namesnik wasn't all hunky- doory after the race. "I got embarrassed," he said. "I was out of it (the lead) after the first 50 of the breaststroke, so my goal wasjust to stay in second place. "I'm very disappointed with my time - 4:17 is a terrible time for me. I was hoping to go a couple of seconds faster in the final and make it more of a race:." EVANS PULLS OFF THETRIFECTA: With her victory in the 400-meter freestyle, Evans qualified her third Olympic team -a feat accomplished only three other times in U.S. history. She joins Jill Sterkel (1975, 1980, 1984 Olympics), Mary T. Meagher (1980, 1984, 1988) and Dara Torres (1984, 1988, 1992) in that exclusive club. RIALS' Continued from Page 1A miedia and fan favorite of the meet has fulfilled expectations so far. He nearly broke his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley - Which hesetduring the 1994WorldCham- pionships in Rome (4:12.30) - by win- ningthe 400 IM (4:12.72) Thursday night.- He also took first in the 400 freestyle 3:48.99) Saturday. Piersma also qualified for two events. He became the first Wolverine to make the team by beating Josh Davis in the 200 freestyle (1:48.97) Wednesday. Piersma fell to his teammate and room- mate, Dolan, in the 400 freestyle Satur- day. But his time (3:51.41) was good enough for second in that event and an Olympic berth. "I only swam two events so I really wanted to make it in both," Piersma said. "Second place doesn't matter, but I know I van go faster." Namesnik wasn't as pleased with sec- ond as Piersma. He was trounced by Dolan in the 400 IM - Namesnik swam it in four minutes, 17.19 seconds - and he wasn't satisfiedeventhoughhis show- ing made him an Olympian. "I got embarrassed," Namesnik said. "I'm very disappointed with my time ... I'mjust going to put it behind me because * on the team." Malchow upset American record- holder Mel Stewart in the 200 butterfly Friday night, placing first (1:57.39). Wunderlich came back fromheartbreak lastnightto getthe spotonthe team he had been seeking for the past 12 years. Wednesday, Wunderlich finishedthird (1.:02.39) in the event he was favored to win - the 100 breaststroke. He was just COTSONIKA Continued from Page 18 "In the trials, first is first, second is first, and third is last," said Mel Stewart, the American record holder in the 200 butterfly who finished third in the event Saturday. "I finished last." In terms of swimming, it doesn't make sense. "When you do your best time in our sport, that's success," Urbanchek said. "That's all you can expect. It doesn't matter where you end up." That philosophy doesn't hold for those who don't get their names painted on the wall with the Olympi- ans. Bendel swam her lifetime best in the preliminaries of the 100 freestyle Wednesday, but she was devastated. Her best was only good enough for ninth. Michigan freshman Andy Potts cruised to fourth place in the finals of the 400 IM Thursday night, but he couldn't have been too pleased. He was fourth among athletes that train in his home pool. Michigan junior Tom Dolan nearly broke his own world record to finish first, former Wolverine Eric Namesnik placed second, and Michigan State's Iian Mull, who trains with the Wolverines three times a week, grabbed third. Pretty tough field. It doesn't get any easier, no matter what event you watch. There is no room for error. You have to be perfect - even better than perfect. "You can be off 1 percent, and that can be the difference between finishing 40th and first," said Michigan women's swimming coach Jim Richardson. "It's not so much about swimming fast as about where you place at this meet either. This meet can do those kind of things to you." Trials of tears and triumph. Those who come to them suffer from the greatest paradox of all. To make it to the Olympic trials, an athlete can never be satisfied with his or her performance. As a result, nearly every swimmer goes home with heartache. "Watching people walk around, you see a lot of heads hanging low and a lot of serious looks," said Michigan's John Piersma, who has qualified for the Olympic team in two events so far. "That's not to say you can't be serious about it, but, more importantly, you need to know that just getting here is important." Few swimmers realize it. Few fans realize it. Just getting it to and through the trials is an incredible accomplishment. To escape the pressure cooker with an unseared psyche is rare. Those who weren't selected for the Olympic team did make it. They made it through the toughest swim meet in the world, and they picked up some things along the way. "You learn how to be resilient and not lose the passion," Richardson said. "How to handle defeat and not become cynical. How to have character. It's like my coach told me. 'Swimming doesn't build character, it lets you know if you have any.' Trials of tears and triumph. The greatest trial of the trials is surviving them. - Nicholas J. Ctsonika can be reached over e-mail ('t cotsonik@umich.edO. AP PHOTO Michigan's John Piersma qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in both the 200-meter freestyle and 400 freestyle. .36 seconds away from second-place fin- isher Kurt Grote of Stanford. "Wunder was inhibited by too much anxiety, ortoomuch tension," Urbanchek said after the race. "He will get rid of that Sunday." That he did. Wunderlich came in after Grote again, but this time he was second in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.45), and the Atlanta native won a trip home. "I'm so relieved," Wunderlich said. "It's been a long road." There were disappointments for the Michigan men. Jason Lancaster and former Wolverine Steve West both fin- ished third in their best races last night - Lancaster in the 100 butterfly (53.73) and West in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.45). Freshman Andy Potts placed fourth in the 400 IM (4:22.42) Thursday, and Chris Rumley settled for fifth in the 400 freestyle (3:56.84) Saturday. No Michigan women have made the U.S. team so far. Junior Anne Kampfe was the closest, placing fourth in the 400 IM on Wednesday. She led the race for the first three strokes before running out of gas down the stretch. Michigan swimmers Dolan, Lancaster, Namesnik, Rumley, Potts, Jennifer Almeida, Alecia Humphrey, Beth Jack- son and Melisa Stone will all swim to- night. ,. s u..s