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[This is a feature story that ran with the Statesman's weekly communities package that runs on Mondays. I interviewed Tori on Dec. 14]

Bearcat Swim Club’s Simenec adds to her list of feats
By Lee Clarkson
Statesman Journal
December 20, 2010

It’s been an eventful autumn for swimmer Tori Simenec.

The Sprague High School senior, who competes for the Bearcat Swim
Club, signed a national letter of intent last month to swim at the
University of Minnesota.

She also was named Oregon Swimmer of the Year, chosen by peers
and coaches, on Nov. 21.

On Dec. 3, she added a national title to her recent accomplishments. Competing in the AT&T Short Course National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Simenec won the 18-and-under division 100-yard butterfly.

Simenec turned in a successful meet at the Ohio State University Aquatic Center. She tallied personal bests in the 100 fly (53.43) and 100 freestyle (49.97) and tied her best in the 200 free (1:46.91). She also competed in the 500 free but did not qualify for the finals.

The championship came on a busy day for Simenec, who swam in preliminary and finals heats in the 100 fly and 200 free, her two best events.

Simenec tied or set new personal bests in each event that day.

“Both (races) went really well,” Simenec said. “I got a best time in prelims in the (100) fly and tied my best time exactly for the 200 free and made the championship heat finals for both of those races, which was really exciting.”

Because of the meet’s schedule, Simenec had short recovery times between races. She had about 30 minutes between both prelim races and about half that amount of time between the finals races.

Simenec was uneasy about the short turnaround time between races but said it ended up benefiting her.

“I was a little apprehensive going into it because I knew I was only going to have like 18 minutes between races,” Simenec said.

“It was a tight one, but it worked out great. The 100 fly just warmed me up for the 200 free, and both went well.”

Simenec’s national championship propelled the Bearcat Swim Club to an 18th-place team finish.

Bearcat Swim Club coach Craig Charlson was pleased with how Simenec rose to the challenge of high-caliber competition.

“Tori was outstanding,” Charlson said. “(It was) the biggest and fastest meet in the country with the best swimmers, and she was just outstanding.”

Aside from the obvious accomplishment of winning a national title, Simenec said she used the meet as an opportunity to take mental notes while watching college and Olympic-caliber athletes compete.

“I just love going to those big meets,” Simenec said. “It gives me the opportunity to learn about swimming, especially being with college teams, looking forward to that next year, seeing how college swimming works.

“There were a lot of Olympians there, so I’m able to take things from their strokes and see how they race and how they warm up and react to things.

“It heightens my knowledge of swimming, to know how those great swimmers do it, so that someday I can reach their level as well.”

Simenec still is focused on the remainder of her season with the Bearcat Swim Club, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing for her to look ahead to next year, Charlson said.

“As her coach, (my job is to) get her focused for college,” he said. “To get her ready for the next level I think is probably the most important thing for her as an athlete, so she’s prepared and looking ahead.”

Charlson said he thinks that Simenec will adjust fine to the step up to collegiate swimming.

“She’s so darn talented,” Charlson said. “She is going to be a force to be reckoned with as she goes forward.”

lclarkson@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6700

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