Wait is over for MHS senior swimmer

Leddy hoping to learn at Trials

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Meghan Leddy picked up her cap and gown on Thursday, but as exciting as graduating from high school is, there’s something bigger on her mind.
   ”Trials definitely,” said the Montgomery High School senior.
   Leddy will compete in her first U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials that begin June 29 in Omaha, Neb. She will swim in three events that are spread from end to end of the meet.
   ”I’m going to try to make semifinals in the 200 backstroke,” said Leddy, who swims for the Eastern Express club team. “That’s probably my best shot.”
   Leddy has the 53rd best seed time in the 200 backstroke at 2:16.89. She is seeded 34th in the 400 individual medley in 4:51.46 and 90th in the 100 back. She is excited that the Trials are finally here.
   ”I made my 200 backstroke cut three years ago so I knew I was going since then,” Leddy said. “The 4 IM and the 100 back have been more recent. I’ve known I’m going to go for three years. There’s been a lot of anticipation.
   ”It’s coming up so fast. I thought it would take forever. Now we’re a week out and starting to taper. I’m a little nervous.”
   The 400 IM has just preliminaries and then finals. Leddy’s other two events have preliminaries, semifinals and then finals. The 400 IM and 100 back are in the first two days, and the 200 back is on the last day.
   ”It’s my favorite event,” she said, “so I’ll have something to look forward to.”
   Sustaining her taper through the eight days will be a challenge. She is looking forward to the entire weeklong meet, which is the biggest she has been a part of in her career.
   ”I’ve gone to some other national meets,” Leddy said. “I was on the national junior team. I got to go to the Junior Pan Pacific (Championships in Hawaii) which was a lot of fun. This will be arguably the fastest meet in the world. The US is a dominant force in swimming. My events are the first and last day, so the rest of the time I’ll get to watch people qualify for the Olympics.”
   Leddy is on the young side of the qualifiers who will compete at the Trials. Just 17, she will be a freshman at Harvard in the fall. By the time she graduates, she hopes to be a bigger threat for the 2012 Olympics.
   ”That’s definitely what I’m going to work towards the next four years at Harvard,” Leddy said. “It’s nice I have Trials at the end of my high school career. I have something to look forward to and hope to achieve.
   ”I’m more shooting for the one in four years,” she added. “I’ll have a better shot and should move up in the rankings. This is more getting into it. I’ve had the cut for a while. It’s going to be fun.”
   Leddy is ready for a new step and the Trials are a perfect start. She has been swimming for Express for 11 years. Last winter, she made her first appearance for the MHS girls’ swimming team and never lost a race. After the Trials, she will embark on a new chapter at Harvard.
   ”It’s an amazing experience,” she said. “I was looking at a bunch of DI schools for swimming. I decided I wanted to go somewhere more academic and with people more like me. I really liked Harvard. I’m excited.”
   Leddy feels good about coming off her club’s winter season. She is well prepared.
   ”I’ve had a great season so far, especially for backstroke,” Leddy said, “I kind of broke out of the shell of junior year. I had time to relax and enjoy my last year of club swimming.
   ”This is a great time for us,” she added. “We just started the long course season. We had all our championship meets at the end of March. The only unfortunate thing is it’s long course and we haven’t had a lot of time to get long course training in.”
   Leddy’s training has been geared toward the backstroke events that she will focus on at Trials. She is ready to test herself against some of the top swimmers in the world and some familiar opponents.
   ”I recognize a bunch of names,” she said. “A lot of people have been at national meets. This will be a collection of the best people. This will be a collection of the top people in the country.”
   Leddy is thrilled to be among them for the first time at an Olympic Trials that she has had in the back of her mind for three years.
   ”I’m still telling myself it’s a whole week away,” Leddy said. “It’s been approaching quickly.
   ”It’s pretty awesome. They built a whole pool for this meet. They converted the Qwest Center to make a pool. Once you walk on the deck, it’s going to be exciting.”
   A thrill well worth the wait for Meghan Leddy.