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Citrus distance standout is happy she tested watersBy KEITH NIEBUHR
© St. Petersburg Times, INVERNESS -- When coaches asked Megan St. Clair to give the 500-yard freestyle a try two years ago, she didn't know what to expect. Then she stepped into the water. "I had never swam it before and I won," St. Clair said. "Everybody else was so far behind me that I was kind of amazed. I never swam the distance events when I was little, except at practice. "When I was younger, I did the backstroke and the breaststroke. But when I was a freshman, coach put me in (the freestyle) and I loved it. It came pretty naturally. I knew that was my event." St. Clair began swimming eight years ago, about the same time two of her cousins swam for Citrus. She got hooked by watching them. "I liked it a lot," St. Clair said. Today, the junior at Citrus is among the area's top swimmers. Last season, she won district and conference titles in the 500 freestyle and was among four Hurricanes to qualify for the Class 2A state meet -- something St. Clair also did in 1999. She placed 35th at state, up four places from the previous year. St. Clair also swims the 200 free, and from time to time competes in other events. "Her attitude is good," Citrus coach Frank Bachteler said. "She's willing to work and learn. She's a hard worker. You don't ever have to yell at her. She gets right in the pool and does what she's told to do. I think she likes the training that's required for those events. I expect her to lower her times in every event." The 500 free is a grueling test. Whereas many events are once down and once back, the 500 lasts 20 laps and "tends to attract the more competitive swimmers," Bachteler said. St. Clair stays sharp by practicing with the Hilltoppers, a local club affiliated with United States Swimming. And every day she runs at least 3 miles at home on a treadmill. St. Clair is a self-described health-food nut and is thinking about pursuing a career in nutrition after high school. "For a person to swim that far, they have to have a lot of (cardiovascular training)," St. Clair said. "I love the long-distance stuff. I run, and at practice (Bachteler) works me hard with distance." This fall, St. Clair is aiming for a top-20 finish at state in the 500. She also wants to qualify in the 200 free. She thinks a top-10 performance in the 500 next year is possible. Another goal is to break the 6-minute barrier in the 500 free. Her best time to date is 6 minutes, 4 seconds. "The best thing about swimming the 500 free is that you can mess up on a turn or mess up in the middle of the race and you can always catch up," St. Clair said. "It's a long race."
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