RANDY METCALF/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore Emily Mason takes a break from her daily dip in the pool yesterday at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. A high school standout, Mason has continued her success and in the process placed her name in the UA record books and received national attention resulting in All- American status.

UA swimmer and Olympic hopeful looks towards Athens after record-setting season

If UA sophomore swimming sensation Emily Mason continues on her current pace, she might need to look into buying a bigger trophy case.

Included among the Phoenix native's hardware collection is an Arizona High School record in the 400-yard Individual Medley, a world record in the Junior Olympics in 1998, a Junior National Championship in 1999, a United States National title in 2001 and medals from both the Pan Pacific Games and the Goodwill Games.

And then came college.

Upon arriving at Arizona, the level of competition might have gotten tougher, but the result sure didn't change.

Mason added plenty more during her first year in Tucson, taking home the Pac-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year award, a Pac-10 Championship in the 500-yard freestyle and a National Championship trophy as a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay team.

Fast-forward to this season and Mason hasn't let up one bit, dominating Pac-10 competition during the dual-meet season and finishing strong at the Pac-10 championships. Mason seemed to save her best for last though, earning

All-American status at the NCAA Championships with her performances in the 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard butterfly events.

Success still did not come easy at the NCAA Championships, as Mason struggled during the opening day of the meet. She failed to qualify for the finals in the 500-yard freestyle, an event she had excelled in all year long.

"I was really disappointed about not making it back (for the finals)," said Mason. "I should have made it back, and I thought that this was going to again be like last year."

But with a little encouragement from head coach Frank Busch, Mason was again in the right frame of mind for her record-setting swims.

"Frank still showed that he believed in me," said Mason. "It was especially helpful because it came at a time that I was lacking belief in myself."

With her confidence restored, Mason knew the task at hand and was ready to put the first day of the meet behind her while preparing for both the 400-yard IM and the 200-yard butterfly.

"My first day at the meet was god-awful," she said. "But I came back the next day knowing that I still had to swim well, and in the 400 (individual medley) I finished second, setting a school record. It was a real confidence boost for me, because now I know I can swim well enough in that event to hopefully qualify for the Olympics."

Mason wasn't done there, as she again set a new UA record ÷ this time in the 200-yard fly with another runner-up finish.

"It was a great way to finish up a meet that had started out so poorly," said Mason.

Mason's name now will grace the UA champions' wall with other school record holders such as Amanda Beard and current teammate Beth Botsford.

With the 2003 collegiate season concluding two weeks ago at the NCAA Championships, Mason still has plenty of swimming events on her calendar.

This past weekend, Mason was a member of Team USA for the Mutual of Omaha's Duel in the Pool, an international competition showcasing the best swimmers from the top two swimming countries in the world: the United States and Australia.

Mason swam one event for Team USA, the 200-meter butterfly, where she finished third, helping the United States sweep the top three places in the event.

The Duel in the Pool is an important event to the participants because it is one of the few times their sport can be seen by a national audience.

"I'm really excited that this is being shown on television," said Mason. "It really deserves to be shown on television, considering all of the work the athletes put into the sport. I hope that this gets some good coverage for our sport."

As Mason looks towards the future, she hopes that her final two years at UA will result in her being crowned an individual national champion.

However, there is one goal that Mason is saving a special place in her trophy case for, a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

At her current pace, an Athens invite is all Emily Mason needs to complete one of the most celebrated swimming careers in UA history.