SENIOR MICHELLE MEHNERT and sophomore Lisa Boyce recently returned from the YMCA National Short Course Swimming and Diving Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., with brand new tans and an experience to remember.

The swim meet, which was held last week from Tuesday through Friday, attracted top swimmers from around the country, inevitably making the competition stiff.

Though the Uni duo didn’t swim as well as they hoped to, they kept positive attitudes throughout the meet, and all in all enjoyed the ultra-competitive yet fun experience. (For full results, click here. For a summary of how the 11-member Champaign County YMCA Heat national team performed, click here.)

“It’s always a really fun meet,” said Boyce. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Shoot for the moon, for even if you miss, you’ll always land among the stars.’ I tend to carry this over to my swimming. I always set really high goals for myself, so even though I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, I still ended up doing pretty well. I can only hope to come back next time with higher goals and better results.”

Boyce and Mehnert each recorded personal-best times in several events.

The sophomore swam the individual 100 backstroke and the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle. Additionally, she was on the 200, 400, and 800 medleys, and the 400 freestyle.

Boyce swam personal bests in the 100 backstroke (1:01.30) and the 50 free (24.60). She placed 88th and 33rd in those events, respectively.

She finished the 100 free in a time of 53.81, just shy of her personal best, and the 200 free in 1:59.37, placing 48th and 101st in those events, respectively.

“I’d hoped to do better, but I did pretty well,” said Boyce. “I was the second-fastest 14-year-old in the 50 and 100 freestyle! But next year, I want to make finals.”

Mehnert competed individually in the 400-yard individual medley as well as the 200 and 400 medley relays, and the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle relays.

Mehnert swam the 400 IM in a time of 4:48.36, placing 85th.

“My 400 IM, I didn’t do very well,” Mehnert admits. “I started out fast, and then I died. The desire was there, but the energy wasn’t.”

Mehnert holds an extended taper, a rest period at the end of a season where yardage and difficulty are significantly decreased, responsible for her performance.

“Ideally I would have been rested enough so I would be completely recovered but still in shape enough to finish a 400,” Mehnert explained.

Both Mehnert and Boyce were happy to see solid performances on the relays.

Mehnert in particular had an excellent swim in the 400 freestyle relay, splitting a 54.39 and shaving 1.5 seconds off her personal best time. She achieved another personal best in her leg of the 200 freestyle relay, splitting a time of 26.01.

“I was very pleased with my relay performances,” Mehnert said. “I’ve been working on powerlifting this year, and that really showed up [in the relays]. My fast-twitch energy helped me to post personal records.”

Boyce also set a new best time from earlier that morning in the backstroke leg of the 400 medley relay, swimming a time of 1:00.77.

When the meet ended on Friday, the Champaign County Heat swim team trekked to the beach a couple blocks away from the competition pool to truly enjoy the Ft. Lauderdale sun. They were glad the meet was over, excited about next year’s prospects, yet sad to see the end of such a bonding experience.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Mehnert. “The team felt like a family at the end of the meet. Y-Nationals is a special experience that bonds you with other people, and when you come back and you don’t see them, you miss them! We became a family.”