JOHN KOVACH | Colleges Improved training helps Trimbur earn swim honors

CLARION, Pa. -- A specialized weight-training program, coupled with a personal dedication to improvement and enlightened coaching, have made a believer out of swimmer Megan Trimbur of Warren.
Trimbur, a Harding graduate and sophomore freestyle swimmer at Clarion University, knows preparation gets results.
Now she sees her potential.
Trimbur is fresh off the best showing of her career -- anchoring a 51.64 leg to help Clarion's 400 freestyle relay team take fifth place with a time of 3:32.05 at the recent NCAA Division II national meet. The team earned All-American honors.
"I never thought that I would go 51," said Trimbur, whose previous best 100 time was 52.8. Her top 100-yard time as a freshman was 53.3.
Getting stronger: She started a weight-training program in the fall designed to strengthen her shoulders and legs.
"I had a lot more energy and power to finish my races, Trimbur said. "I have been able to get my legs strong, and I was able to hold the same speed to finish the race.
"My times have improved, especially in the 200 and 500 freestyles."
Trimbur gained All-American honors in six events at the national meet held at the YMCA Aquatic and Family Center in Orlando, Fla.. Clarion took seventh with 207 points.
The top 15 finishers in each event make All-American.
Coupled with five All-American finishes as a freshman, she now enjoys the distinction of being an 11-time All-American.
And she is just starting to reach her potential.
Lot of potential: "I see that the potential is there for even better times," said Trimbur. "With the caliber of coaching I am getting under [coach Mark VanDyke and assistant Christina Tillotson], I can accomplish anything.
"They put a lot of time and effort in helping me improve, and I feel that under them I can achieve anything."
Two of Trimbur's other All-American honors this year also were in relays -- the 800 freestyle (7:48.65, 11th) and the 400 medley (4:01.37, 12th).
She also earned All-American laurels in the 200 freestyle (1:54.09, 10th) and the 50 freestyle (24.49, 13th).
"I think relays are more fun. I have three girls [on her 400 relay team] that I absolutely adore, and so we wanted to do well together," she said. "We wanted to put in 100 percent in the race [400 relay] because it was our last race in the national this year."
Objective: "My main goal [next year] is I want to get into the final in every event that I swim in. And I don't see it as a long-shot.
"I have two years left and I want to make the best of it."
The daughter of Sue and Tom Trimbur, Megan is majoring in elementary education and has a 3.1 grade-point average. While at Harding High, her swimming coach was Brian Shaner.
Elite program: Clarion has long been a women's swimming power, winning eight Division II national team championships, and 24 of the 27 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles, including 23 in a row from 1976-1998. The Golden Eagles were second in the PSAC meet this season.
In that PSAC meet, Trimbur placed third in the 200 freestyle (1:56.52), fourth in the 50 freestyle (25.03) and seventh in the 100 freestyle (54.45).
She also was on four relay teams, helping the 200 freestyle (1:37.86) and the 400 medley (4:01.04) to second place; and the 400 freestyle (3:36.13) to third and the 800 freestyle (8:03.06) to fourth.
Clarion had an 8-1 dual meet record this year and has a two-year record of 15-3.