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MU’s Vehr aims for her 2nd All-American title

Record-breaking senior aims to make the finals in two breaststroke events.

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer 2:27 AM Thursday, March 17, 2011

OXFORD — Kelsey Vehr is starting to get comfortable with the high-stakes, high-pressure world of NCAA Championship meets.

“It’s not as scary. I know what to expect,” said the record-breaking senior on the Miami University women’s swimming team who is competing in her third straight national meet, which begins today in Austin, Texas.

Vehr will conclude one of the more impressive athletic careers in Miami history and try to become an All-American for the second time when she competes in the 100-meter breaststroke Friday and the 200 breast Saturday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

In both events, the preliminaries start at noon with the finals at 8 p.m.

Last year, Vehr became Miami’s first All-American in women’s swimming when she placed seventh in the 100 breast.

She also has qualified for the 400 individual medley, but as she did last year, Vehr will skip that event and concentrate on her specialty, even though she broke the Miami and MAC records in the 400 IM in last month’s league meet.

“It was an incredible swim and I’m really happy with it,” Vehr said, “but the (NCAA) 400 IM and 100 breaststroke are on the same day and the IM is such a long event and takes a lot out of you.”

Naturally, Vehr would love to earn another top-eight finish, but her main focus is making the finals in both breaststroke events. That, and beating a couple milestone times.

She has the nation’s 14th-fastest time in the 200 breast at 2 minutes, 10.37 seconds and the 19th-fastest time in the 100 breast at 1:00.33. Vehr said she wants to finish the 200 under 2:10 and the 100 under 1:00.

“If I could do either of those, I’d be unbelievably happy,” she said.

Although Vehr has the experience of having competed against the nation’s elite, she said it’s still just as exciting and unpredictable.

“It’s never the same meet,” she said, “and you never can predict what the other swimmers can do.

“I’d just like to finish my best,” she said. “That’s the goal I’ve set.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197

Kelsey Vehr file

Class: Senior

Hometown: Cincinnati

High School: St. Ursula Academy

MAC titles won: 10

MAC records set: 4

NCAA Championship results: 2010 — seventh in 100 breaststroke, 20th in 200 breaststroke; 2009 — 26th in 100 breaststroke, 37th in 200 breaststroke

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