By Cassidy Lavigne, Swimming World College Intern
Miki Dahlke, 18, a recent graduate of Tamalpais High School and commit to Harvard University is wrapping up her sprint freestyle training leading into her first Olympic Trials. Dahlke, who swims for North Bay Aquatics in Marin County, California, will be attending the Trials in Omaha with her teammate Halle Morris and coaches, Ken DeMont and Don Swartz.
Swimming World: What were your first thoughts after qualifying for Trials?
Photo Courtesy: Bill Anderson
MD: I was so excited, but it was also a sigh of relief because I had finally achieved that time. For me, I was really close to qualifying during the summer with one race, and when I didn’t get the cut at the summer season’s big meet, it was a huge bummer. Then throughout all of the training in the fall I was thinking about it– before December’s Winter Junior Nationals in Texas. On the last day of the meet there was long course trials and I got the cut. I was so happy to see the time and that I had finally gotten it. I had been thinking about it since the summer; to think that even a year ago, I never would have expected this. To qualify was a great feeling.
What are you most excited about going into Trials?
I’ve been looking up things about the meet. In Omaha they set it up perfectly for the athletes and it’s all about us. It’s going to be a whole different type of meet and experience. My coaches have been telling me how there’s no one else on the deck sides. It’s just the swimmers and that’s what the focus is.
You have so many people watching you, even prelims seats are sold out already. So I’m super excited for that energy and how many extra things they have to cater to the athletes- the lounge area, the dining facilities, and just seeing all the fast people. I’ve been to meets with so many fast swimmers, but it isn’t every fastest person in the nation. But no one is going to miss this; the fastest will be there. So you can see exactly where you rank within the nation.
What do you want to accomplish?
Photo Courtesy: Ava Salmi
My teammate, Halle Morris, my coaches from North Bay Aquatics and I met up a few weeks ago to discuss the meet, the whole experience, and what our goals should be. For both of us, it’s to make semifinals; be top 16.
How do you feel about training in the final weeks before Trials?
It’s getting down to the wire and it’s kind of scary. We had our North Coast Section meet not that long ago and we kind of tapered for that and we don’t have that much time left. Halle and I are the only ones on our team with a big meet at the end of June, and the rest of our team has a big meet in August. Trials is a big meet, but we are two people on a team of 30 plus. Our coaches are definitely doing all they can to get us prepared, but they can not only focus on us. Right now our practices focus on long course swimming, which is really going to help me and Halle get prepared. I feel like there’s not enough time, so it’s a little bit stressful but still very exciting.
About the Swimmer
Dahlke will be attending Harvard University in the fall. She is committed to swimming all four years and hopes to compete at the Ivy League finals and the NCAA Championships. After college, she wants to keep her options open and hopes to pursue swimming as a professional career. DeMont commented on Dahlke, “Miki is a student of the sport. She has great interest in the small details that can make all the difference in getting where she wants to go. Add that to her talent and her dedication and it is no surprise she has had such success with her swimming.”