McCann breaks eight records
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
Katie McCann's Drexel legacy lies on the record board above the lanes she swam in during her four-year career.
McCann cemented herself amongst the elite swimmers in Drexel history as she capped off her senior season by breaking eight school records at the CAA Championships in Fairfax, Va.
But she didn't want her collegiate eligibility to end.
"It was a very good way to go out," McCann said. But it was kind of disappointing because I feel like if I had gotten an extra year, I would've been faster. "I might be at the peak of my career and now I'm forced to be [finished]."
McCann, who also holds the records in the 200 and 400 medley relay, will leave the University with the individual fastest times in all six freestyle events, perhaps her greatest accomplishment.
"I think it's pretty awesome," she said of her freestyle marks. "I always thought of myself as a freestyler. People used to classify me as a distance swimmer."
Her naysayers can now look up at the record board where someone named "Katie McCann" is listed next to the all-time marks in the 50-free, 100-free, 200-free, 500-free, 1,000-free and 1,650-free events.
The records would not have come, however, without the countless hours of training McCann put in.
"By the end of the week you're tired and it's hard to motivate yourself," she said. "You just have to be very disciplined and get up and give it your all. You have to be there [at practice] so you might as well work hard."
The practices may have been long and grueling, but McCann's teammates gave her that added boast.
"If we all were having trouble getting through a set, we motivated each other to get through the set," McCann said.
Those sets and repetitions were only half the battle McCann faced as she tried to break five minutes in the 500.
At the 2007 CAA Championships she finished just short, at 5:01:15, but she got herself mentally prepared and this season at the Terrapin Cup Invitational on Nov. 15, McCann clocked in at 4:58:17.
"[My greatest memory was] when I broke five minutes at the 500 because it had been something I had been trying to get since I was a senior in high school. It was very mental, whether I believed in myself or not, and I finally got past that boundary," McCann said.
At the 2008 CAA Championships McCann broke her previous mark, with a time of 4:56:28, breaking the previous Drexel all-time individual time of 4:57:93, which was set by Lori Schaffer in 1992.
McCann credited her parents for supporting her throughout her career.
"My parents were my biggest support," she said. "They were there for everything. They've supported me through everything. Without them I wouldn't be anywhere."
And without all her hard work and dedication, McCann would've never been able to shatter all those records.
McCann cemented herself amongst the elite swimmers in Drexel history as she capped off her senior season by breaking eight school records at the CAA Championships in Fairfax, Va.
But she didn't want her collegiate eligibility to end.
"It was a very good way to go out," McCann said. But it was kind of disappointing because I feel like if I had gotten an extra year, I would've been faster. "I might be at the peak of my career and now I'm forced to be [finished]."
McCann, who also holds the records in the 200 and 400 medley relay, will leave the University with the individual fastest times in all six freestyle events, perhaps her greatest accomplishment.
"I think it's pretty awesome," she said of her freestyle marks. "I always thought of myself as a freestyler. People used to classify me as a distance swimmer."
Her naysayers can now look up at the record board where someone named "Katie McCann" is listed next to the all-time marks in the 50-free, 100-free, 200-free, 500-free, 1,000-free and 1,650-free events.
The records would not have come, however, without the countless hours of training McCann put in.
"By the end of the week you're tired and it's hard to motivate yourself," she said. "You just have to be very disciplined and get up and give it your all. You have to be there [at practice] so you might as well work hard."
The practices may have been long and grueling, but McCann's teammates gave her that added boast.
"If we all were having trouble getting through a set, we motivated each other to get through the set," McCann said.
Those sets and repetitions were only half the battle McCann faced as she tried to break five minutes in the 500.
At the 2007 CAA Championships she finished just short, at 5:01:15, but she got herself mentally prepared and this season at the Terrapin Cup Invitational on Nov. 15, McCann clocked in at 4:58:17.
"[My greatest memory was] when I broke five minutes at the 500 because it had been something I had been trying to get since I was a senior in high school. It was very mental, whether I believed in myself or not, and I finally got past that boundary," McCann said.
At the 2008 CAA Championships McCann broke her previous mark, with a time of 4:56:28, breaking the previous Drexel all-time individual time of 4:57:93, which was set by Lori Schaffer in 1992.
McCann credited her parents for supporting her throughout her career.
"My parents were my biggest support," she said. "They were there for everything. They've supported me through everything. Without them I wouldn't be anywhere."
And without all her hard work and dedication, McCann would've never been able to shatter all those records.
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