Distance swimmer meets goals

Indiana distance swimmer Sarah Fiden wasn't quite sure what to expect coming into this season's Big Ten Championships. She decided to try for finishing in the top three in the 500-yard freestyle and the mile -- pretty lofty goals, especially for a freshman.\nFriday and Saturday, she was able to accomplish those goals. She placed third in the 500 and second in the mile. Not only did she place well in the meet, she broke two school records that were 20 years old. The records Fiden snapped were previously owned by IU Hall of Fame swimmer Jennifer Hooker, who was at the meet and was glad to see her old records go.\n"It's about time," Hooker said of her records. "They were up there way too long."\nFiden said she was satisfied with her performances, but is aiming higher.\n"I don't think I could have expected anything better; first place would have been nice, but you can't get everything in the world," Fiden said. "It's a great place to start. I only can move up in the next three years."\nFiden came from Kettering, Ohio, to swim for the Hoosiers. She considered Ohio State and a few other programs before committing to IU. Fiden swam with junior backstroker Susan Woessner -- another Ohio native -- on her YMCA club team. Having a close friend like Woessner already swimming in Bloomington influenced her decision, she said. Fiden also said she was drawn to the close team atmosphere and motivated coaching staff.\nFiden directly attributes her choice to swim for IU to her success and improvement during the course of this season.\n"My training has been so much more intense," Fiden said. "It's been proven in the pool that what I'm doing (in training) is working."\nCoach Dorsey Tierney praised Fiden's performance in the Big Ten meet.\n"Boy, she's a gutsy kid," Tierney said. "I think Sarah trained outstanding this year, but she also endured some training that she had never experienced before. She learned a lot this weekend, and she was not afraid to step up and put it out there." \nFiden earned provisional cuts for the NCAA Championships in both the 500 and the mile and is now looking forward to competing in that meet next month.\n"Our main focus was Big Tens all year," Fiden said. "Now I have to refocus, think about NCAAs, and see what happens. It's kind of an honor."\nAs far as long term goals go, Fiden said that the 2004 Olympics is the level of competition that she would ultimately like to experience. She will be working toward this accomplishment during the next three years. Until then, she has quite a bit of Big Ten competition to look forward to.\n"Once she (Fiden) comes into her own and learns different types of racing strategies and becomes more confident at this level, she's just going to take off," Tierney said. "I'm so proud of her and the way she (performed), but it's not a total surprise"