Don't expect Georgia freshman freestyler Amanda Weir to get all weak in the knees today when she steps on deck at the NCAA women's swimming and diving championships at Purdue. As big is the NCAA stage is, Weir has seen bigger.Seven months ago, before she competed in a Georgia swim cap, Weir was swimming relays at the Olympics. The former Brookwood standout, along with Georgia's Kara Lynn Joyce, earned silver medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle and medley relays.
"That was an amazing experience," said Weir, who cuts an imposing figure at 6-foot-1 with strong, broad shoulders, "and I think competing in that environment has prepared me for just about anything."
Swimming in the Olympics might have prepared her for anything in the pool, but it didn't exactly lead to an easy transition to college life. While the rest of her freshman class was starting school, Weir was still in Athens, Greece. Once the Games were completed, Weir spent two days at home, where she participated in a parade in her honor, before starting college.
"That wasn't exactly a lot of time to come down from being in the Olympics to being in school and joining a new team," Weir said. "It took some time for me to settle in here.
"I feel like I've done pretty well this year, overall, but this semester has been a lot better than my first semester. I was happy with how I did at the (SEC championships) and I'm looking forward to my first NCAAs."
At the SECs, held last month in Gainesville, Fla., Weir, along with Mary DeScenza, fellow freshman Elizabeth Hill and Joyce, tied the American record in the 4x200-yard freestyle relay. She placed second in the 50 freestyle behind Joyce, who set a new SEC record with a time of 21.91 seconds.
Weir, Joyce, Paige Kearns and Andrea Georoff also set a new SEC record in the 4x50 freestyle relay.
"We like setting records around here," Georgia coach Jack Bauerle said. "Amanda knows all about competing in pressure situations, and I think she's a swimmer that thrives when the pressure is on."
Bauerle said it's taken a little whille for Weir to get in her groove, but she appears to have found it at the right time.
"It wasn't until the last month or so where I feel like she has really settled in," he said. "I don't think people on the outside have a full appreciation for the adjustment that athletes go through from the high of competing for your country in the Olympics to coming back to school and competing for your team. In Amanda's case, that adjustment was even more dramatic because she's a freshman and she was entering a whole new world."
This weekend, Weir and Joyce will compete in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle sprints, as well as a couple of relays. Joyce, a sophomore, is the defending NCAA champion in the 50 and 100.
"A lot of people might think we don't get along because we're always competing against each other, but (Kara Lynn) is one of my closest friends on the team," Weir said. "We're both real competitive and I think we do a good job of pushing each other."
After three straight runner-up finishes, the Lady Bulldogs will be trying to win the program's first national title since Georgia won three straight from 1999-2001. Twenty Georgia swimmers qualified for the championships, but the NCAA limits teams to 18 participants.
"I've been to the NCAAs before, just to watch, but I'm really looking forward to this," Weir said. "It's going to be a loud and exciting scene and I think I perform better in than kind of environment.
"I'm ready to race."
