Prince George's Katie Mann received an unexpected, but nice, surprise when the year-end athletic awards were handed out at the American East Conference banquet.
The 19-year-old University of New Hampshire Wildcats' swimmer became the first person in the conference to receive both the rookie of the year and most outstanding swimmer awards.
"It was quite a shock," said Mann. "They gave out the rookie award first and as they were announcing the outstanding swimmer everyone [from my team] was trying to guess who it was and they assumed it was a senior from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. When they realized it was me again, my team's reaction was the best part of the whole thing.
"They started listing off the achievements - won the 400 IM and the 200 IM and the 200 breast - so automatically they knew it couldn't be anyone else," added Mann. "My coaches started screaming and everyone was jumping. It was really exciting."
The graduate of the Prince George Barracudas program will try for another honour when she attends the 2012 Canadian RBC Olympic Trials from March 27 to April 2 in Montreal.
"I'm feeling pretty good at this point about Olympic Trials; everything is coming together," said Mann, adding she would like to reduce her time in the 400-metre individual medley from five minutes, three seconds to under the five-minute mark. "I have a couple personal goals with times. I'm trying to focus on the times that I swim rather than the placing - though a higher placing would be nice."
A spot on the Canadian team that will compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, is on the line for the 700 swimmers this week. Mann will be joined at the trials by current Barracudas' swimmers Haley Black, Danica Ludlow and Sterling King. After completing her first year of NCAA swimming Mann said her training with the Barracudas
prepared her well.
"I feel that I was really well prepared for this program by having the background with the Barracudas," said Mann. "The experience this year so far has been amazing with the whole transition into university as well as NCAA swimming.
"It was kind of a big leap for me to come here but it felt right after I went on my recruit trip," she added. "I just knew that the team was going to be what I was hoping for and the school was everything that I wanted and I just saw myself being happy. I realize now that I've made the right decision for me."
Mann is majoring in English with a minor in justice and would like to enter pre-Law.
At the American East Conference championship in February Mann won gold medals and set new conference records in the 200 IM (2:01.32) and 400 IM (4:14.10). She also won gold in the 200 breaststroke with a 2:15.65.
The 2011 graduate of Duchess Park secondary also missed qualifying for the NCAA championship, "the fastest meet in the world," by 10 places or two seconds.
"It was a little bit disappointing, but honestly, that wasn't really in my head either because I knew how difficult it was to qualify," said Mann. "It's kind of a goal for next year."
It'll be the second Olympic trials Mann will attend having qualified for the 2008 event, in addition to the 2009 and 2011 Canadian World Trials and the 2010 Senior Summer Nationals.
Mann will compete in four events in Montreal - the 400 IM on Wednesday, 100 breaststroke on Thursday, 200 IM on Friday and 200 breaststroke on Saturday.
Events for the current Barracuda swimmers are: Black - 100 and 200 backstroke, 100 and 200 butterfly and 400 IM; Ludlow - 100, 200, 400 and 800 freestyle; and King - 200, 400, 1,500 freestyle, 200 butterfly and 400 IM.
Mann said her dad Daryl has kept her informed of how Black and Ludlow are breaking her Barracuda club records this season.
"It's funny because my dad has been following how the club is doing and he'd call me to say, 'You were mentioned in an article in the paper,'" said Mann.
"I went and looked and, obviously, it's Haley Black or Danica breaking my records."
