Change for the Better

Jennie Eberwein uses new methods to find old success

Swimming is a team sport. And while having a few superstar swimmers looks good on the outside, the key to a championship swimming program is a team concept.

That said, championships can be won by individuals who improve their performances when they count the most. For the Michigan women's swimming and diving team at the Big Ten Championships this past weekend, Jennie Eberwein was that individual.

The junior from Germantown, Penn., captured the Swimmer of the Meet award in Bloomington this weekend, as she won the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races and finished tied for the top spot in the 50 free with Indiana freshman sensation Jennifer Cristy.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Jennie Eberwein found herself overshadowed by her teammates during the regular season. But at the BIg Ten Championships, it was her turn to shine. The junior broke her personal bests in three events.

"When Jennie gets into a zone, stay out of her way," Michigan coach Jim Richardson said. "All of her swims this weekend were exceptional - they were all lifetime-best performances. It was fun to watch her have a great meet."

And boy, did she have a great meet.

To the untrained swimming observer, Eberwein's performance would come as a shock, - she struggled during the regular season - but Eberwein tends to save her best for when it counts the most.

"I wasn't really surprised with how I swam," Eberwein said. "During my whole life I haven't swam well during the season, because I devote it to my training workload."

While Eberwein works hard during the season, this season was a little harder than usual. Devoted to a sprint-heavy workload during her first two years at Michigan, Eberwein changed to a training regimen with more emphasis on middle-distance swims, such as the 200 free.

"We decided this fall not to sprint-train her," Richardson said. "We decided to train her more on the middle-distance and even some distance events. The thing with this type of training is that you lose some speed."

Eberwein felt the effects during the dual-meet season. She had trouble finding her groove and didn't put up an NCAA qualifying time at any meet.

"What most people don't realize is that her 200 times were faster than they had ever been this year - I mean significantly faster - and that's what we wanted to do," Richardson said. "Her 50 frees were not exceptional and her 100 frees were not exceptional, but when you jump from that distance, what she did was exceptional."

While radical changes have the potential to disillusion an athlete, Eberwein never challenged her coach's judgment.

"I was fine with the change," Eberwein said. "I wanted to try something new. I wanted to have a third event and I always want to take Coach Richardson's advice."

That advice, its wisdom not immediately apparent, proved to be right on the money at the Big Ten meet, when Eberwein's increased stamina helped her run away with the 100 and 200. She bettered her 100 free time by a half-second and her best time in the 200 by 2.5 seconds.

"If I was a scientist, I would say that the experiment looks promising," Richardson said.

Richardson had a lot to work with in Eberwein. A member of the United States team in the World University Games in August, she was also a member of the elite Foxcatcher Swim Club in high school.

"I started training at Foxcatcher, which is one of the top swim clubs in the country," Eberwein said. "That environment really encouraged me to become a competitive swimmer."

Interestingly enough, medals and championships were not the inspiration Eberwein's parents used to get their daughter involved with swimming.

"We had a swimming pool down the street, and my parents started me swimming there when I was six," Eberwein said. "They wanted me to swim because they wanted me to be able to swim in case I got into danger."

The only danger that Eberwein faces now is tiring easily during training. While this might explain her slower dual-meet times, that fact is totally irrelevant after tapering for Big Ten meets.

"I get broken down easily, but when I get rest, I can really focus well," Eberwein said. "I just like to build up my training well during the season so I can swim my fastest after I taper."

Focusing is no problem. Eberwein's ability to drown out outside distractions and concentrate on big meets has been a n oft-used asset in her career at Michigan.

She "not only has great physical talent, but she has the ability to block out distractions emotionally and bring a great focus in regards to racing," Richardson said.

Eberwein has a similar focus when it comes to the team. A characteristic of all of Michigan's 12 consecutive Big Ten championship teams is team unity. Like her fellow Wolverines, Eberwein subscribes to this ideal - it was what led her to Michigan in the first place.

"The deciding factors were the combination of athletics and academics - which Michigan was the best in - and the team concept. I was impressed with the team and felt I could fit in well."

Eberwein could have had her pick of schools to attend, as she was pursued by Arizona, Georgia, Northwestern and Stanford, as well as Michigan.

Eberwein tries to share her happiness as a Wolverine with every recruit she meets.

"I try to tell them what I wanted to know coming in, telling them about our close-knit team and our academics," Eberwein said. "Coming to Michigan was the best decision I could have made by far."

That decision has paid dividends for both Eberwein and the Wolverines, as they have celebrated three conference championships together. They hope to keep cashing in four weeks from now, at the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.

"It feels amazing. The reason I'm swimming is to have an enjoyable time in a group," Eberwein said. "It's more exciting to win in a group."

Michigan was in a great position when the Big Ten Championships ended Sunday.

And the new, improved Eberwein led the way.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Jennie Eberwein, Kasey Harris and the rest of the Wolverines are No. 1 for the 12th-straight year. Eberwein led the way with three impressive victories.

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