March 15, 2010
by Anthony Baldini
Pressure. The word perfectly describes an athlete's feelings in anticipation of an event on the big stage. When all eyes are watching and only results count, there is a natural pressure which seeps into an athlete's emotions and demands them to perform at a peak level. This pressure crushes most down its path, but elevates the survivors to greatness.
SDSU's Leona Jennings knows about pressure.
Yet, in the days leading to up to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, an event where logically she would be under the greatest pressure of her life, she remains cooler than the other side of the pillow. And for the freshman sensation that burst onto the national scene by breaking school record after record, that is exactly how she wants it.
"When I have no pressure on me I swim a lot faster," she said recently in a sit-down interview alongside her older sister, roommate and teammate, Emilee Jennings.
Leona Jennings is no stranger to remaining calm under the spotlight. In 2008, she participated in the U.S. Olympic swim trials and finished seventh in the semifinals of the 100 backstroke.
"Trials were a really good experience," she said. "Going there, I had never been to a bigger meet. I've been to nationals and other events before, but since it was my first time at trials I didn't have any pressure on me. My coach didn't expect me to break a world record or make finals. It was more of a go in and try it out event."
Entering the NCAA Championships, she is taking a similar approach and hopes to once again exceed her expectations.
"I treat (the NCAA Championships) just like Olympic trials," she said. "I am way less nervous for it than I was for Conference because I am going there and nobody really knows who I am. In Conference I was seeded highly in all of my events going into the meet, so I had a lot of pressure on me to keep it up and finish in first place. Now that I'm in the NCAA's, I'm ranked in the middle somewhere so it's going to be less pressure."
Despite the fact she says nobody knows who she is, Leona Jennings was highly sought after coming out of Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines, Washington. Ranked as the No. 35 recruit in the nation this year by CollegeSwimming.com, it was only an unexpected decision which brought her and Emilee Jennings to San Diego.
Leona and Emilee Jennings, a junior, were both signed on to swim at the University of Washington this season before budget cuts resulted in the last minute dropping of the swim program.
"We really wanted to stick together," said Leona Jennings, "so after UW was cut we wanted to find a place that would take both of us. We received calls from Hawaii and other schools but no one really had money for scholarships at the time because we were so late."
Emilee Jennings said they had no idea the program drop was coming, so they were left with very little time to sign on with another school.
"That was when (SDSU Head Coach) Mike Shrader contacted both of us and asked if we were interested in coming to SDSU, and of course we were," said Emilee Jennings. "Nobody would want to turn down San Diego."
Shrader then made the decision even easier for the ladies when he offered them two full-ride scholarships, a move which Emilee Jennings called a rarity in collegiate swimming. Nearly every campus in the country with a swim program usually only has one scholarship if they even have any, she said.
"Once he told us he had scholarships," said Leona Jennings, "we were like `I want to go there!'"
Both sisters have been blessed with the support of elite coaches like Shrader their entire swimming careers.
When their oldest sister, Mercedes Jennings, started swimming high school back when Emilee Jennings was eight years old and Leona Jennings was six, their parents wanted them to take swimming lessons for their own safety at Seattle's KING aquatic club. That's where they met Sean Hutchinson, the 2009 US World Championship Team Head Coach who has a legendary resume of swimmers he has trained to become Olympic medalists and world record setters.
"He's one of the best coaches we've ever trained under," said Emilee Jennings. "He knows a ton about swimming, and it is more than just knowing the sport; he knows the small details about it and is very technical. That is why everyone he coaches, from (USA National Team Swimmers) Ariana Kukors to Margaret Hoelzer, all trained under him."
Years of intense training under the superb leadership of Hutchinson have undoubtedly accentuated the natural talent the sisters possess. Now at SDSU, Coach Shrader has had any easy time coaching them.
"It has been an absolute joy to coach them," said Shrader, this season's Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. "They are two fantastic young women and are extremely coachable." Emilee Jennings has equally as much praise for the job her coaches have done to get her to where she is today.
"I think Mike and (Assistant Coach) Brendon Bray are just the best coaches," she said. "They don't pressure us at all and they just encourage us to do our best. That, in a way, is the best pressure because you want to swim good for them."
The youngest Jennings share's her sister's respect for Shrader and credits him for her overall progression as a well-rounded swimmer.
"I came to State as mainly just a backstroke swimmer and only did the 100 and 200, but Coach Shrader worked with me," said Leona Jennings. "Mike and Brendon helped me a lot, especially in the breaststroke. Breaststroke was my worst event and I always got passed, but since they've improved it I've really shot up."
She said she feels strongest about her chances in the 200 backstroke at the NCAA Championships thanks to the refinement she has received from her coaches.
"I want to get a best time," she said, "and if I do that, I want to make finals and race against the top eight swimmers."
Leona Jennings declared her goals confidently for a freshman who will be facing swimmers with several years of experience and technique refinement on her.
"I think it's fun," she said. "They should be more nervous than I am because they have more experience than I do and have high expectations from not only from themselves but from their coaches, too."
With such a cool demeanor, expect the pressure-free Aztec to once again surprise the competition in Indiana this weekend.