Quance Shows Her Opponents Some Versatility

The way Northridge’s Kristine Quance has been swimming, it did not surprise anyone when she qualified for the consolation finals of the 400-meter freestyle Saturday night at the Chrysler Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo.

What was surprising, in an event that is far down the list of Quance’s best, was her margin of victory--more than two seconds.

She touched in 4 minutes 24.04 seconds, which would have placed her seventh in the finals. The CLASS Aquatics teen-ager settled for ninth and prepared for the 100 breaststroke final.

Then she stepped to the blocks and took the lead from the outset.

“I knew I had to go out fast because of all the sprinters in there,” Quance, 16, said of Stanford’s Lori Heisick, Phoenix’s Emily Short and Stanford’s Jill Johnson.

“I knew if I could go out with them (for the first 50), I could bring it home faster because I’m a 200 breaststroker.”

The world’s fourth-ranked 200 breaststroker, to be exact.

“The 100 is really hard for me because just when I get going good ,it’s over,” Quance said before the race.

This time it was over for Quance’s competitors with 30 meters remaining, as Quance pushed ahead for a 1.5-second victory over Heisick.

And for a change, it didn’t feel too difficult, prompting Quance to say that she is improving at the shorter distance.

Her time of 1:12.04 is another indication. It is only one second off her best time when she had rested and shaved her body hair.

Including her win in the 400 individual medley on Friday, Quance has never swum this fast during the heaviest training period of the year and without a rest.

“I’m not supposed to be swimming this fast,” Quance said. “Now I’m really looking forward to swimming tapered (rested).”

That chance comes Aug. 22 at the Pan Pacific Games in Edmonton when Quance makes her first international trip with the U. S. “A” team.

* DOUBLE TROUBLE: Crissy Ahmann-Leighton posted wins in the 100-meter butterfly and 50 freestyle at the Chrysler Swim Meet of Champions. C9