Morgan Thrown Off Course : Northridge: Freshman fighting a case of the nerves in her first national meet.

If Mara Morgan’s starts were slow, her turns poor, her stroke sloppy and her kick a couple of beats off, Pete Accardy, Cal State Northridge swim coach, would be a happy man.

Those are mistakes he can see, techniques he can correct.

But what to do with a swimmer whose only inherent problem is that she thinks too much?

Such is the case with Morgan, a freshman so gifted that in one December meet she posted NCAA Division II bests in the 1,650-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard individual medley--three strikingly different races.

On Wednesday, the first day of the Division II swimming and diving championships at the State University of New York at Buffalo natatorium, Morgan finished a distant eighth in the 500-yard freestyle, one of her best events.

Her time of 5 minutes 5.91 seconds was some 10 seconds slower than her time as a junior in high school.

Accardy, who prides himself on teaching the correct mental approach to swimming, was unable to offer a concrete explanation.

Instead, he pointed to his head.

“This is her first national meet and it’s obviously affecting her,” he said. “She’s having trouble sleeping. All the things you hope don’t happen are happening. I think she’s just too nervous.”

All of which is causing CSUN’s coach a few anxious moments of his own.

Accardy believes that Northridge’s chances of a fourth consecutive women’s team title rest largely on how Morgan performs in the meet’s final two days.

“We don’t need her or anyone else to win anything, but we really need just about everybody to get into the finals,” Accardy said. “If we do that, we should be OK.”

So far, Morgan has obliged. Even her pedestrian finish in the 500 was worth 11 points to the Lady Matadors, who are locked in a five-way battle for the team title.

Thursday, she placed seventh in the 200-yard butterfly--picking up 12 more points--then helped CSUN win the 800-yard freestyle relay by swimming a strong 1:54.36 anchor leg.

Still left on her itinerary are the 400-yard individual medley today and the 200-yard backstroke on Saturday.

“Those are two good events for her, so we’ll see if she can turn it around,” Accardy said. “It’s not that she’s swimming poorly, but I know she’s capable of doing a lot better. I think she needs to get excited about competing here instead of maybe (being) a little afraid.”

Indeed, Morgan described herself as “worried” and “stressed out” before Wednesday’s race. But she still shaved more than two seconds off her personal best in the 200 butterfly.

Morgan would like to think that performance--although it fell short of her expectations--will initiate a breakthrough.

Despite an increasingly difficult training regimen, her times have remained in neutral for the better part of two years.

“After a while, you ask yourself why,” Morgan said. “You know you worked just as hard or harder than you did last year, but it’s like you’re not going anywhere. You start doubting yourself. It’s hard to get that confidence back and start going faster.”

But Accardy believed he had recruited an impact swimmer when he plucked Morgan out of tiny Livermore, Calif.

A slow start at Morgan’s first national meet has not altered his opinion.

“It’s just a matter of changing her emotional outlook, the way she views herself swimming and how she competes,” Accardy said. “In December, we thought we had solved that, but in this meet she has again looked tentative.

“I know physically she’s in much better shape, but she’s not swimming as well. She doesn’t look like she feels good in the water. But the good athletes, the champions, fight through that.”

Although Morgan hesitates to admit it, she doesn’t feel right.

However, she knows that can no longer be considered an excuse for a poor performance. The team needs her.

“I knew when I came here I’d be part of a team fighting to win a national championship,” Morgan said. “I don’t feel in top shape, but I have to do what I have to do. It doesn’t do any good to wish you felt better. It’s time to just go out and do it.”