Swimmer Carvin Has High Expectations; Kagy Looking to Have Fun : Girls’ swimming: Defending 4-A champion in 200 and 500 freestyles, Charger sophomore feels no pressure to repeat.

Matt Whitmore can vividly recall the first time he saw Michelle Kagy swim.

It was a year ago, the first day of practice for the Edison High team. Whitmore watched in amazement as this little freshman jumped in the pool and began to flail away.

“She was going full speed from the start,” Whitmore said. “I thought, ‘There was no way this kid could keep up that pace up.’ I figured she was just trying to impress me. She did.”

It’s been full-speed ahead--in and out of the pool--for Kagy ever since.

Only a sophomore, Kagy is the defending Southern Section 4-A champion in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles, making her the only girl to win two events in the 4-A meet last season. She was also the only one to go below five minutes in the 500 freestyle, finishing with a time of 4 minutes 56.54 seconds.

Yes, Kagy can swim very fast. But her personality is not that of your average top-flight swimmer. “Michelle has an eccentric personality, that’s for sure,” Whitmore said.

Whitmore and the Chargers learned that last season. Before one dual meet, Kagy brought a rose for each of her teammates, something that Whitmore still shakes his head about.

Kagy laughed when asked about her outgoing nature. She gave several reasons for her carefree ways, but they all boiled down to one: fun.

“I think high school swimming should be fun,” Kagy said. “You’re with your friends. It’s more of a team sport than club swimming. You should relax and have a good time. You shouldn’t have a lot of pressure.”

So it’s no surprise that Kagy is not intimidated by her immediate success on the high school level.

Because she won two events as a freshman, people have already penciled her in as a four-year champion. This despite the fact that only four girls have won an event four consecutive years.

Janet Evans of El Dorado won the 500 freestyle (1986-89); Christy Carolin of Capistrano Valley won the 50 freestyle (1987-90); Shannon Orcutt of Capistrano Valley won the 100 breaststroke (1981-84), and Jill Sterkel of Hacienda Heights Wilson won the 100 freestyle (1976-79).

So pardon Kagy if she’s not quite ready to be included in that group.

“That’s so ridiculous,” she said. “Some little freshman will come along and beat me, just like I did last year.”

Kagy didn’t exactly come out of nowhere last season. She has been a good age-group swimmer for various club teams since was 5.

However, her specialty wasn’t the freestyle events, but the 400 individual medley--an event she was forced to give up.

“I did gymnastics for two years and that destroyed my knees,” Kagy said. “The doctor told me no more knees, therefore, no more 400 IM. Yeah, I was real upset about it, too. I didn’t have to practice four strokes (freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke) any more. The 400 IM is a hellish event.”

Kagy gladly switched exclusively to the freestyle events, where she excelled last season.

1992 Girls’ Swim Preview

Top teams: 4-A--Ventura Buena, Edison, El Toro, Fountain Valley, Mission Viejo. 3-A--Brea-Olinda, Trabuco Hills. 2-A--Rolling Hills, Walnut.

Top swimmers: 4-A--Lauren Davis (Fountain Valley), Barbara Franco (Mission Viejo), Jamie Gaskins (Foothill), Patti Glosecki (Fountain Valley), Lisa Hislop (Mission Viejo), Keiko Iwahara (Marina), Mary Jeffress (Fountain Valley), Michelle Kagy (Edison), Melissa Kuser (Mission Viejo), Robyn Lows (El Toro), Alison McGookin (Fountain Valley), Michelle Perry (El Toro), Leslie Rhee (Mission Viejo), Alison Roney (El Toro), Christina Thomas (Edison), A.J. Walters (El Toro), Sara West (Marina), Tracy Wilson (El Toro); 3-A--Jennifer Antimarino (Mater Dei), Amy Clark (Brea-Olinda), Carrie Gammel (Santa Margarita), Robyn Kracik (Brea-Olinda), Julie Lauder (Trabuco Hills), Maureen McLaren (Newport Harbor), Jennifer McLeod (Trabuco Hills), Marnie O’Brian (Tustin), Meghan O’Brian (Tustin), Tracy Palmero (Brea-Olinda), Kelli Quinn (Tustin), Roxanne Rangel (Valencia), Susie Ruland (Trabuco Hills), Michelle Watson (Valencia), Debbie Weber (Brea-Olinda), Sachi White (Brea-Olinda), Sarah Wilson (Anaheim); 2-A--Natasha Kohne (Rancho Alamitos), Wendy Martin (Kennedy), Brandy White (Kennedy).

Top divers: 4-A--Joy Burkholder (Capistrano Valley), Dara Jones (Fountain Valley), Jennie Maxwell (Capistrano Valley), Marleny Rivera (Edison), Becky Wilshire (El Toro); 3-A--Megan Edmund (Santa Margarita), Jodi Levine (Laguna Hills), Brooke Ross (Woodbridge), Carol Shanor (Woodbridge), Jennifer Ziskin (Laguna Hills).

Important dates: Southern Section relays, April 4; Foothill swim games, April 25; Mission Viejo Invitational, April 25; Southern Section diving finals, May 13 (4-A), May 14 (2-A) and May 15 (3-A); Southern Section swim finals, May 15 (4-A) and 16 (3-A and 2-A).