Quance Posts Strong Effort in Butterfly

Kristine Quance believes she is out of the woods. But she will knock on wood just to be sure.

Quance, the third-ranked 200-meter breaststroker in the world, believes she has finally recovered from a bout with mononucleosis that cost her a berth on the 1992 United States Olympic swim team.

Quance, 17, of Northridge, tested her reserves Friday in the Olympic sendoff meet at the Mission Viejo International Swimming Complex. Swimming in an “off” event, the 200-meter butterfly, she finished second in 2 minutes 18.42 seconds.

“I think my butterfly is getting a little better,” Quance said. “Next year I might do a little more butterfly training.”

Unless it surpasses her mastery of the 200 breaststroke, 400 individual medley or 100 breaststroke, however, the 200 butterfly will not be in her long-range plan for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Quance finished third--one place below a berth on the U.S. team--in the 200 breaststroke in the trials in March in Indianapolis.

Quance, who trains with Coach Bud McAllister at Calabasas-based CLASS Aquatics, was suffering from mononucleosis at the time.

She stayed out of the water for a month, but after returning in time to win two City Section titles for Granada Hills High, she had a relapse. “I was tired all the time,” Quance said. “I would sleep 10 hours and my eyelids would still sag.”

Although Quance is regaining her energy, she is wary. “I go to bed at 9, although I can go out now on Saturday nights,” she said.