Quance Out to Make a Splash in U.S. National Championships : Swimming: She hopes to win four events despite presence of Olympians Sanders and Nall.

With Barcelona Olympians Summer Sanders and Anita Nall enhancing the field, Granada Hills High senior Kristine Quance will attempt to win four events in U.S. Swimming’s national championships March 31-April 4 at Tracy Caulkins Pool in Nashville, Tenn.

The top swimmer in the most recent national championships, in August at Mission Viejo, Quance dominated the meet but didn’t swim against any returning Olympians.

She broke pool records in three of her four events and joined Mark Spitz, Tracy Caulkins, Shirley Babashoff and Janet Evans as the only swimmers to win four individual events in a single summer nationals.

“I look at those nationals as not being a true nationals,” Quance said, referring to the lack of competition. “Maybe it’s a way for me to keep myself modest.”

Quance, 17, is taking that approach in case she defeats Sanders and Nall.

“I don’t know what kind of shape Summer Sanders and Anita Nall are in because it is following the Olympic year, so I’m looking for best times,” Quance said. “Those are my goals.”

In August, Quance recorded personal bests in each of her events with the exception of the 200-meter breaststroke. It was an amazing performance considering the long break she took last spring to battle mononucleosis.

Despite her illness, Quance made a courageous attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympic team. Her best hope was in the 200 breaststroke, but she finished third in the Olympic trials in March--one place shy of a berth on the squad.

Since she recovered in June, Quance embarked on the longest, most consistent, and fastest training period of her career.

The last time Quance trained for a sustained period was before the 1991 Pan Pacific Championships in Edmonton, Canada. In that meet, she timed 2 minutes 27.55 seconds in the 200 breaststroke, the second-fastest in history.

“But even before Pan Pacs, she wasn’t training this fast,” said Bud McAllister, Quance’s coach at Calabasas-based CLASS Aquatics.

Said Quance: “I did my best times last summer and my training last summer doesn’t compare to what I’ve been doing now.”

McAllister, who is given to caution, predicts best times for Quance in all of her events: the 400 individual medley, 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke.

In August, Quance won the 400 individual medley in 4:43.32, earning the Phillips Performance Award in a vote of the media.

Sanders, an Olympic bronze medalist in the 400 individual medley, will not compete in that event--an event she despises--much to Quance’s disappointment.

“I enjoy competition,” Quance said. “It’s not like I have anything to lose. She is the American record-holder.”

Quance will face Sanders in the 200 individual medley.

“I don’t know if it will be much of a contest because she is a better sprinter,” Quance said. “Still, we’ve been doing some speed work.”

In the breaststroke events, she will go head-to-head with Olympic silver and bronze medalist Nall, the world record-holder in the 200 breaststroke.

Nall, a high school junior, passed up her NCAA eligibility to accept commercial endorsements.

“I don’t know how she stays motivated,” Quance said. “All she has to look forward to is the Olympics in four years. I know I’ve been extremely motivated, not just because of college coming up but because of what happened to me last year (contracting mononucleosis).”

The most heavily recruited high school senior swimmer in the country, Quance has narrowed her choices to NCAA champion Stanford, UCLA, Arizona and USC. She said she will wait until after nationals to make her decision.

In addition to Quance, CLASS Aquatics will be represented by 16-year-old Alexis Larsen, who is entered in the 400, 800, and 1,500 freestyle events and the 400 individual medley. In the absence of four-time Olympic gold medalist Evans at the nationals last summer, the rapidly improving Larsen won the 1,500.

“We’re hoping for best times from her, and she’ll need them going against Janet Evans and the college swimmers,” said McAllister, who coached Evans before her triple gold-medal performance in the 1988 Olympics.

Other top area qualifiers include: Lindsay Gassner of Canyons Aquatics, Chris Pelant of Buenaventura and Valery Calkins of Conejo Simi Aquatics.