Quance’s Signature Performance Results in Pair of National Records

Which is the more telling sign that Kristine Quance of Granada Hills High is a rare and special swimmer?

That she set two national high school records at the City Section championships last Wednesday, or that other swimmers approached Quance for her autograph as she sat dripping at poolside?

Probably setting the records, which she does much less frequently than penning her signature for admirers.

“She’s gotten used to that,” Highlander Coach Steve Reardon said of the autographs. “It started a couple of years ago when she got famous.”

The six-time national champion and Swimming World cover girl is a little more famous after setting national prep standards in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breastroke at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

Her time of 1 minute 59.53 seconds in the 200 IM bettered Olympic champion Janet Evan’s record of 1:59.96 set in 1989 when Evans swam for El Dorado High.

Quance also set a record in the 100 breastroke in 1:01.79 breaking the mark of 1:01.88 set in 1989 by Mary Ellen Blanchard of Norcross, Ga.

And Quance’s clocking was almost four full seconds faster than the boys’ City champion, Jose Abasolo of Banning (1:05.57).

“I think you’re not going to see a performance like that for a long, long time,” Reardon said.

And it will be a long time before Quance, a senior who will swim for USC next year, is likely to disappoint an autography seeker.

“It kind of bugs me when I see other people turn people away from autographs,” she said. “I’ve seen (Olympic Gold medalist) Matt Biondi and some other famous swimmers do that.

“I always thought, ‘How can they do that?’ I’d love for somebody to come up to me and do that. It’s so flattering to have people know who you are.”

Although Quance is widely recognized for her individual achievements, she took equal enjoyment from being part of a team-a relay team with her sisters, Keri and Julie, and longtime pal Erin Shaw. The foursome won both the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay for the Highlanders, setting a City record in the medley relay (1:55.75). Their time of 3:43.98 in the freestyle relay barely missed the City record of 3:43.66 set by El Camino Real in 1985.

The Granada Hills swimmers trimmed nearly 10 seconds off their qualifying time in the freestyle relay preliminaries.

“Julie went 3 1/2 seconds faster than in prelims,” Kristine said. “I don’t know what happened to her. I guess she was really up for it. We were all up for it.”

They also were geared up for the medley relay, the meet’s first event.

“That was really exciting to do that with my sister,” she said. “That was really fun. That’s what high school swimming is all about.”

The fun aspect of high school swimming meets, even the City Championships, is a major difference from the pressure laden international competitions of which Quance is a veteran.

“There is obviously not as much as pressure,” she said of high school meets. “Especially in the individual events, though in a way that’s harder to try to get myself psyched up to swim fast.

“But it’s more of a team sport here than it is at nationals, where you’re just swimming for yourself. With the relays you are swimming for your school which is more fun.”

Quance, who won all four events in which she participated, was true to her school, but the superior depth of Palisades won out and Granada Hills finished third.

“The only reason we didn’t do better is because we don’t have a million swimmers,” Quance said. “Palisades has so many swimmers. For the four of us to get so many points and get third is really good.”

But what Quance herself achieved was extraordinary - though not entirely unexpected, as far as Evans’ record in the 200 individual medley was concerned.

“I was trying to see how far I could go under the record,” Quance said. “I actually thought I could go a little faster.”

She would have gone faster had she not swam a sub-par breastroke leg, her specialty stroke.

“That seems a little backward,” she said.

Quance regained her breastroke form in the individual event, startling herself with another record.

“The 100 breast (record) was really a surprise to me,” she said. “I was just hoping to do my best time and when I looked up and saw 1:01.79, I was really happy.”

Said with typical equanimity, considering Quance carved for herself a place in swimming history. Her club coach, Bud McAllister, told her she was the first girl to set two national high school records in the same meet.

Although that is difficult to verify, the meet definitely was Quance’s signature sister act.

“That was definitely the highlight of my high school swimming career.”