Gilman Windmills to Third Place : Swimming: Thirteen-year-old sparkles during 400 freestyle consolation finals in Meet of Champions.

She swims an unorthodox windmill style. She has already developed a six-beat kick and an alternate breathing pattern. And when Stanford freshman Jane Skillman put a move on her Friday evening, 13-year-old Rebecca Gilman responded.

For almost 100 meters, Gilman fought to stay even with Skillman and 22-year-old Kristin Clodfelter. Although they eventually pulled away, Gilman’s racing instincts belied her lack of experience--less than three months at the national level.

Gilman, of the Buenaventura Swim Team, held on for third in the consolation finals of the 400-meter freestyle, placing 11th overall, at the Swim Meet of Champions in Mission Viejo.

Even though it didn’t show, she said that her veteran competitors put her on edge.

“Sometimes it’s overwhelming,” Gilman said. “Sometimes I kinda get scared. But I can’t let that happen.”

Her time, 4 minutes 29.31 seconds, was her fastest unrested and unshaved. The race was won by Olympian Janet Evans-who also swims windmill style--in 4:11.69.

Gilman also scored points in the 100 freestyle, finishing 13th in 1:00.49. Olympian Angie Wester-Krieg was the winner in 58.41.

Just a few months ago, Gilman could only dream about competing against Olympians. After making her first junior national time standard in January, she made an incredible time drop at the junior national championships and qualified for the national championships.

“I think she is the next big swimmer in the area if not all of Southern California,” said her coach, Steve Baxter, a former UCLA All-American.

“She’s erratic, but she’s done it in workout so you know she can do it. She swims with the guys and she does all the fast intervals in workouts.”

Agoura’s Jason Stelle, a USC sophomore swimming for Team Trojan, took second in the 200 backstroke and swam the third leg on the winning 400 freestyle relay.

Stelle took the lead in the backstroke from the outset and held on until the last 20 meters when Bart Sikora, a 17-year-old from Poland, surged past him. Sikora touched in 2:03.72 to Stelle’s 2:04.04.

From Lane 2, Stelle could not see Sikora in Lane 4.

“I thought he’d be in there somewhere,” Stelle said. “I was just trying to bring it home, hoping to touch him out, but he had a really strong swim.”

Stelle’s time was his best unshaved and untapered.

Swimming Notes

The other area swimmers who placed in the top 16 Friday: Mandy Walz, 16, Buenaventura, 11th in the 200 backstroke, 2:26.50; Marissa Roarty, 14, Buenaventura, 13th in the 200 butterfly, 2:27.36; Danielle Walker, 16, Buenaventura, 15th in the 200 butterfly, 2:27.70, and Courtney Duncan, 13, Conejo-Simi Aquatics, 16th in the 200 backstroke, 2:31.26.