Brittany MacLean\u2019s<\/strong> eyes welled with tears as she covered her face. After battling injuries in the two years since winning NCAA titles in the 500 and 1650 free her sophomore season, MacLean was on top of the podium once again\u2014in the 200 free.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never would have thought I would win the 200 free. Today I\u2019m a \u2018sprinter,\u2019\u201d MacLean said after the race.<\/p>\n

MacLean still had one day left in her Georgia Bulldogs career after that, and she needed a pair of big swims to ensure that Georgia would win the NCAA team title for the third time in her four years.<\/p>\n

But in the 1650, Leah Smith took an early lead that MacLean could never cut into, and she finished more than six seconds behind in 15:39.29. She was not pleased with her time and called the race most painful mile of her life, but there was more work to be done.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never done a 400 free relay in my whole career at Georgia, let alone at probably the biggest stage in the last meet of my career. The whole meet was on the line with one more race to go after the Stanford diver had won the [platform] event,\u201d MacLean said. \u201c[Georgia head coach] Jack<\/strong> [Baurele<\/strong>] just looked at me and was like, \u2018There\u2019s no one I\u2019d rather have in a relay like that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

MacLean came through with a 47.64 relay split\u2014her personal best time\u2014and then greeted relay anchor and fellow senior Hali Flickinger<\/strong> with the news that the Bulldogs had, by finishing second in the relay, done more than enough to hold off Stanford for the team title that few had expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember addressing the team at the beginning of the year thinking, \u2018Okay, we have a chance of doing something cool here,\u2019 but realistically our goal was top-five, top-six in the country. We knew we had lost some huge names,\u201d MacLean said. \u201cIt was definitely one of the sporting moments you dream of.\u201d<\/p>\n

$\"2016.03.19$
Photo Courtesy: Reagan Lunn\/Georgia Tech Athletics<\/p><\/div>\n
After an emotional night in Atlanta, most of the Bulldog women had a bit of time to relax before getting back into training in preparation\u00a0for U.S. Olympic Trials three months down the line. But MacLean had a more pressing deadline\u2014Canada\u2019s Olympic Trials would begin in two weeks.<\/p>\n
MacLean was back in the water less than 48 hours after finishing her college career\u2014\u201cI think they gave me Monday morning off because it was apparent that I needed some rest,\u201d she said. She had just 11 days to get back in shape before flying home to Toronto.<\/p>\n
MacLean had swum in the new Toronto pool the year before at the Pan American Games, but she finished a disappointing fourth in the 800 free at that meet while still returning to form after\u00a0injuries derailed her junior season at Georgia. Trials was her shot at redemption.<\/p>\n
MacLean was confident in her ability to make the Olympic team, but heading to her third taper meet in two months (following the SEC and NCAA championships) and coming off a lack of long course success since 2014, she was unsure of exactly what to expect\u2014until her first race, when she posted the top qualifying time in the 400 free prelims with a 4:07.82.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty relaxed in my first 400 in the prelims,\u201d MacLean said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t necessarily coming home with my legs or anything. I looked up and touched the wall and thought, \u2018Wow, I think I can go a best time here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, MacLean won the event in 4:03.84, breaking her own Canadian record. She set another national record two days later with a 1:56.91 in the 200 free, and she also won the 800 in 8:21.64, just short of her own national record. Entering the Olympics, MacLean ranks sixth in the world in the 400 and tied for fourth in the 800.<\/p>\n
Rio will be MacLean\u2019s second Olympics, and this time, she goes in with a real shot at winning a medal. Much has changed since four years ago in London when few expected much of anything from the then-18-year-old known more for being on the same Olympic team with older sister Heather<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
That was until Brittany swam the prelims of the 400 free and posted a time of 4:05.06, breaking the Canadian record and securing herself a spot in her first Olympic final\u2014and a lane next to the defending Olympic gold medalist and hometown hero.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in lane seven, and in lane eight was Rebecca Adlington<\/strong>. I just remember the sound of that place\u2014it just was this roar when she walked out. When I walked out, I was like, \u2018oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?\u2019 That was the first moment, honestly, that I actually felt nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
MacLean finished seventh in that final and helped Canada finish fourth in the 800 free relay with a 1:56.46 anchor split. The U.S. won gold in that same race with a squad that included Allison Schmitt<\/strong> and Shannon Vreeland<\/strong>, who just a few weeks\u00a0later would become MacLean\u2019s new teammates at Georgia.<\/p>\n
MacLean will have plenty of familiar faces with her at the Olympics this time\u2014seven of her former teammates at Georgia qualified to represent the U.S. in Rio. That list includes Flickinger and Chase Kalisz<\/strong>, who enrolled at Georgia with MacLean in the fall of 2012, as well as Olivia Smoliga<\/strong> and Jay Litherland<\/strong>, who MacLean considered \u201cshoe-ins\u201d to make the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can close better than anyone in this world can close,\u201d MacLean said of Litherland. \u201cI just instantaneously started bawling when [I watched] Jay touch the wall. My mom got the whole thing on tape, and my sister is holding me as I\u2019m bawling my eyes out.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A post shared by Brittany MacLean (@britt_mac3)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n