Magnuson no splash in the pan

Photo by Saul Young
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University of Tennessee senior swim captain Christine Magnuson

Photo by Saul Young
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University of Tennessee senior swim captain Christine Magnuson practices the butterfly Wednesday at the UT Aquatic Center.

Photo by Saul Young
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University of Tennessee senior swim captain Michael Wolfe

Photo by Saul Young
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University of Tennessee senior swim captain Michael Wolfe practices the breast stroke Wednesday at the UT Aquatic Center.

UT's Christine Magnuson will compete in her home pool for the last time tonight against Florida.

Christine Magnuson has come a long way since her water polo days at Tinley Park, Ill.

There was never a doubt she could swim - and swim fast. She just hadn't done it on a full-time basis until she came to the University of Tennessee four years ago.

"I was pretty raw coming in," Magnuson said. "I wasn't what most swimmers would call highly trained as far as year-round goes.

"In high school I mainly trained for a three-month season, took a month off and then played water polo and mixed it up a bit. In college, I really got focused on just swimming and school."

That's obvious.

Tonight, when six senior Lady Vols swim in their final home dual meet against Florida at UT Student Aquatic Center, Magnuson will have taken her place among the most decorated swimmers in UT history.

"It has been a really great experience," the 16-time All-America said. "I definitely think after four years this was the place I was meant to go and the experience I was meant to have.

"The team has come a long way and I've definitely come a long way with it."

The ninth-ranked Lady Vols have steadily climbed through the collegiate ranks the past few years, Third-year coach Matt Kredich gives much of the credit to Magnuson.

"Probably the greatest thing about Christine - to go with her talent - is she's also got a tremendous work ethic and a consistently positive attitude in practice," he said. "She does so many things well in practice that it creates a really positive dynamic for our team."

That positive dynamic has translated into positive results for the Lady Vols.

"It has been quite a ride," Magnuson said. "My freshman year the Lady Vols were 24th at NCAA. Last year we were 10th. In some sports that might not be a big jump, but in swimming it's huge."

Magnuson, a specialist in the sprint butterfly and sprint freestyle events, has become a relay demon at UT.

She'll compete in five relays and two individual events at the upcoming SEC meet (Feb. 20-23 at Alabama). She's the defending 100 butterfly champion, the first Lady Vol SEC champion in nearly six years, and she'll be presented her ring tonight.

"Overall, I think my confidence has grown in and out of the pool and really shaped the rest of my life," she said. "I got to go to Japan last summer I think mainly because of my experience here. It has been a great four years."

Magnuson got her first taste of international competition at the Japan International Grand Prix in August.

She swam well, impressed coaches and may have taken a step towards the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

"I think she has a great shot to make the Olympic team," Kredich said of the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. "I think she was the third-fastest American last year in the 100 fly and around seventh or eighth in the 100 freestyle. On the relays, she was somewhere in the top 10 in her 200 freestyle split.

"She's not going to go in there as a favorite in any of those events, but I feel like her training this year has been much better and her confidence is much higher. I know she has that meet in her sights. I wouldn't put anything past her."

Brooke Boncher, Laura Fehrman, Lauren LeRoy, Vicky Linnell and Danyelle Vincent are the other Lady Vols' seniors to be honored, beginning at 7 tonight,

"That's a real hard time for me as a coach with every senior," Kredich said. "The times they swim aren't really what you think about. You think about what they've brought to the program, given to the team and the way they've changed in the time I've coached them."