Magnuson world-class fast

OMAHA, Neb. - It took less than a minute Sunday at the Olympic Swimming Trials for Christine Magnuson to let the Midwestern fans at the Qwest Center know what the SEC had figured out long ago.

The former University of Tennessee swimmer is world-class fast.

Magnuson, the SEC female swimmer of the year, advanced to the finals of the 100-meter butterfly by posting the fastest time in the semifinals. Her mark of 57.50 seconds was the third-fastest time in the world this year, and just .16 off of Natalie Coughlin's American record. None of Magnuson's competitors Sunday dipped below 58 seconds.

"It feels great," she said. "But tomorrow is going to be tough. All of those girls, there's a whole list of them that can go 57, too. I'm not going to take anything for granted."

Magnuson dominated the semis from the opening gun. Out of the 16 semifinalists, she tied for the fastest reaction time off the starting blocks, posted the fastest first 50 meters, and the fastest final 50 meters.

Earlier Monday, Magnuson posted the fastest time in the preliminaries, setting a personal best in 57.84 seconds. That time would have won the Olympic trials in 2004 and matched the silver medal time at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"This morning I was pretty nervous. But my morning swim gave me a lot of confidence out there tonight," she said.

Now she is one good swim away from making her first Olympic team. While that thought is bound to create a little stress, Magnuson says she'll be able to keep the pressure at bay before Monday night's final.

"I'll sleep in a little bit, then loosen up," she said. "I'll try to stay loose and relax.

"I just try to do my best, and whatever happens, happens."