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Aleksa Akerfelds can thank her baby sitter of more than a dozen years ago for her success in swimming.

The Tennessee freshman, who had a second-place and two third-place finishes at the SEC swimming and diving championships last month, hopes to be a top contender at the NCAA women's meet that starts today in Columbus, Ohio.

As far as individual swims, Akerfelds will bat leadoff each day - the 500-yard freestyle today, 400 individual medley Friday and the gruelling 1,650 freestyle Saturday.

It was Akerfelds' baby sitter who taught the New York native to swim at age 5. Two years later Akersfeld was competing in summer league age-group meets.

Before picking a college, Akerfelds' biggest decision came during the seventh grade. She picked swimming over softball.

"I just felt that I had a greater future in swimming," she said last week.

By the time Akerfelds was 13 she qualified for the Senior Nationals in the 200 IM. A year later she qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 400 IM and 400 freestyle.

At Bronxville High School, she was All-American five times - three in the 200 IM and twice in 500 freestyle.

Now she's a Lady Vol with hopes of someday winning an NCAA gold medal. So how did a New Yorker end up in the hills of East Tennessee?

"I was totally impressed with the coach and the team (members)," she said. "The people I met attracted me to the school The decision wasn't hard. The coach and team made it for me."

Now that she has a feel for the SEC and college swimming, what is her favorite event?

"I really like the 400 IM," said the sports management major at UT, "but the mile (1,650) is beginning to grow on me."

It's no wonder. She was runnerup in the SEC 1,650 and was third in the 400 IM and 500 freestyle - wiping out three Lady Vols records.

There's nothing like success, especially a runnerup finish in her first mile race in the SEC.

But she faces a great challenge Saturday when North Carolina's Whitney Sprague will be favored to win the 1,650. The pair went to high school together.

"No, I've never won against her," Akerfelds said.

Sprague has swum the 16,50 in 15 minutes, Akerfelds in 16. That averages out to about .9 of a second per 25-yard lap.

Akerfelds' take on that: "Any thing's possible," she said. "I'll give it my best shot."

No one could be prouder of her accomplishments than Lady Vols coach Matt Kredich.

"I've never coached an athlete at this level who gets better every time she hits the water," he said. "She was most impressive at the SEC meet. There was no feare or intimidation at all. We have the best conference (in swimming) in the country in the 500 and the mile (1,650 freestyles), and she hung in there with the best of the SEC.

"When she raced in the New York state high school championships, she had no fear and beat some great swimmers," Kredich said. "For a freshman, she's remarkably fearless, and you need that in national and international competition. I really believe she can become one of the elite distance swimmers in the U.S."

Family And Friends: The Akerfelds household is somewhat divided: Dad is a Yankees fan. Mom pulls for the Mets. But they're in Columbus this week cheering on Aleksa.

Her sister, who swims for Clark University at Wooster, Mass., will join the Lady Vols cheering section. Even her age-group coach, Kevin Stone, will be watching her progress.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.