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For the Tennessee Lady Vols, it's a good thing that Miranda King liked to swim.

Her younger sister, Michele, wanted to do everything that Miranda did. Miranda learned to swim when she was 7. Michele, a couple of years younger, followed suit.

Michele, a sophomore from York, Pa., is one of the Lady Vols' mainstays - sprinter, sprint breaststroker and valuable member of four relays.

She was runnerup in the 50-yard freestyle Thursday night at the NCAA championships in Columbus, Ohio. Her time of 21.86 seconds is the 7th fastest in NCAA history and the highest finish for the Lady Vols since Nicole de Man won in 1996.

UT's Christine Magnuson was ninth in 22.20.

UT scored 49 points on opening day as the 200-freestyle relay was seventh in 1:29.62 and Lauren LeRoy was ninth in 1-meter diving with 301.20 points.

King and Magnuson joined Carly Mathes and Brittany Nauta on the relay.

Lady Vols coach Matt Kredich hopes it translates into more points.

"Michele's swim was unreal," Kredich said. "We'll see tomorrow, but I think it really lit a fire under everybody. They see that it is possible to rise above what everybody else is doing and to be great."

King was UT's only individual finalist with qualifying in the 500- and 50-yard freestyles, 200 individual medley, 1-meter diving and a couple of relays. Finals followed in the evening.

King qualified eighth in the 50 freestyle at 22.23.

King and Magnuson led the Lady Vols to a fourth-place qualifying spot in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:29.84. King led off with a 22.16 50-yard split - .07 faster than in her individual qualifying race.

Once King got into competitive swimming it didn't take long to make her mark. She was All-American at Spring Grove High School in the 50 and 100 freestyles and the 200 medley and freestyle relays.

She came to UT known for her ability in the sprint freestyles. But in two seasons she has become one of the SEC's best 100 breastrstrokers. She placed third in the 100 breast after posting the fastest qualifying time at the SEC meet last month.

"The breaststrroke has always been there, it's ust that I had never competed in it until I got to UT," King said. "Now I've been able to train for it and have a coach who has encouraged me to swim it. I really like it. It's completely different from freestyle."

With strong strokes in the freestyle and breast, has she considered trying the individual medley?

"I've thought about it, and actually got my Olympic Trials cuts in the IM two to three years before I did in the breaststroke," King said.

How did King wind up at UT?

"My coach in North Baltimore knew Matt and really liked him," King said. "He encouraged me to attend a school where I could get help with academics, and I needed a fresh start in swimming."

King's goal at the NCAA meet?

"I'm planning to final in the 100 breaststroke, and I think I can," she said. "Carrie Denby (Auburn) and a swimmer from Cal - she's seeded No. 1 - are a couple to beat."

King plans to major in criminal justice. Not a bad choice for a swimmer whose job at the national championships this week is to chase down the "enemy."

Records: NCAA records fell in the 200 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay - both by Arizona and Florida's Carolinle Burckle in the 500 freestyle.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.