Natalie Wu couldn’t sleep well at all Thursday night.
The Herricks swimmer was tossing and turning like an insomniac after three nights of not getting any shut-eye.
All she could think about was her state championships meet the next day. Would she swim as fast as she wanted? Was the competition going to be too tough?
“It was hard to kind of relax and focus knowing [Friday] was the preliminaries of states,” Wu said. “But I slept much better Friday night.”
She must’ve, because Wu had a fantastic event at the New York state swimming championships in Rochester.
She placed second in the 100 yard butterfly in 55.72, losing only to Hauppauge/Smithtown’s Sarah Lucca.
Wu also helped Herricks finish fourth in the 200 medley relay final, joining teammates Kayra Patan, Maya Peltier and Isabella Chang.
“I was really surprised at how I did, because this is such a fast meet and the competition is so good,” Wu said. “The race went out fast, I swam really well bringing home the back 50, and I really exceeded my expectations. I’m really happy.”
Wu’s performances were just one of several terrific efforts from Nassau County swimmers and divers last week.
Patan, a sophomore who’s had an outstanding year, snagged a fifth-place finish in the 100 yard breaststroke, in 1:04.95.
“That’s so great for her to finish that high as a sophomore,” Wu said. “She’s such a hard worker and a great teammate.”
Manhasset diver Victoria Wang also enjoyed a fantastic meet. The Nassau county champion just missed winning her first state title, as a junior, finishing second with 493.60 points in the 1-meter dive competition, only 10 points behind Elizabeth Pucci-Schaefer of Fredonia High School.
Manhasset junior Samantha Anderson again performed well at states, in her third trip there. Anderson finished 6th in the 500 free in 4:58.88 and eighth in the 200 free in 1:53.29. (Long Beach’s Vivienne Zangaro won both events).
“It was just so fun to be up there with so many great swimmers,” Anderson said. “I think I was a little faster in my 500 than last year, and about what I expected in 200. I was happy with my performance.”
Also having a sensational state meet was Roslyn High School sophomore Carina Dai. Competing for a combined Port Washington/Roslyn team, Dai snared a pair of Top 10 finishes.
Dai placed sixth in the 100 butterfly, in 56.93, and 10th in the 100 breaststroke, in 1:06.78.
Pretty good for a kid who said she missed a few days of practice last week with what she thinks was food poisoning.
“I was happy with my times, and just being at states was such a huge rush of energy,” Dai said. “Having so many Section VIII (Nassau County) swimmers cheering for each other, and everyone knowing each other and pulling for one another, was really exciting. It was different because usually you’re going against all of them.”
Dai said the experience of a two-day event, with prelims one day and finals the next, was different for her, but one that she’ll be more ready for next year.
“It’s different in terms of conserving energy, and making sure you don’t overextend yourself in prelims when it’s all on the same day,” she said. “It’s just a different mindset, but I’m glad I got to experience it now.”
