The Evansville, Indiana native is used to competing at a high level. She is two-time state runner-up in the 100 breaststroke, and she has a national record in the event for 15-to-16 year-old girls.
She placed third at state in the 200 individual medley and has a Junior World record in the 400 medley relay.
King, now 18, began swimming year-round when she was 8, after attending a clinic put on by Olympic distance swimmer Janet Evans. But even when she came to IU, Coach Ray Looze said he knew King was just getting started.
What he didn’t know was King would win a 200 breaststroke National Championship on Saturday, just two months into her freshman year.
“I knew she was good, yes,” Looze said. “But she showed at Nationals she is good enough to win.”
King swam for an Olympic Trial qualifying time Friday in the 100 breaststroke with 1:07.13, making her the second-best in IU history. In the finals, she swam even faster and took home a silver medal and another school record with her time of 1:06.43.
King said the 100 breastroke is what she is really known for, so she was hoping to win the 100 and just qualify for the finals of the 200 breaststroke.
But what happened Saturday in the 200 is something she never expected.
King finished with a time of 2:24.47, a new record for her age and a lifetime best with an improvement of five seconds. After breaking the 15-year record, she was a national champion.
“Winning and getting the record was awesome,” King said. “Especially for the 200 because I had no idea what the record was, which isn’t like me. I was happy and relieved to win after getting second so many times in Nationals this summer and in the World University Games.”
King is a freshman, but Looze doesn’t look at her as one.
He said he considers her an experienced swimmer and a seasoned veteran who has had her fair share of international trips.
“She loves to swim and she loves competition,” Looze said. “(King) is someone who has the ability to win whenever she’s in the water. She’s learning how to work hard, and I think she has a lot left in the tank.”
King attributes her success to a stable training environment, a good mix of coaches and weight training.
With all of her experience, King admits she doesn’t get nervous anymore.
“The meet was laid back for me because most of the fans were interested in the other events with swimmers like Michael Phelps,” King said. “I got a good indicator of where I rank right now (in the world) as an individual.”
Before competition begins, Looze said King likes to keep things light and free. They were joking about what she would want for her walk-up song if she won the top seed for the finals that evening.
The only thing that changes after her performance at Nationals is the level of, expectation for King. She knows what she is capable of and she’s going to begin raising her self-expectations, Looze said.
Looking ahead, King admits it’s hard not to think about making the Olympic team at the Trials in June. She would need a second-place finish in both events to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil.
She is trying to finish off the semester strong academically, before beginning to focus short-term with a Big Ten team title. For NCAA competition, she said she hopes to get an American record in the breaststroke and win her events.
After winning the 200 breaststroke, King returned to her hotel and celebrated with a Slurpee from 7/11. Looze joked about her nutrition after she brought McDonald’s to a team meeting one Tuesday afternoon.
“I needed to get lunch somewhere, so I ran to McDonald’s,” King said. “When I came to the meeting everyone looked at me like I was crazy. So it’s kind of become a thing, and I always swim fine on Tuesdays.”
King said as long as she keeps swimming well, the McDonald’s will stay in her diet.
