Kyle Dudzinski is not exactly sure just when he took to the backstroke; he figures it happened when he was 10 or 11 years old.

He does, though, recall when he realized he had an aptitude for the stroke.

"I know when I started, it was just something I tried one day and felt like I was good at," said Dudzinski, a freshman at Upper St. Clair. "But I know when I was 11, I qualified for a zone meet -- that's like a 13-state competition. I competed in three backstroke events and did pretty well. I figured I'd stick with it then."

He did, and now he has a PIAA Class AAA championship to show for the effort. Dudzinski, who won the WPIAL Class AAA title in the 100 backstroke a couple weeks ago, won the PIAA crown last Thursday at Bucknell University.

Dudzinski won with a time of 51.24 seconds to nip second-place Wade Satanik of Easton, who finished in 51.28.

"I've been to Junior Nationals before, so I didn't feel like there was as much pressure at states as there was at a meet like that," Dudzinski said. "But you know when you are out there that everyone who is swimming at states is a great swimmer, so you face some tough competition. Those guys were really good."

Dudzinski proved to be the best because he has an inborn desire to work hard and see things through to the end. That attitude, he said, has served him well as a competitive swimmer.

"My parents pretty much taught me to stick with something once I start it," he said. "But I think I have always had that kind of drive. I work pretty hard and I think I am a pretty determined kid.

"I think you have to be that way to be good in swimming. You have to work hard to reach your goals."

Not that winning a state championship was at the top of Dudzinski's list of goals when the swimming season started in December. He was hoping to help the Upper St. Clair team succeed and he was successful in playing a role to help that happen.

"My goal at the start was just to help our team." he said. "We wanted to improve this year because we had not been doing very well lately. We did improve. We had a winning record this year, so that was good.

"But winning the WPIAL or states was not in my mind until they got closer. When those things started getting closer [on the calendar], I really wanted to win. I wanted to win the backstroke and the 200 free at WPIALs and I was able to do it."

Dudzinski finished ninth in the 200 freestyle at the PIAA meet.

He spent little time resting on his laurels, leaving the PIAA championships almost immediately to travel to College Park, Md., where he competed last weekend in a Speedo Championship Series meet on the University of Maryland campus. Dudzinski competed in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events at the meet and in the 100 and 200 backstroke.

All of that work was designed to help him prepare for the U.S. Olympic Trials, which take place in late June and early July in Omaha, Neb. Dudzinski is hoping to qualify for the U.S. national team and compete in the 200 backstroke at this year's Olympics in Beijing.

"It's going to be hard, I know that," Dudzinki said. "I have to keep practicing and working hard at it. I think I can make it."

He is undaunted by the fact that heading into the weekend, his best time in the 200 backstroke was 2:11. He needs to card a 2:04.99 just to qualify for the Olympic Trials, let alone the national team.

"That sounds like a lot, but it's really not that much," Dudzinski said.

"I did that [2:11] last year and I'm swimming faster than that now. I don't think that is the best time I can do.

"I know it's going to be hard to make it, but I think if I keep working hard, I can do it."