After her first day of swimming at the WPIAL championships last week, Ambridge senior Lindsay Vrooman heard the usual congratulatory remarks from her classmates the next day at school.

Vrooman had become accustomed to this. After all, she entered her senior year as a two-time WPIAL and PIAA champion in the girls' 200- and 500-yard freestyle events.

This time, though, when Vrooman heard "good job," she knew in the back of her mind it was not her best job. Vrooman was upset in the 200 freestyle on day one at WPIALs by Oakland Catholic freshman Leah Smith.

"At school the next day when people would say 'Good job,' I would say 'Oh, thanks,' but in the back of my mind all I could think about is I wish I could have pulled out that extra second," said Vrooman, who finished 0.96 seconds behind Smith.

Vrooman was admittedly nervous going into the first day of the WPIAL championships. It was her last WPIAL meet and she had titles to defend and plenty of capable swimmers going after them.

"I felt like there was a lot of pressure," Vrooman said.

"It was my last WPIALs, I was a senior seeded behind a freshman and I had won all the other years. I felt so tight [during the race]. The other years it was a fun meet; this time I was nervous beforehand."

That night Vrooman was able to hang out with friends and family and take her mind off swimming for a while. The next day at WPIALs, things were not about to get any easier. This time it was a pack of freshmen after Vrooman's gold medals and her WPIAL record.

Freshmen Rachel Zilinskas of Indiana, Kara Kaulius of West Allegheny and Smith were all seeded high and within striking distance of Vrooman.

"The next day I tried to come in a little more positive and not focus on 'What if I lose again?' " Vrooman said.

"I was able to relax a little more and just thinking of how great it would be if I come out and win this again and maybe drop time from my record."

Vrooman did both. She won the event with a time of 4:46.57, a WPIAL record. She just edged out Zilinskas (4:46.81), who also beat the WPIAL record set by Vrooman a year ago.

The challenge from the freshmen was not surprising for Vrooman. She had swum with Smith and Zilinskas at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado in October. It was a four-day training event for some of the top swimmers in the country.

Next up for Vrooman are the PIAA championships. The Class AA girls compete next Friday and Saturday and Vrooman is seeded second in the 200 freestyle (behind Smith) and first in the 500 free.

At the WPIAL meet Ambridge finished 17th in the team standings with 37 total points. Not bad considering the team is Vrooman. She is one of only two swimmers at the school and she went to WPIALs without any teammates.

She also swims with the Pine-Richland Aquatic Club because Ambridge does not have a team.

"I wish I had a team to score with and do relays," Vrooman said. "There are a lot of people out there who swim with me on my club team and I hang out with them, so it is kind of like a team atmosphere."

Vrooman will be part of one of the top teams in the country next season when she enrolls at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

"I think this summer I am going to kick it up a level with my training. I don't want to be the slowest one on the team," Vrooman joked.

"I am really looking forward to [being a member of] a team. It will be a lot of fun."

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.