LEWISTON – Her name already dominates the Bates College swimming record books, even though she’s only a junior. So what’s left for Vanessa Williamson to accomplish?

Plenty. And a lot of it could be done in the next few months, if all of the hard work the Edward Little graduate has put in over the past year pays off.

Williamson is bound for St. Louis this week for the NCAA Division III championships, representing Bates along with two-time All-American diver Kara Seaton.

A three-time All-American, Williamson is the No. 1 seed in the 200 yard butterfly and No. 2 in the 100 butterfly. She’ll also by competing in the 200 individual medley.

This is the third trip to nationals for Williamson. Last year, she finished second in the 200 “fly” and fifth in the 100.

“My freshman year, there was no pressure at all,” she said. “Now, I feel like I’m ready. I know what to do and I know what to expect.”

Two weeks ago at the NESCAC Championship, she cut nearly four seconds off her season-best time and set new pool and meet records in the 200 to qualify for nationals.

In a sport where peaking at the right time is key, Williamson is determined to chop two more seconds off her conference time this weekend.

“I just hope that (chopping four seconds off her conference time) wasn’t what she should have been doing this weekend,” Bates swimming coach Dana Mulholland said. “I think she’s got another drop in her.”

Williamson also broke the school record in the 50 fly at the NESCACs and moved up from 18th to second in the nation in the 100 fly with her second-place finish. She now holds eight school records and is one All America certificate away from another school record.

But the former state champion in the 100 fly at EL will have something also to push her if and when she picks up her first national title. She also has her sights set on Indianapolis, where in three weeks she’ll compete to qualify for the Olympic trials

“I’m trying to figure out how to peak at both meets,” she said. “I just pretty much want to see if I can do it. I think I’ve put in all of the time I can right now, but if I qualify for (trials), it’s not until July. I think I’ve done almost everything I can up to this point, so hopefully, it will pay off.”

Williamson will need a conversion time in metric time of 2:01.69 to make the cut for the Olympic trials. She’ll also have to adjust to swimming “long course” meets, which involves swimming in larger pools with less turns, which can neutralize one of her strengths, her underwater leg kick.

“I think she’s capable of going that fast and I know that she’s trained hard enough to do it. I hope she’s rested enough to do it,” Mulholland said.

She hasn’t taken a lot of time to rest so far.

Swimming the butterfly requires enormous abdominal, back and leg strength, as well as shoulder flexibility, and the psychology major can’t get that strength just by carrying her textbooks around.

“I did a lot of triathlons in the summer and then I had personal trainer, Tony Atlas, in the fall who helped me tremendously,” she said.

Add a stronger frame to an already strong mind, and Bates may have itself another national champion in a few days.

“She has a great mental approach to the sport,” Mulholland said. “She’s a student of the sport. Not only does she want to learn, but she has an ability to translate what she reads or hears into mechanical changes. And she wants to do it the right way. Every time she does a lap, she wants to do it right.”

“To get to the point where she is,” he added, “at a very elite level in Division III swimming and also a very elite level in academics, you really have to take your hat off to someone who can do both.”

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