As a three-time individual state swimming champion, Lake Oswego senior AnneMarie Vlaic loves winning.
Just not nearly as much as she hates losing.
“I'm pretty stubborn. That's one of my biggest traits when it comes to competing,” Vlaic said. “I'm really competitive. I think it stems from how much I care and how long swimming has been a part of my life.
“Whenever I see someone who's doing better than me, I kind of make it my personal goal to get to their level.”
So last July, when Vlaic finished second in the 200-meter butterfly at the USA Swimming Futures Championships in Minneapolis by .14 seconds, it was a bitter pill for her. She still plays out the race in her mind, lamenting her strategy.
“That hurt a lot,” she said. “I was going for the gold, and I just didn't press on the gas early enough in the race. If I would have started 10 or 15 meters earlier, I probably could have gotten her. And I probably could have gotten a best time, and probably would have gotten Olympic Trials.”
All of that is behind her now, though, as Vlaic looks ahead to the end of her decorated high school career before heading off to swim in college at SMU. She is shooting for a third consecutive 6A title in the 100-yard butterfly and a repeat in the 500 freestyle.
In last year's state meet, she swam the 100 butterfly in a school-record 54.67 seconds. In a club meet two weeks later, she swam a personal-best 53.73, within striking range of the OSAA all-time meet record of 53.13 (Michelle Cefal, Westview, 2013).
Vlaic won the 500 freestyle at state last year in 4:57.15, off her personal best of 4:54.73, which she set in the Washington Open club meet last January.
This year at state, she would like to swim the 100 butterfly in the 53s and the 500 freestyle near 4:52, which would set a school record. She knows it won't be easy, though.
“It's quite the dirty-double because they're one right after the other,” Vlaic said. “It's always hard doing those doubles. Even if I just went faster than I did last year, I'd probably be happy with that.”
Vlaic will get a good measuring stick this week when she competes with Lake Oswego Swim Club in the Washington Open in Federal Way, Wash. She recently completed a difficult two-week training cycle and is ready to cut loose.
“I'm actually really excited to see how this meet goes,” Vlaic said. “This also will set me up for districts and state.”
Last month, she competed in the Speedo Winter Junior Championships West meet in Austin, Texas, where she placed fifth in the 200 butterfly (1:57.91) and 29th in the 500 freestyle (4:55.26). The 200 butterfly time was just off her PR of 1:57.12.
The 200 butterfly, not offered in high school swimming, is her best event.
“She's obviously very good in the 100 fly, but she's significantly better at the 200 fly,” Lake Oswego Swim Club coach Emily Melina said. “She's one of the best 200 flyers in the country, and she's a very good 100 flyer.”
The grueling nature of the 200 butterfly allows her toughness to shine.
“That's what makes that race so difficult and somewhat painful for a lot of people, but that's where I find it fun,” she said.
Vlaic has been a member of Lake Oswego Swim Club since she was eight years old. She has been under the tutelage of Melina since she was 10.
“Not every 10-year-old shows it, but she's been good since she was 10,” Melina said. “She's always been really competitive. She's always been a little bit beyond her years in that way.
“She's tough, more so than the average, even equivalent, swimmer. I think that's probably what separates her beyond other people.”
Vlaic said Melina has been integral in her development as a swimmer.
“Without her, I don't know where I'd be,” Vlaic said. “She's so inspiring. She's watched me grow up. She's so confident, and she loves to push me. That's something I love about her because sometimes I'm not willing to push myself.”
Vlaic said that this high school season has a different feel that years past, which were “a really stressful period” due to balancing high school with training and recruiting.
“I kind of get to not have as much nerves when I'm swimming because I'm not performing for anyone besides myself now,” she said. “I want to have fun and enjoy my last year with my team and my school.”
Vlaic committed to SMU in late 2023. She said she likes everything about the school, from the program and facilities (one of its two 50-meter pools is outdoors) to its location in Dallas, Texas, which will provide many internship opportunities.
“And I really enjoy the heat,” she said. “After living in Oregon for so long, I just want to live somewhere where it's finally sunny.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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