Extol Sports May 2017 | Page 36

recorded a total of 10,850 meters. Comerford can go faster – and she knows it. “That’s definitely the goal,” Comerford said. “I just want to keep working hard and having fun with it. If you aren’t having fun, it doesn’t work.” But Comerford isn’t satisfied with tying Ledecky for the NCAA title. She wants more. “I mean, I was happy with the finish, but we think maybe I took an extra stroke at the end,” Comerford said. “It obviously worked out great, but there are just some little things that I see that can improve. The good news for Louisville is Comerford still has two more years of college left. She and fellow sophomore Lamar Jackson were recently honored as the Adidas High Performance Athletes of the Year. “Steph (Juncker), she and I have worked on stroke counts, watching and learning from the best,” Comerford said, noting that she has already analyzed her 200-free from the most- recent NCAA meet, trying to get better. “I think it was an awesome race, but there are still things that need to be better. There’s always a next race. It wasn’t necessary a perfect race so there are some good things to learn from it. That is exciting.” The sophomore pair have a lot of similarities. Most notably, each burst onto the scene in their respective sports this past season, and both haven’t yet peaked with their enormous potential. And then they all came back in the afternoon to do it again. Workouts like that are part of the reason Louisville has had a NCAA champion in each of the last six seasons. “It wasn’t necessarily perfect, but the way I went out with easy speed helped,” Comerford said. “I didn’t overdo it in the first 100, so that allowed me to kick it in during the second 100. That was the plan: stay as close as possible and then let it go.” It’s clear Comerford believes she can go faster. “Yeah, I think so,” Comerford said. How much faster? “I don’t know,” she said with a smile. Can she break 1:40? “To be honored with that award is very cool and to have Lamar Jackson win it, too? I mean, he just won the Heisman Trophy,” Comerford said. Yeah, and Mallory Comerford just won an NCAA championship. 2 HOUR GUARANTEE We will be at your office in two hours or less to help you repair your copier. Free Estimates Don’t get charged to find out what is broken. New Copier Lease Starting at $56 Per Month Supplies and service included. COPIER MART 502 E. Market St., New Albany, IN www.copiermartnewalbany.com | [email protected] 812-944-2749 Indiana customers | 502-635-2679 Louisville customers 34 EXTOL SPORTS / MAY 2017 Photo by Karl Moore, UofL Sports Information