By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

In preparation for the West Virginia Invitational last week, William & Mary freshman Sophia Heilen knew what the standards were. Yet they weren't foremost in her mind.
Maybe that's why she met them.

In a pair of record-setting performances, Heilen swept the butterfly events by winning the 100 yards in 53.03 seconds and the 200 in 1:57.03. The times were not only a school record, they qualified her to compete in the Toyota U.S. Open Championships this weekend at the Greensboro (N.C.) Aquatic Center.

"Those times were the next standard for where I was, so they were my goal," Heilen said. "But going to West Virginia, I was more just looking to race and I wasn't focusing so much on times. It was really exciting to see those time standards come out of my races.

"This is the first time I've ever qualified for a meet at such a high level, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm excited to be swimming alongside some really great swimmers and to get that learning experience."

Among those in Heilen's two events will be Regan Smith, a silver medalist in the 2022 Olympics who turned pro after her freshman year at Stanford.

"It's a great opportunity for her to get exposure to swimmers at a different level," W&M coach Nate Kellogg said. "I'm excited to see how she does."

In addition to the exposure, Heilen will get her first chance at a long course to qualify for the Olympic Trials. The trial cuts are set at 1:00.19 for 100 meters and 2:13.69 for 200 meters.

"Hopefully it's something that will happen, but I'm not putting a lot of pressure on it," Heilen said. "There will be opportunities in the future if it doesn't come together this time. But it's a really exciting opportunity to get that so early in the qualifying period.

"There's some inherent pressure because it's a new experience and everything, but I'm trying to look at it as more of an opportunity to race. Every meet is an opportunity to race, learn from it and do the best we can. It'll be great if I get a trials cut out of it, but if not, I'm just looking for another good race."

Kellogg agrees with that approach.

"If she doesn't qualify this weekend, there will be other opportunities," he said. "We felt like there's nothing to lose and everything to be gained from it."

Heilen, a freshman from Battlefield High in Haymarket, already has had a remarkable fall. In 14 individual events, she has 12 first-place finishes. She swept the 100 and 200 fly events in four dual meets. Against Towson, she also won the 200 IM.

Heilen was named CAA Rookie Swimmer of the Month in October.

"This fall has been an absolutely amazing experience, and I honestly couldn't ask for more," she said. "The group of coaches and teammates here is amazing community and I'm really happy to be here. A lot of my success is due to our amazing coaching staff and having such a supportive group of teammates.

"It makes it a really great environment to train every day. It's awesome to have a team who you really love and want to do well for. It's been an awesome experience this fall."