'A' cut above: Hoffman 'back' to personal best, finishes 21st at NCAA National Championships

HOUSTON -- Caiti Hoffman came to the University of Houston's Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium not knowing what to expect. She left Saturday, swimming her fastest time in the women's 200-yard backstroke at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Hoffman, a freshman from Gilbert, Ariz., swam a 2:05.40 in the prelims, placing 21st. It was the third event of the championship meet for the Antelopes decorated marlin who became GCU's first student-athlete to swim on the grand stage.

"Somebody's got to be the first one," Hoffman said. "I guess it's neat to go back and tell my team what it's like so we can all do well next year."

Indeed, Hoffman (pictures courtesy of Jimmy Waddell)pioneered the way for a program on the rise. With a first-year coach who said prior to the meet the 200 backstroke would give Hoffman the best chance to go faster, Grand Canyon swimming made more than strides. It made history in Houston.

Hoffman's prelims time bettered her seed time by 0.97 of a second. In racing to the 2:05.40, Hoffman eclipsed the A cut standard of 2:05.99 with over a half-second to spare.

"It takes so much to come here by yourself, with no teammates and no support," Lopes coach Steve Schaffer said. "A lot of kids would just turn that into a negative. Caiti's not like that. She's a competitor. If she can come out here, knowing she swam her best time here and get ready for next season, that'll be good for her."

It'll be good for a program that had qualified two men's swimmers since the program's inception a year ago, but neither competed at the national championship.

"Building a program takes steps," Schaffer said. "You need credibility. This is something we could see happening. Now we can build on that with recruiting. We're for real."

Hoffman is for real. The top women's newcomer in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference more than registered on the radar. In fact, she performed at peak levels in otherwise adverse conditions. Needless to say, she has room to grow.

"I think it was a good experience for a freshman," she said. "Now I know what to expect. I think it showed me I need to set my goals higher. It showed me I'm capable of doing more, and that I can hang in there with the fastest swimmers."

Believe it, Hoffman is one of the nation's fastest swimmers, and she has a lot of support around her.

"It's been a great first year for Steve," GCU Director of Aquatics Randy Bellah said. "It took a couple months for the kids to buy into it. They've really bought into it, and they trust him. It's a great start."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

'A' cut above: Hoffman 'back' to personal best, finishes 21st at NCAA National Championships

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