SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior swimmer AnnClaire MacArt will be part of a talented group of 32 swimmers who qualified to represent the St. Francis swimming team this weekend at the Nor Cal Championships to be held at the Roseville Aquatic Center Friday and Saturday.

“It is our first true test,” said Head Coach Richard Levin. “It will really show us how the rest of the year will go. Our goals for the weekend are swimming best times and getting some second swims. We want kids to make finals and come back on Saturday to swim in the race that counts.”

Trials will be held on Friday with the top 24 swimmers and top relays advancing to finals on Saturday.

MacArt, who is from Woodland, is coming off one of the best meets of her career last week. She swam four events at the National Age-Group Swimming Association (NASA) Junior National Championship Cup in Clearwater, Fla.

“I was really happy about my performances because there was a lot of fast swimming at the meet,” said MacArt. “I got a lot of my goal times that I have been working on for a really long time. I felt very accomplished, strong, fulfilled and happy.”

MacArt, who is currently ranked fourth in the state of California in the 200 freestyle, placed in the top-eight in all four events, including fourth-place finishes in the 100 and 200 freestyle. She was also fifth in the 500 freestyle and eighth in the 50 freestyle. She set personal-best in all four events and showcased range with her favorite stroke.

MacArt will hit the water this weekend, looking to duplicate her efforts in Florida while advancing the goals of the St. Francis team.

“Individually I want to be around my times (from Junior Nationals) because I just came off my taper meet,” said MacArt. “I would like to see our team place really well and the relays perform.”

While she has flirted with the other strokes, success has been found in freestyle for MacArt.

“All my life, freestyle has been that stable stroke for me,” said MacArt. “I have dabbled in the other strokes but I really like freestyle and it is the majority of what you do in practice so I really get to work on my stroke.”

While she will try to qualify for the Saturday finals, she will also participate in the Troubadour relays including the 200 medley and 400 free. She swims the freestyle leg (of course) and anchors the relay, a position that she relishes.

“I feel like I have always done the anchor spot,” said MacArt. “I really like it because it can go a lot of different ways. I have gotten over the nerve part of it. Now it is the adrenaline. It is a lot of pressure but it is fun to be that first person to touch the wall.”

Levin knows he can count on MacArt, who joins classmate Maddie Johnson as the only swimmers left from the section title team in 2011, to give her best effort. She swims with both the Spare Time Athletics Club he is affiliated with and the St. Francis team.

“She brings leadership and is a St. Francis Troubadour all the way,” said Levin. “She leads by example with her work ethic, excelling in school and in the water. This last year has been so great for her because I have seen her enjoy swimming for the love of the game.”

And her swimming career, one that started on a summer recreation team at the age of five, will not end this year either. She has committed to swim at Dartmouth College next year.

“Dartmouth was my last recruit trip and I was really cautious about it,” recalls MacArt about the trip this past fall. “I took one step on the campus and I loved it. It was my place. I just loved the team and the coaches. I saw my current head coach in the (Dartmouth) head coach, which was what I wanted. They have a nice pool and the campus is gorgeous. I really wanted to be there.”