Hard work in pool serving Hunt-Higgins, UNLV well

Expectations were not particularly high for Megan Hunt-Higgins when she walked onto the UNLV women's swimming team in 2004.

Though the Seattle native had a reputation as a hard worker, her identity as a swimmer was rather unclear.

"Megan had basically been trained into mediocrity," said Rebels coach Jim Reitz, whose men's and women's teams will open Mountain West Conference competition Saturday at Brigham Young. "We just weren't sure where to put her (in the lineup)."

Hunt-Higgins, a senior this year, said she was happy just to have somewhere to swim.

"When I was in high school, (Reitz) knew my coach, who I guess had a lot of good things to say about me," she said. "I wasn't fast, but I was a hard worker. I think (Reitz) saw the potential in me."

He did. It took some time, but Reitz and his coaching staff finally made a decisive move.

"Megan came in as a middle-distance swimmer," Reitz said. "But she eventually got put in the sprint (training) group because she was a backstroker. Once she was put in that group, she really started to thrive."

Indeed, Hunt-Higgins began turning things around late last year. She earned a scholarship this season and suddenly is being viewed as a key contributor in the Rebels' quest for a Mountain West championship.

Hunt-Higgins, who swims the 50-yard freestyle, the 100 free and the 100 backstroke, said she's not exactly sure why she's swimming so much faster.

"In high school, I primarily did distance training," said Hunt-Higgins, who was a six-year member of Seattle's Cascade Swim Club. "I came here and started lifting weights and running. I started swimming with power and moving through the water a lot quicker. I focused on technique and fixing my stroke."

It took some time for those routines to kick in, but even Reitz has been stunned by the results.

"We've seen phenomenal improvement," he said. "It happened almost overnight, and that's something you very rarely see. And the fact that she stuck it out all this time says something about her staying power."

Hunt-Higgins demonstrated her improvement last month by taking second in the 50 free and the 100 backstroke against 23rd-ranked Arizona State in the Rebels' season opener. She also has taken over as the lead swimmer on UNLV's 400 free relay team.

Much of her success, she said, is being driven by a sense of responsibility she feels this season.

"Being a senior, a lot of (teammates) look up to you," Hunt-Higgins said. "For me, it's really important to do all I can to set a good example for other people."

In fact, Hunt-Higgins said the team concept has played an increasingly important role as a motivational tool for her.

"When I came here, it was amazing," said Hunt-Higgins, who was a member of UNLV's 2004-05 conference championship team. "I didn't swim for my high school team. I just swam with my club, and I used swimming for myself. It was not a team thing. To see everyone coming together here was truly amazing."

As her career enters its final months, Hunt-Higgins has her mind set on one more conference championship.

"I think we've got a very good shot at it," she said. "That would be awesome because we've got a pretty big senior class, and it would be nice if we all got it in our senior year."

UNLV's quest for a league title was delayed last weekend, when the conference opener at San Diego State was postponed indefinitely due to the aftereffects of the recent fires in Southern California.