By Bruce Lerch/Daily News Correspondent


Six one-hundredths of a second holds a dual meaning for Bentley University swimmer Anne Kaduboski.

The number represents the heartbeat that kept the former Dedham High star from reaching the nationals in her best event, the 200-yard butterfly, as a freshman one year ago. It also represents a turning point in her swimming career, serving as the proof Kaduboski belonged in that elite class and the motivation she needed to get there.

Now a sophomore, Kaduboski turned what once was a frustration into the accomplishment of a goal. Following an off-season of training and identifying weak spots in her technique, Kaduboski used the motivation of her near miss to propel herself to greater heights. This weekend represents the fruits of her labors, as the former Marauder is set to represent Bentley at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving championships, being held at the University of Houston.

Kaduboski will compete in three events, starting today with the 100 fly and 200 freestyle, followed by the competition she is most looking forward to is tomorrow’s 200 fly.

“I never thought I’d have been able to get myself to this point,” Kaduboski said by phone from Texas. “Even last year as a freshman, I didn’t think I was capable of this. But when I realized how close I was, it made me go back and re-dedicate myself.”

First, however, came a period of frustration. After learning just how close she came to qualifying for the nationals, Kaduboski took a month-long sabbatical from the pool. The time off gave her a chance to get the anger out of her system and reflect back on exactly how far she had come as a swimmer.

“At first, I was really upset,” Kaduboski said. “To find out I only missed qualifying by six-one-hundredths of a second was very frustrating for me.”

When she finally looked at the positives of her season, Kaduboski decided it was time to go back to work. Bentley swim coach Mary Kay Samko noticed a flaw in Kaduboski’s technique: her underwater kick wasn’t strong enough, and it forced her to spend more time swimming above the water as opposed to underwater.

“We noticed she was short out of the walls,” Samko said. “She spent the entire summer working underwater and built a lot of confidence in the process.”

Kaduboski hit the weight room three times a week to make her legs stronger, working simultaneously with the Falcons coaching staff to shave precious seconds off her time. The work paid almost immediate dividends, and the effort resulted in a time of 2:04.12 at the Northeast-10 Championships this past December, more than good enough to earn a trip to the nationals in Houston.

“Swimming underwater is a lot faster than swimming above water,” Kaduboski said. “My legs are stronger now, and we’ve worked on my technique so that I am kicking myself farther underwater and saving strokes.”

Thanks in great part to her training and improvements, Kaduboski had a banner sophomore season for the Falcons, winning 46 straight races. She owns four individual school records: the 100 backatroke (1:00.37), 50 fly (26.76), 100 fly (57.38), and 200 fly (2:04.12). She is also part of Bentley’s record-holding 200, 400 and 800 free relay teams, as well as the 400 medley relay team.

Most important of all, she reached the goal she set out to achieve – reaching the national competition. She is the eighth-seed in the 200 fly out of 37 swimmers. She is also seeded 25 of 52 in the 100 fly, and 57 of 72 in the 200 free.

Kaduboski arrived in Houston Monday and has been reveling in the experience. She acquainted herself with the facilities yesterday as she cheered on Bentley teammate Jon Andrews, who reached the semifinals of the diving competition.

Her goals for the weekend are simple: swim her best possible times, and hope for a shot at the finals in the 200 fly. She feels that swimming two events on Thursday will help her get used to the pool and better prepare her for her main event. Anything else would be the cherry atop the sundae.

“The pool here is amazing. It’s like three pools in one,” Kaduboski said. “My only goal this year was to get here, and I’ve been enjoying the experience so far. I wasn’t expecting to make it for the 200 free, and we’ll see what happens in the 100 fly, but I’m most looking forward to the 200 fly.”

“It means so much to be here, given all the work I put in. It showed me that hard work really does pay off, and it makes me want to continue to work even harder.”