Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, February 25, 2010

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Kristen Wilson, a senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, has won five consecutive state titles in the 50 freestyle.

Having earned five consecutive state titles in the 50-meter freestyle, Kristen Wilson is Lexington’s own version of Olympic champion Michael Phelps.

She picked up her latest award at this month’s State Swimming and Diving Championships in Louisville, earning first-team All-State honors along the way.

It was a fitting climax to Kristen’s decorated athletic career at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. I still have two championship meets left, so I have to keep focused,” said the senior, who competes year-round with the Wildcat Aquatics club team.

“I’m ready to go for it and swim for UK, but it was so much fun swimming for Dunbar. It’s bittersweet,” she said, reflecting after her final high school contest.

Stephanie Kehler, her coach at Dunbar, called Kristen a model team captain.

“She has one of the strongest work ethics that I have seen. She is dedicated to the sport and is one of the fastest swimmers Dunbar has seen,” said Kehler, describing Kristen as a quiet, respected leader. “She leads by example in how she practices, treats fellow athletes and competes. She handles winning and losing gracefully.”

Losing, however, generally has not been an issue.

“I’m competitive in everything I do, whether it’s school or sports. And I’m a little bit of a perfectionist,” said Kristen, who has been swimming competitively for about a decade.

While in seventh and eighth grade at Beaumont, she joined the Dunbar team because middle schools in Lexington do not have swim teams.

“I’ve always just loved being in the water, ever since I was little. There was no question whether I enjoyed it,” she said. “My coach talked about how far I could go, and I thought I really wanted to pursue it.”

That drive has led her to the heights of her sport. Consider her performance in the Feb. 13 state meet: She finished first in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 23.56 and third in the 100-meter freestyle in 51.31. She also swam on the teams that placed fourth in the 200-meter freestyle relay and the 400-meter freestyle relay.

Kristen admitted she was a bit nervous going into the finals of her signature race.

“Having a five-year run – a lot of people don’t get that chance,” she said. “It was really special, and I really wanted it.”

Ben Davis, the head coach at Wildcat Aquatics, has worked with Kristen since her sophomore year and knows her abilities.

“I was so proud that she was able to handle the pressure,” he said at a recent practice. “Everything she has achieved, she deserves it. She has worked for it and put it out there on the line.”

Kristen puts in the work all right – with swim practice three days a week starting at 5:15 a.m. and three-hour afternoon sessions six days a week.

“It takes some dedication to get up that early before school,” she said, noting that her coaches have stressed that every practice counts and that swimmers can learn something new every day.

Kristen, who committed to the University of Kentucky in November, is also a strong student in the classroom; she plans to major in business and pre-law. And her family is glad they’ll still be able to watch her compete.

“She always wanted to swim SEC,” said her mother, Debbie Wilson, referring to the Southeastern Conference.

Kristen received recruiting letters from more than 100 colleges and was inundated last July 1, the first day coaches could contact student-athletes.

“She was on the phone for three solid hours and had 13 different coaches call her. July 2, UK’s coach was sitting at our table,” her mother recalled. “I had no clue that swimming could give her the opportunities that it has given her.”

Kristen's senior-year highlights

Regionals:

• Won four races
• Set four records
• Notable: 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle were automatic All-American times
• Sportsmanship Award
• All-Region Team
• Outstanding Competitor Award

State:

• Won the 50-meter freestyle
• 3^rd in the 100-meter freestyle
• 4^th in both relays
• Notable: 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle relay and 400-meter freestyle relay were all automatic All-American times
• All-State Team
• Scholastic All-American