Fresno State Athletics
Mazutaityte to Compete in European Championships
1/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
By Jason Kelm
jakelm@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State freshman swimmer Ugne Mazutaityte has been selected by the Lithuanian Swimming Federation to compete in the European Aquatics Championships held at the iconic London Aquatics Centre May 9-22, 2016.
The Kaunas, Lithuania native owns her home country's 100m and 200m backstroke records, as well as Fresno State's 100y and 200y records, and will get another opportunity to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
"I'm really excited," Mazutaityte said. "All I want is to make an Olympic cut. It would mean so much to me. I work so hard every day to get better and it's a good feeling to see that hard work paying off."
Mazutaityte hopes to become the first Bulldog to swim in the Olympics, and according to eighth-year Fresno State head coach Jeanne Fleck, it's a definite possibility.
"Ugne's only been training with us for a few months and she's already improved so much," Fleck said. "We know what she has needed to work on, and she's been working on those things, successfully. Usually it takes longer for a swimmer to execute the right steps, but she's picked them up quickly."
During Fresno State competitions this season, Mazutaityte has finished in first place in 14 of 20 backstroke events, along with three second, one third, and two fourth. The fourth place finishes were in her first individual events as a Bulldog, and that has only driven her to swim faster and smarter.
"Every practice and meet, I genuinely try to give 100 percent," Mazutaityte said. "If I'm tired, if something's wrong, if I'm having a bad day and I don't do my best, I feel so guilty afterward. That makes me work even harder the next time."
To add to that inner drive, the 2016 European Championships will be held in the same London pool in which Ruta Meilutyte became the youngest Lithuanian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics at the age of 15. Mazutaityte, born just five days before Meilutyte, says that has made this opportunity even more special.
In the meantime, Mazutaityte will be focused on competing to win the first Fresno State MW individual championship since Dani Yoho won the 50 freestyle in 2013. Following the MW Championships held Feb. 17-20, Mazutaityte will continue to train under the guidance of the Fresno State coaching staff in her quest to become an Olympian.
"The only person I have to race against is myself," Mazutaityte said. "You have to go past your limits. Even when your mind is telling you to stop, you have to keep going, and it's the best feeling in the world."
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