Swimmer putting team first

Marina Sandback was uneasy when she came to Las Vegas in 2004, uncertain whether she was prepared to handle life in the United States.

But four years with the UNLV women’s swimming team has changed everything, and now the native of Vasteras, Sweden, is nervous about the idea of leaving.

As Sandback heads into the stretch run of her senior season, she is beginning to feel a sense of urgency about attaining some longtime goals.

“I’m a little stressed,” said Sandback, who last year narrowly missed a postseason berth as a member of the Rebels’ 200-yard freestyle relay team. “This is my last chance to go to the NCAAs. But I think I have a big chance this year. Last year, I was really close, so I’m looking forward to (the possibility of qualifying).”

The 5-foot-5-inch sprinter has seen her share of success. In fact, she was a member of UNLV’s Mountain West Conference championship team in 2005.

“That was a really good start for me,” said Sandback, who admitted she struggled to maintain her confidence during that first season. “It was an amazing thing, like nothing I had ever experienced before.”

Though the Rebels have not won a title since, Sandback has taken on a leadership role with the intention of bringing the championship back to UNLV.

“I’m a captain,” she said. “I have a passion for swimming and for the team. It’s my job to try to hold the team together and to get the freshmen together.”

Indeed, UNLV’s lineup is loaded with underclassmen, a fact that reminds Sandback of her inaugural year as a Rebel.

“We have a lot of freshmen,” said Sandback, who said her career won’t be complete without one more team championship. “But we’re the strongest we’ve been since I was a freshman. We definitely want to win (the Mountain West title). That’s the goal we’ve talked about all season.”

UNLV coach Jim Reitz said Sandback’s leadership will be a key part of any late-season success for his team.

“Marina takes (her leadership role) very seriously,” he said. “She’s a great role model for the freshmen. Sometimes it’s hard to get a connection between the younger swimmers and the (veterans), but she goes out of her way to make that happen.”

But that’s where Sandback’s stress comes into play. As she attempts to lead a young group of overachievers, she knows she also must perform at her best to give her team any chance of getting past perennial league power Brigham Young.

“I know my performance will make a difference,” said Sandback, who helped UNLV’s 200 medley relay team win a league championship last season. “We need as many people in the finals as possible.”

Things are on track so far, as Sandback holds UNLV’s fastest time in the 100-yard freestyle (50.84 seconds) and the 100 butterfly (56.01), and the second-best time in the 50 free (23.48).

Even so, she is nervous about the final two months of her swimming career.

“I’m feeling a little emotional because I’ve been swimming for 18 years,” said Sandback, who soon will hold a degree in financial management. “I know my career is going to end, but I don’t want to think about it.”

Sandback logged wins in the 50 free and the 100 fly to help UNLV beat Air Force 149-117 Saturday at Buchanan Natatorium. She will attempt to maintain that momentum as the Rebels close their regular-season at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.

The Mountain West championship meet is scheduled for Feb. 27 through March 1 at Oklahoma City.