Undefeated in freestyle, Crimson's swim star inspires teammates

By Matt O'Keefe

Special to the Gazette

Harvard Swimming Coach Maura Costin-Scalise is frank when asked to describe the talents of junior Keiko Iwahara; "Without a doubt, Keiko is the best swimmer in the Ivy League." This is a rare attitude in the conservative, team-oriented coaching profession: the willingness to publicly acknowledge that one of one's own athletes is a star. Even more rare is to hear opposing coaches acknowledge the same thing. But listening to Ivy League coaches talk about Iwahara is like listening to film critics rave about a Hollywood summer blockbuster.

"She's a great competitor. Very dangerous on relays" -- Matt Kredich, Brown.

"She blasted on to the scene last year. Probably the best in the league again this year" -- Frank Keefe, Yale.

"She's ferocious. Explosive. There's an incredible quickness in her starts. Always the first one off the blocks" -- Susan Teeter, Princeton.

Iwahara's best event is swimming's marquee event: the 50 freestyle. It's the shortest race in the sport, a flat-out sprint, the aquatic answer to track and field's 100-meter dash. Last season Iwahara went undefeated in the event, usually winning by about a half second, which, in swimming terms, is a blowout. No doubt these impressive victories had psychological benefits for the whole team: Harvard finished with a 6-1 record in league dual meets, good enough for the conference championship.

"Keiko has the energy of three or four people," Costin-Scalise says. "When she swims fast, everyone swims fast because they're inspired by her performance."

Iwahara also swims the 100 butterfly. She's less dominant in this event but still managed to finish fourth in it at the 1995 Eastern, which are the season-ending conference tournament races. Then there are the relays. Iwahara typically swims the 200 freestyle relay and the freestyle leg of the 200 medley, though she has been known to participate in the 400 free and 400 medley relays. When it comes to these races, Costin-Scalise abides by a simple law: "When in doubt, anchor with Keiko."
Iwahara, Costin-Scalise explains, knows how to protect a lead. She also knows how to come from behind to win a close race. And if there is a photo finish, bet on Iwahara. "Keiko," Costin-Scalise says, "can out-touch anyone."

So what goes into the making of such a fierce competitor? Practice?

Iwahara is in the pool 20 hours a week swimming laps, but only because she has to. "It's not boring, because it's hard," she says. "I'm pretty slow in practice."

Is it a love of water?

"No, not really," Iwahara says.

What then? "My friends tell me I'm crazy for doing this. . ." she says laughing. She trails off. Then she says, getting the words out as fast as she can, "I like competing. I like winning. I like swimming fast."

Iwahara joined her first swim team when she was 11, at a friend's suggestion. At that point she was living in Huntington Beach, Calif. Her initials attempts at racing met with some success, and she continued with the sport into high school. In tenth grade she started lifting weights, and her times improved dramatically. She made the Junior National cut. But after her sophomore year, her father, an executive with Yamaha, was transferred to Japan. The family made the move to Osaka, and Iwahara began attending the Osaka International School.

"There was a time when I was in Japan when I was miserable," Iwahara says. "I wasn't swimming very fast. Our league consisted of various international schools. We were the only school with a pool."

Iwahara did not plan on swimming in college. But she did list swimming as an extracurricular activity in her application to Harvard. Someone in the admissions office noticed and got in touch with Costin-Scalise, who was able to coax Iwahara to give the Harvard team a try. Even so, Iwahara warned Costin-Scalise that her participation would be temporary; she was entering a difficult biology curriculum and would not have much free time outside of class.

But, as Costin-Scalise relates, that attitude changed almost immediately.

"Keiko said to me, 'This was an experience I never expected. Swimming is easy here because you're part of a team.' Now her attitude is, 'I'll be in whatever race you need me to be in.' She'll race in events that are not her strongest if it will help the team."

This year Harvard is once again expected to contend for the Ivy League crown. Iwahara is again expected to win the 500 free at the Easterns, though, as she says, "you never know what the new talent will be." That may not matter. Sometimes knowing what the old talent is can be enough.