Calkins, Nichols Make Big Splash at Mission Viejo : Meet of Champions: Conejo-Simi pair third and sixth in 200 freestyle.

Valery Calkins and Sarah Nichols made the jump from local competition to the national level in less than two years. On Saturday, the Conejo-Simi Aquatics duo enjoyed their newfound success together in the Swim Meet of Champions at Mission Viejo.

Both swimmers swam fast enough in the morning preliminaries of the 200-meter freestyle to qualify for the championship final, where they lined up against Olympians Janet Evans and Angie Wester-Krieg.

“That was really exciting,” said Nichols, 15. “I thought, ‘I can say I swam against Janet Evans and Angie Wester-Krieg.’ ”

Although Nichols, the only swimmer in the final under 18, placed sixth in 2 minutes 8.60 seconds, the Olympians were the only swimmers to defeat Calkins.

Calkins, 18, touched in 2:05.21, her lifetime best unshaved. She was slightly behind Wester-Krieg’s 2:04.83, and several strokes behind Evans who also posted a lifetime best unshaved, a 2:01.89.

“I was trying to stay as close as I could to them,” said Calkins who swam in Lane 5, right next to Evans.

Calkins, who is best suited for the 200 and 400 freestyles, also swam the 50 freestyle, placing eighth in 28.15. Canadian Anita Lee won in 27.24.

Conejo-Simi Coach Gardner Howland credits his training atmosphere to the pair’s rapid improvement.

“I think they derive strength from the group,” Howland said. “Workout has become a happening. It is positive peer pressure.”

At this time last year, Nichols, a sophomore at Rio Mesa High, made her first junior national time standard. In March, she competed in three events at the spring national championships. She could qualify for the summer nationals next month in Austin, Tex.

Swimming Notes

The Buenaventura Swim Club 800 freestyle relay team of Mandy Walz, Sarah Jacobs, Marissa Roarty and Rebecca Gilman placed third in 8:55.11. Gilman, 13, was 15th in the 200 freestyle in 2:11.21. Roarty, 14, finished 16th in the 200 breaststroke in 2:51.63 and 16th in the 400 individual medley in 5:17.81. She swam 2:50.65 and 5:14.86 in the preliminaries.

Buenaventura’s Ryan Duncan, 19, finished 11th in the 400 individual medley in 4:44.37 and was 13th in the 200 breaststroke in 2:32.29.

Charles Girdlestone, 18, of Conejo-Simi Aquatics, placed 15th in the 400 individual medley at 4:47.84.