Dec. 9, 2006

Last season, senior Sasha Malanina (Volgograd, Russia) was an NCAA Championship qualifier and an Honorable Mention All-American in the 400-yard individual medley. Also in 2006, she was awarded All-ACC honors for the 200 and 400 IM. She was the 2006 ACC Champion in the 400 IM (4:14.77) and took second in the 200 IM at last season's ACCs.

As a sophomore, Malanina competed at the 2005 NCAA Championships in the 400 IM, 500 freestyle, 1650 free and 800 free relay. Also in 2005, she was named to the All-ACC Team for being a member of the first-place 800 freestyle relay team at ACCs. As a freshman, Malanina received All-ACC honors for her third-place finish in the 400 IM at the 2004 Conference Championships. In her last season as a Terp, Malanina talks about her time at Maryland, future plans and personal interests.

Q: Do you have plans for next year?

Malanina: Yes, I am planning on finishing with school, taking the CFA exam and also getting an internship or a job.

Q: What are your goals for the rest of the season?

Malanina: Trying to get back in shape after injury and making NCAAs for the last time.

Q: What is been your favorite class you have taken at Maryland?

Malanina: Advanced Finance with Professor Kiss.

Q: Have you ever played any other sports?

Malanina: I played tennis when I was seven years old, then they convinced me that swimming is so much better.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Malanina: I love to be in the city. I love going to DC to go shopping. I love to read in cafes and love reading books, however I usually have so much stuff to do for school that I don't get a chance to read for pleasure.

Q: What are three good words to describe yourself?

Malanina: Stubborn, straightforward and hard-working.

Q: If you weren't swimming, what would you most likely be doing with your time?

Malanina: I would probably read a lot of books and study a little bit more than I study during the swim season.

Q: What is the biggest difference between Maryland and your hometown

Malanina: My hometown is a big, beautiful city. I live downtown so I was used to all the action going on. I like to feel the energy of the city and I miss it a lot. Luckily at Maryland, DC is only thirty minutes away.

Q: What do you miss most about home?

Malanina: I miss my mom really bad; the last time I saw her was about a year and a half ago and it's been way too long.

Q: What is the best thing about being a student athlete in college?

Malanina: Early registration for classes, being a being a part of a swim team and also being a Terp.

Q: How have you grown as a swimmer since you have been at Maryland?

Malanina: I've definitely gotten a lot of confidence, learned how to deal with myself before the big meets, learned how to communicate and how to work with different people; I've shown a lot of progress in those aspects.