The cheers in the stands are drowned out by the sound of her heartbeat. She fixes her goggles and shakes out her muscles. PHEEEEW. She steps onto the blocks. TAKE YOUR MARKS. Adrenaline rushes through her body. BEEP.

“I was very nervous but I just took in the experience.” said senior Katie McLaughlin. “[There’s] not really anything I can remember. In a big race, I don’t really think of anything right before or during it.”

McLaughlin traveled with Team USA to Gold Coast, Australia to compete in the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships on August 21-24. She brought home a bronze medal and a lifetime best time of 2:07.08 in the 200m butterfly, just six tenths of a second from winning gold.

“I’m really happy with how I did,” McLaughlin said. “But I’m not done yet, if that makes sense. I still want to get better.”

McLaughlin’s third-place time earned her a place in the World Championships next summer in Kazan, Russia. It will be yet another chance for her to prove her speed and skill, but also a chance to spend quality time with her team.

“Traveling with Team USA was just awesome,” McLaughlin said. “Being able to represent the USA and have all my teammates behind me, cheering me on and supporting me was unbelievable.”

Her teammates include world record holders Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin. But instead of being intimidated by them, McLaughlin quickly fit in with her easy-going nature.

“They were all really fun and super nice,” McLaughlin said. “Since it was my first international trip with the national team, they really helped me out by supporting me and guiding me through everything.”

The Pan Pacific Championships is considered to be one of the toughest international swimming competitions outside the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships. But McLaughlin did not let the pressure take away the fun.

“One of my favorite memories was when we went to the zoo and we got to hold koalas,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin began swimming competitively when she was in fourth grade. After eight years of intensive training, she just recently committed to University of California, Berkeley.

“My goal is to be in the Olympics someday,” McLaughlin said. “But I don’t want to put too much pressure on that because then I won’t enjoy the process as much.”

Instead, what she looks forward to most is training with her teammates and racing in different countries. Last year, McLaughlin earned a national high school record in the 100 butterfly, an OC record in the 200 freestyle and the recognition of OC Register’s girl swimmer of the year.

“Once you start swimming, you can’t really stop,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve been doing it my whole life, so I don’t really know what it would be like almost without it. It’s definitely a huge part of me.”

It’s also a huge part of her day. McLaughlin’s daily schedule consists of two-hours of morning practice, school, another two-hours of afternoon practice and then homework. Her dedication to both her sport and schoolwork leaves her with an average of only five hours of sleep every day. Yet somehow, she still manages to remain optimistic.

“I think I just have expectations for myself,” McLaughlin said. “I take one thing at a time, and not look at it like, ‘Wow, I have all this to do today,’ but kind of just relax. When I’m stressed, I talk to my friends and family and remember that I have so much to be thankful for.”

After transferring from JSerra in the middle of her junior year, McLaughlin has already established a strong bond with the Eagles’ swim team. She said her favorite swimming memory is “going to and winning CIF, representing our team, our school.”

“[Swimming’s] definitely given me a lot of people — good people that I can relate to and are easy to be around for me,” McLaughlin said. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing — having my best friends in the sport of swimming.”

McLaughlin’s dedications to her life as a student, athlete and friend will pay off as she drives into the final wall of her high school career.