Daily Pilot High School Athlete of the Week:

Katie Jackson said she often gets through monotonous swim workouts by replaying random annoying songs in her head. But when it comes to competition in the pool, the Newport Harbor High senior only hears the imaginary ticking of the stopwatch.

“The clock is extremely intimidating,� said Jackson, who won an individual battle with the electronic timer April 15 to help the Sailors defeat Back Bay rival Corona del Mar in a nonleague meet. “If you lose, you can lose by .5 seconds and you realize if you would have pushed that much harder, you could have gone that much faster.�

Jackson’s fractional breakthrough came in the 100-yard butterfly, when she topped the field with at time of 59.55 seconds. It was the first time she had ever bettered the one-minute mark in the event, in which she has competed in all four of her varsity seasons.

“One of my biggest goals was to break one minute in the 100 fly,� said Jackson, who also won the 100 breaststroke and contributed to victorious 200 and 400 freestyle relays against the Sea Kings. “I’ve been swimming that event since my freshman year, so beating that time against CdM was a really big deal.�

The achievement did not go unnoticed as Jackson was mobbed by teammates as she exited the pool. The impromptu celebration was so enthusiastic, the meet official asked the girls to settle down, so he could start the next event.

“[The celebration] made breaking one minute that much better,� said Jackson, who noted that camaraderie with her teammates is one of her favorite things about the sport. “They know how hard I’ve been trying to break one minute and they’ve seen all the times I was so close. To have them out there cheering me on definitely helped me swim faster.�

Experience, ability and desire have helped Jackson swim faster than most of her peers since she began participating in the pool at age 2.

She eventually took up water polo and became a standout for the Sailors, earning first-team All-Sunset League honors as a senior. She will play water polo collegiately at UC Davis.

But unlike some water polo standouts, Jackson said she does not look upon the swim season as merely an off-season conditioning program.

“I would have to say I prefer water polo, because I like being in the water with my team and the cohesiveness and teamwork that goes into the sport,� she said. “But I wouldn’t say swimming is that far behind.�

Jackson is seldom behind at the finish and her versatility allows Sailors Coach Brian Melstrom to use her in a variety of races.

Such was the case against CdM, as Melstrom tapped her experience to fill a need in the breaststroke, an event in which she had not competed for the Sailors.

“I decided to throw Katie in there because she is good at everything,� Melstrom said after the meet. “For her to win the breaststroke the first time she competed in the event in her career was pretty impressive.�

Jackson typically swims the 200 individual medley and is, of course, a regular contributor on relays.

She was a member of the 200 free relay quartet that set a school record last season and she said she and her teammates have targeted school records this season in that event, as well as the 400 free relay.

She also said she would like to continue to improve in the butterfly.

“I think I can go low 59 or high 58,� the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week said.

She said that while she will not swim competitively in college, she will probably find time between the lane lines.

“I’ll probably swim on my own,� she said. “I have a connection to the water. It’s not just something to do or something to be in. It’s really just an element that is so comforting and so relaxing. I’d rather be in the water than on land if I could choose.�