6 days ago
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Every race starts the same way, but not every pool feels like home.
Mackenzie Miller Lung graduated from Clovis East as a three-time All-American, then took her talents to BYU.
"I feel like in high school, I always wanted to just get out," she said. "I was like, 'I need to experience different things.'"
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She ended her college career as a Cougar with a second-place finish at the NCAA championship.
A finish she never dreamed of -- but one that left her wanting more.
"I had that feeling of like, I could do more," she said. "I could come back and I could do another year."
The idea of coming back to the Valley became a reality.
"When I went to Utah, I loved it," Lung said. "I loved my experience there, but it was never home."
Fresno State coach Jeanne Fleck tried to recruit Mackenzie right out of high school.
"She blew us off and went to BYU," Fleck said jokingly.
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Better late than never, Mackenzie dove into a new program and added depth to an already strong breaststroke group.
"I have a breaststroke group that is one of the best breaststroke groups in the country," Fleck said. "There aren't a lot of schools that have what we have."
Jenna Pulkkinen, Aliz Kalmar and now Mackenzie have the top three times in the 100-meter breaststroke in the program's history.
"We are just going upward, and I think this year, we have a really good chance at winning the conference," Kalmar said.
The Bulldogs are coming off a record year. Aliz and Jenna made it to the NCAA championship last season, now adding Mackenzie to the group.
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"We could have three scorers, and if you have three scorers, you can be in the top 20," Fleck said.
This week, Fresno State is ranked in the top 25 for the first time ever. Looking ahead to the conference tournament and hopefully the big stage, the 'Dogs aren't slowing down.
"I want to break every school record that we can possibly break," Fleck said. "I want to break all of our relay records."
"I definitely want to end on a high note since I'm going to NCAA's this year, too," Kalmar said.
With momentum on their side, the Bulldogs are closing the season on their highest level yet.
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