El Dorado High School girls basketball coach Pat Winter still marvels at Mikaela Macklin's dedication. Macklin, a 6-foot center, led the Cougars to 84 wins and two Pioneer Valley League championships as a four-year all-leaguer.

She was co-MVP of the league as a junior, and the outright MVP this past season for El Dorado (24-2).

All done in what is considered her "second" sport.

Macklin, The Bee's 2009-10 female Athlete of the Year, also is a durable and multi-talented All-America swimmer who will compete on scholarship for San Diego State.

During her high school career, she won four Sac-Joaquin Section championships, including the 100-yard breaststroke this spring.

She did so in less-than-peak swimming shape because of her commitment to basketball. High-level swimming involves year-round dedication and grueling two- to three-hour morning and afternoon workouts.

Macklin tapered her swimming workouts during the winter to fit in basketball practices and games, an exhausting routine for someone who also kept a 3.9 grade-point average.

"To swim two hours in the morning (starting at 6 a.m.), then practice basketball for two hours in the afternoon and perform at such a high level was an amazing feat," Winter said. "She is a phenomenal athlete."

Jeff Pearson, Macklin's swimming coach with the Sierra Marlins in Folsom, agrees.

"She's an anomaly," Pearson said. "She's swum at a lower percentage of her potential for 3 1/2 years. She's just hit the tip of the iceberg."

Unlike many of her swimming competitors, who long ago chose one sport, Macklin couldn't put down the basketball.

"Swimming is such an individual thing," she said. "You alone are responsible for your goals, and I like that. Basketball is a team sport and a lot more intense, a lot more in-your-face. I like that because I'm extremely competitive."

Winter said Macklin was a matchup nightmare for opponents.

"Because she's super long and athletic, she could get into the passing lanes, be disruptive and get steals," Winter said. "She is so strong and super quick, big girls had trouble with her inside."

Macklin was the PVL rebounding leader (10.9) and third in scoring (13 points), steals (3.5) and blocked shots (1.5) as a senior.

No doubt spurred on by her athletic genes – her mother, Nicola, ran track and cross country, and her father, Ken, played football at Northern Arizona – Macklin played a variety of sports growing up. She was a gymnast for nine years.

But as she continued to improve her times and win countless swimming ribbons and medals, Macklin began shedding other sports. She considered dropping basketball before her junior year to avoid injury.

But Macklin never played tentatively on the court. The Cougars went 47-6 overall and 24-0 in league with her helping lead the way the last two seasons.

At one point last season, Macklin sprained her right ankle, then sprained her left ankle the next day.

"We taped her up, and she never made a peep," Winter said. "She was a tough kid. You could see at times that she didn't have the energy because she had swam that morning. But she never made excuses. She was always the hardest-working kid out there. She was a dream to coach."

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