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Katie McLaughlin of the Mission Viejo Nadadores and JSerra is congratulated by her coach, Bill Rose, after she captured the 100-meter butterfly at the Speedo Junior Nationals on Wednesday night in Irvine.
Katie McLaughlin of the Mission Viejo Nadadores and JSerra is congratulated by her coach, Bill Rose, after she captured the 100-meter butterfly at the Speedo Junior Nationals on Wednesday night in Irvine.
Dan Albano. Sports HS Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Staff Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.

IRVINE Mission Viejo Nadadores coach Bill Rose likes to cite a Japanese saying when talking to his swimmers about dealing with adversity.

The adage goes something like this: if you get knocked down seven times, get up eight.

The latest standout to emerge from the Nadadores’ traditionally deep talent pool fought her way to her feet Wednesday night at the Speedo Junior Nationals.

And Katie McLaughlin didn’t stop fighting until she reached the top of the awards podium for the second time this week at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center.

The 16-year-old recovered from a disqualification Tuesday to capture the 100-meter butterfly in lifetime-best 59.07 seconds and qualify in another event for the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates later this month.

McLaughlin didn’t take a breath on her last six strokes to out-touch Tennessee-bound Michelle Cefal of Tualatin Hills Swim Club in Oregon by six one-hundredths of a second.

The JSerra junior-to-be is becoming known for her strong finishes and she delivered again despite an emotional disqualification in the 100 freestyle final. McLaughlin clocked the best time in the 100 free but was disqualified for moving slightly backward before the start.

“It was mentally tough and it kind of carried over to this morning,” McLaughlin said. “I had to deal with what I had and learn to be better about it instead of wallowing in my sadness. … It’s over and I can’t change it, so we’ve got to accept it.”

McLaughlin raced Wednesday night like she was free of burden. She understandably recorded the slowest reaction time off the starting blocks but stormed to the fourth fastest time by American women this year.

And after the awards ceremony, she pumped up Kyle Gornay of Redlands Swim Team for his 100 butterfly.

“I’m just ecstatic for her,” Rose said of McLaughlin, who won the 200 butterfly on Monday. “She made the negative into a positive for the future because she knows she can bounce back.”

McLaughlin also received some good news Wednesday regarding her 100 freestyle. She will be able to swim on the 400 free relay at Dubai based on her prelim time Tuesday.

Brooke Lorentzen of the Nadadores also showed her resolve. The Capistrano Valley senior-to-be finished fourth in the 400 freestyle in a lifetime-best 4:15.06, a strong improvement from an 11th-place finish in the 800 freestyle Monday.

Rose passed on the Japanese proverb to Lorentzen after the 800 free. “Some college coaches are looking at me, so I wanted to show them that I can bounce back from having a bad race and show them what I got,” Lorentzen said.

Danielle Valley of the Sarasota YMCA Sharks of Florida won the women’s 400 free in 4:10.55. Francis Haas of Virginia’s NOVA claimed the men’s 400 free in a meet-record 3:51.99 while Justin Lynch of Concord-based Terrapins Swim Team took the men’s 100 butterfly in a meet-record 52.91.