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Ledecky sets another WR; Phelps finishes with gold

By WTOP Staff

JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer

GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Michael Phelps completed his comeback meet in international competition with a gold medal in the medley relay to cap off a Sunday night program that kicked off with Katie Ledecky setting her second world record within 24 hours at the Pan Pacific championships.

The 17-year-old Ledecky sliced almost six seconds off her own world mark by winning the 1,500-meter freestyle in 15 minutes, 28.36 seconds a day after lowering her record in the 400 freestyle. She finished the meet with five gold medals.

“I knew it was my last race of the meet, and last race of the season,” Ledecky said. “I’ve had a really good season. I wanted to finish on a good note. I didn’t want to walk away from the meet with a ‘That was OK’ feeling — I dug in deep for the last 50. Put it all in there.”

Phelps started his night with a narrow loss in the 200 medley, finishing two-hundredths of a second behind Kosuke Hagino’s winning time of 1:56.02, but finished it off by swimming the butterfly leg of the medley relay and helping the U.S. continue its domination of the event.

The 29-year-old Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, finished the meet with three gold medals — the 100 butterfly, 4×200 and medley relays — and silvers in the 200 IM and the 4×100 relay.

He said it was a good haul considering he only returned to competitive swimming in April after 1 ½ years in retirement.

“It was, I think, a successful year,” Phelps said. “Obviously I’d like to win every single race I swim in. But, (that) doesn’t always happen. It was a learning experience, that’s most important.”

The medley relays were the last events on the program after the open water section was postponed to Aug. 31 in Maui because of concerns over water quality following three days of wet and windy weather on the Gold Coast.

Conditions were mild but sunny for the last day in the pool, when the medals were spread among five countries — with Brazil and Canada getting on top of the podium for the first time through Bruno Fratus’ win in the 50 free and Ryan Cochrane’s victory in the 800.

The United States topped the medal standings with 14 gold and 40 overall, with Maya Dirado winning the women’s 200 IM Sunday to go with the golds from Ledecky and the men’s relay. Australia placed second with 10 gold and 26 medals overall, followed by Japan with seven gold medals and a total of 19.

Hagino, the silver medalist at last year’s world championships, completed a Pan Pacs double in the IMs but put his win in the 200 down to Phelps being “not in his best condition right now.”

Yasuhiro Koseki, meanwhile, won the 200 breaststroke in 2:08.57 to complete a 100-200 double and said: “I’m so happy that I could prove Japanese breaststroke is so strong.” Kanako Watanabe and Rie Kaneto finished 1-2 for Japan in the earlier women’s 200 breaststroke.

Australian sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell repeated their 1-2 finish in the 100 free by taking gold and silver again in the 50, and then Cate anchored the Aussies to victory over the United States and Canada in the women’s medley relay.

Fratus had an eye on Rio 2016 when he won the 50 free in 21.44 seconds, relegating 33-year-old Anthony Irvin to second and his U.S. teammate Nathan Adrian to third place.

Adrian then joined Phelps, Matt Grevers and Kevin Cordes in winning the medley relay in 3:29.72, holding off Japan and Australia.

“This is the best relay to be in. We’ve had such a great tradition in this relay,” Phelps said, before reflecting on how far he has come in four months.

“Today my body was hurting. I woke up this morning and I was in pain. After this morning’s race and the nap I got, I felt pretty fresh. I felt good,” he said. “For my first real big international meet back, we accomplished everything we wanted to. We were able to find out some of the things I need to improve on over the next year, and things I want to improve on. It is frustrating at times, but that’s usually how I respond well.

“This is going to be a fun year.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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