Some have expressed anxiety when they step into the pool at the King County Aquatic Center as scores of spectators roar from the grandstands.

Just not Aspen Monkhouse.

The South Kitsap junior finished with a personal-best time of 24.6 seconds to place fifth in the 50-yard freestyle during Saturday’s Class 4A state swim and dive championships in Federal Way.

Monkhouse attributed her calmness to the challenges she endured during the year. Throughout the season Monkhouse has battled a vocal-chord dysfunction that closes off her airway when she exercises.

“I think since I’ve been dealing with so many different things I’ve been able to compartmentalize things and kind of realize what my priorities are,” she said. “For me, it was all about enjoying that experience.”

South coach Cliff Rousell attributed Monkhouse’s ability to focus to her maturity.

“There’s a lot of positives that cannot be repeated enough about that young lady,” he said. “She’s got a strong ability to grasp exactly what needs to be done and how it needs to be done.”

Monkhouse’s breathing issues did not subside during the meet. But she finished sixth in 24.8 seconds during Friday’s preliminaries.

“One thing I did have to work around was my breathing,” Monkhouse said. “I only breathed once. I usually breathe at least twice. It seemed to work just fine.”

She was the only state qualifier for the Wolves. Without teammates on the deck to support her, Monkhouse derived motivation from elsewhere.

“It was amazing,” she said. “It was such an experience for me because I’ve never been to state before. It’s just the thrill of that moment — and being with all of those other girls — was really interesting because most of them had been there before and had been through all of the motions.

“They pushed me and I ended up with a personal-best time.”

Monkhouse was seeded eighth at state with a qualifying time of 24.92 seconds. At the West Central District III meet, she pulled off the rare feat of clocking the third-fastest time in the 50 — in the consolation final.

Monkhouse did not get to take the podium, but her time qualified her to move on along with the top seven finishers.

“I was having more problems with my breathing the first day of districts,” Monkhouse said. “I looked where that affected my race and I adjusted some things — where I took my breath, going into the turn at a faster speed and getting the rotation better.”

The end result was a place on the podium.

“It felt so gratifying,” Monkhouse said. “It was a great end to my season because I’ve really been kind of put through the ringer with all these different tests and things. There definitely were some happy tears.”

Rousell believes Monkhouse could perform better next year. Emerald Ridge’s Alana Pries, who finished first in 23.8 seconds, and fourth-place finisher Jessica Miller (24.36) from Tahoma, both graduate.

“The future is really optimistic for her,” Rousell said. “Once she can get on track for full-time training, we’re going to see some great things for her.”

Monkhouse will continue to prepare for next season through her team at the Bremerton YMCA.

“I’m hoping for a win next year — as far away as that is,” she said. “My main goal would be to do better than this year.”