Dan. D'Addona @DanDAddona

Ashlee Sall and Rachel Hoeve grew up swimming against each other, though maybe not in the same events.

Sall was a 200-yard freestyle state champion at Holland Christian as a sprint specialist, while Hoeve was an all-state distance specialist at Zeeland.

Things have changed.

Sall and Hoeve are junior teammates at Liberty University, an NCAA Division I program in Lynchburg, Va.

Events have changed, too.

Sall and Hoeve have basically swapped specialties with Sall swimming distance and Hoeve now a sprinter.

The duo leads the Flames into the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association conference meet, which begins Feb. 15 in Georgia.

We have an apartment together and have been best friends since the first day we have been here, Sall said. We can always go home together. We get along super well and I am so thankful that she is here, too. I dont know if I could have done it without her support and friendship.

That support continues on the pool deck as the roommates cheer for each other between their own events. Hoeve even counts for Sall in the 500 freestyle.

She has become my best friend. It is always nice having that connection to home, Hoeve said. I love to count for her and I am so excited to see her do amazing.

The same is true for Sall watching Hoeve, who reached a new level at last year's CCSA meet, taking third in the 50 freestyle (22.99) and earning a provisional qualifying time for the NCAA Championships.

It was such a surreal experience. I got to be up there with a teammate who was second. That was really cool, Hoeve said. I couldnt believe it. I knew that was the 'B' cut and that feeling was amazing.

This year, she is aiming for the conference title.

I would definitely say that is my goal. Anything can happen in the 50. It is all about getting your hand to the wall first, she said.

Her success has stemmed from hard work, physically and mentally, switching to sprints.

Just the training. It is a lot shorter and more up my alley. It is more power related instead of endurance. I didnt realize that I could sprint until they stuck me in the 50 my freshman year and I could swim something shorter than a 500, she said.

The same is true for Sall, switching to distance.

I changed to distance last year and I am really owning up to the practice more. They have been working really well for me, she said. The mile is the biggest challenge. It is mentally challenging more than physically challenging. I know that I have the endurance to swim the mile well, but it was a lot of learning how to swim it.

She is closing in on NCAA provisional cuts, something she credits to the culture at Liberty and mentality of being a Division I swimmer.

I think it really all comes down to where you go. I was deciding between Liberty and Calvin. It came down to how elite I wanted to be. Calvin has a great swim team, but Liberty has more resources and a bigger goal. I want to get as high as I can go. It was taking in that challenge, Sall said. I wanted to be challenged. When you are surrounded by elite athletes like that, you can rise to their level. It is so cool to be a part of that elite level.

While Hoeve made the top eight in the 50 and 100 freestyles (51.3), Sall was in the consolation final in the 200 (1:51.71), 500 (5:00.5) and 1,650 freestyles (17:20.78). Both were on conference runner-up relays. Liberty finished second last year behind Florida Gulf Coast and is looking for the team title.

My goals are to make top eight in all of my events. Podium is 1-3. That would be a huge step compared to last year, and I want to be scoring as many points as I can for the team, Sall said.

Follow this reporter on Twitter @DanDAddona and Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

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Ashlee Sall, Rachel Hoeve chasing Liberty title - HollandSentinel.com