Last modified: Saturday, July 5, 2008 1:04 AM EDT Kristen Connors (Photo by Mark Stockwell) Bid for Beijing comes up short BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Kristen Connors of Mansfield swam the race of her life, but fell short of her dream of making the U.S. Olympic team in trials Thursday in Omaha, Neb. Connors, 18, who just graduated from Bishop Feehan High School, shaved two-tenths of a second off her personal best in the 200 meter breaststroke to finish 37th out of 88 swimmers at the trials. Competing against some of the best swimmers in the world, most of whom are older than her, Connors said she was pleased with her results. "It's always cool to swim against the best and the big names you hear about. I'm definitely pleased with my performance," she said. Finishing just behind Connors in the first heat of the competition was Elizabeth Beisel of Rhode Island, a teammate with the Attleboro Bluefish Swim Club. Beisel, however, qualified for the Olympic team earlier in the week by coming in second in the 400 meter individual medley event. Connors said there were nine swimmers from the Blue Fish in Omaha, a large number for a relatively small swim club from Massachusetts. She said all of the swimmers brought friends and family along for the trip, so there was a large contingent from the local area. Connors is headed for Boston University in the fall and hopes to continue her swimming career with an eye toward another try at the Olympics in 2012. She has been swimming competitively since age 8, and has been a member of the Bluefish since her sophomore year in high school. Training with the Bluefish involved swimming from 5 to 7 a.m. three days a week, lifting weights two mornings a week and three hours of swimming and running in the evening. It is a hectic schedule wrapped around school, but Connors said she was able to make it work without sacrificing a social life. "You learn how to balance it with my school work and hanging out with my friends. It was definitely worth it," she said.