COLLEGE PARK, Maryland, August 15. AFTER only two world records fell in the first two days at the U.S. Masters Swimming long course national championships, today’s competition featured a stunning eight world marks.
Rick Colella, a two-time Olympian and 1976 bronze medalist in the 200 breaststroke, swam a 5:08.20 in the 400 IM, smashing his record in the 60-4 age group by 3.5 seconds. Colella, 63, set his former record of 5:11.73 at the 2012 nationals in Omaha.
Colella’s splits:
Butterfly: 32.15, 36.16
Backstroke: 41.52, 41.29
Breaststroke: 42.43, 43.72
Freestyle: 35.66, 35.26
Colella was back in the pool in the 100 breast, and missed his world record of 1:13.38 with a winning time of 1:13.55.
Hubie Kerns, who already owns the short course meters world record in the 200 IM for the 65-69 age group, added the long course 400 IM world record with a 5:51.91. That time took down George Wendt’s two-year-old record of 5:52.50.
Kerns’ splits:
Butterfly: 35.85, 43.79
Backstroke: 46.83, 45.89
Breaststroke: 49.26, 50.19
Freestyle: 40.01, 40.09
David Quiggin grabbed a second world record at the meet after breaking the 100 free world record yesterday in the 70-74 age group. Quiggin’s 2:24.41 in the 200 free erases David Radcliff’s 2:26.20 from 2008.
Quiggin’s splits:
33.49
37.37 (1:10.86)
38.04
35.51 (1:13:55)
Jack Groselle continued his successful year in the pool, breaking his own world record in the 200 freestyle in the 60-64 age group with a 2:09.24. In June, Groselle posted a 2:10.00 to beat Jim McConica’s former record, and now is the oldest swimmer under the 2:10 barrier.
Groselle’s splits:
29.91
32.03 (1:01.94)
33.83
33.47 (1:07.30)
A day after missing his 50 breast world record by a slim margin, Swimming World Magazine World Masters Swimmer of the Year David Guthrie successfully lowered his own 100 breast record of 1:07.16 from last year to a 1:06.98. At 54 years old, Guthrie was the third-fastest across all age groups in the event, splitting 32.96/34.02.
Two relay world records fell today in the women’s 200 freestyle relay. The first came at the hands of New England Masters, as Jacki Hirsty, Beth Estel, Diann Uustal and Tracy Grilli combined for a 2:07.22 in the 240-279 age group, taking down Pacific Northwest Masters’ record of 2:09.56 from 2012. Splits for Hirsty and Estel were not available, but Uustal posted a 32.02 while Grilli swam a 32.17 on the anchor leg.
Virginia Masters’ foursome of Johnnie Detrick, Beth Schreiner, Terry Sue Gault (35.28) and Marcia Barry (36.10) swam a 2:29.97, good enough to erase the 2:33.19 swum in 2006 by Japan’s Juei Club.
Quiggin contributed to another world record, this time in the men’s 200 freestyle relay for the 280-319 age group. Quiggin swam the leadoff leg of Gold Masters’ team, splitting a 28.64. That isn’t too far from Ian Smith’s 50 free world record of 28.35 in the 70-74 age group. The rest of the world record relay consisted of David Painter (31.16), Keefe Lodwig (29.91) and Lee Childs (27.20) for a final time of 1:56.91. That beat the world record time of 1:59.60 that was set in 2009 by another team from Gold that included Quiggin.
NCAA champion Clay Britt, making his return to Masters Swimming after a long hiatus, chased after Steve Wood’s world record of 28.60 in the 50 backstroke in the 50-54 age group. Britt came up just a bit shot with a 28.77. Also just falling short of a world record was Donald Graham, who posted a 31.71 in the 50 back in the 60-64 age group to miss Hugh Wilder’s record of 31.46.
Unbelievable…you are the man quiggin