NISCA All-American Showcase: Janet Evans, Jason Lancaster Broke Barriers in the 200 IM Historically

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 10. AS part of our 11-day series highlighting the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association’s release of the 2013-14 All-America lists, Swimming World will also be looking at the history of each event that is part of the high school schedule. Today, we’re looking at the 200-yard IM. Our featured swimmers both broke barriers in high school swimming within the event.

In 1994, Carmel’s Jason Lancaster became the first high schooler to break 1:47 in the 200-yard IM with a 1:46.90, and no one else was even close that year. Kingwood’s Chris Counts had the second-fastest time in the prep ranks that year and that was a 1:49.04.

Lancaster, who would go on to swim for Michigan, watched his record stand for 14 years, when a fellow Michigan Man in Kyle Whitaker took it down with a 1:46.75 while swimming for another Indiana high school in Chesterton in 2008.

Whitaker, and subsequently David Nolan, would take the record to a new stratosphere during a four-year run of world-class swimming with Nolan finishing his career with a 1:41.39 in 2011. But, prior to Whitaker, Lancaster stood atop the high school world for more than a decade.

Lancaster’s time of 1:46.90 would actually have finished 11th in the high school rankings this year, just outside the top 10 anchored by Blake Pieroni’s 1:46.78, another Indiana-based swimmer from Chesterton.

BOYS 200 IM TOP TIMES PER YEAR
1974, 1:53.2, Bruce Furniss, Foothill
1975, 1:51.83, Bruce Furniss, Foothill
1976, 1:53.37, Scott Spann, Jacksonville-Episcopal
1977, 1:52.22, Michael Saphir, Awalt
1979, 1:51.98, Jesse Vassallo, Mission Viejo
1979, 1:49.80, John Simons, Brophy Prep
1979, 1:49.80, Jesse Vassallo, Mission Viejo
1980, 1:49.39, Chris Cavanaugh, Lynbrook
1981, 1:50.19, Ricardo Prado, Mission Viejo
1982, 1:48.97, Mark Rhodenbaugh, Cincinnati Oak Hills
1983, 1:50.28, Craig Popp, El Toro
1984, 1:50.81, Todd Hickman, Mission Viejo
1985, 1:49.78, Douglas Gjertsen, Stratford
1986, 1:48.23, David Wharton, Germantown
1987, 1:48.83, Darren Ward, Sonora
1988, 1:49.24, Greg Schaffer, Bellarmine
1989, 1:47.98, Greg Burgess, Bolles School
1990, 1:49.47, Matt Brunsman, Yellow Springs
1991, 1:48.47, Wyatt Russo, Plano
1992, 1:47.59, Wyatt Russo, Plano
1993, 1:47.65, Chris Rumley, Clovis West
1994, 1:46.90, Jason Lancaster, Carmel
1995, 1:47.40, Nuk Sirisanont, Bolles School
1996, 1:48.08, Joey Montague, Cypress Creek
1997, 1:47.13, Alex Lopez, Bolles School
1998, 1:47.58, Joey Montague, Cypress Creek
1999, 1:47.70, Tony Kurth, St. Francis DeSales
2000, 1:47.63, Mark Gangloff, Akron Firestone
2001, 1:48.15, Dan Trupin, Champaign Central
2002, 1:47.86, Eric Shanteau, Parkview
2003, 1:47.31, Keenan Newman, Davis
2004, 1:49.05, Geoff Rathgeber, Hotchkiss
2005, 1:48.22, Nate Cass, Upper Arlington
2006, 1:47.71, Mark Solfelt, Eden Prairie
2007, 1:49.25, John Criste, Mission Viejo
2008, 1:46.75, Kyle Whitaker ,Chesterton
2009, 1:45.25, Kyle Whitaker, Chesterton
2010, 1:43.43, David Nolan, Hershey
2011, 1:41.39, David Nolan, Hershey
2012, 1:47.52, Steven Stumph, Campolindo
2013, 1:45.01, Curtis Ogren, Saint Francis
2014, 1:44.90, Curtis Ogren, Saint Francis

When most people think about Janet Evans, they focus on her transcendent efforts in distance freestyle events in the 80s. It’s pretty hard not to when you focus on the fact that she set world and American records in those events. What tends to get a bit lost at times is that she was a world-class IMer as well. She even won the gold medal in the 400 IM at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

During her high school years at El Dorado, Evans ruled the roost in the 200 IM as the only person to ever have the top time in high school three years running in the event. Natalie Coughlin would later put up the fastest time in three separate years as well, but Kaitlin Sandeno broke up the potential streak.

Not only did Evans pull off a rare three-straight performance, she capped her high school IM career with the first sub-2:00 in high school competition. She raced her way to a 1:59.96. That record didn’t stand as long as her distance freestyle marks in high school, as Kristine Quance dipped under it in 1993 with a 1:59.53, but Evans still was the first to break the big barrier.

In fact, Evans’ 1:59.96 from 1989 would place her 12th in the nation this year in high school, a full 25 years later.

GIRLS 200 IM TOP TIMES PER YEAR
1974, 2:08.9, Julie Teeters, Wolfson
1975, 2:07.98, Julie Teeters, Wolfson
1976, 2:07.66, Susan Bird, Miraleste
1977, 2:05.20, Donnalee Wennerstrom, Chatsworth
1978, 2:02.633, Tracy Caulkins, Harpeth Hall
1979, 2:02.06, Cynthia Woodhead, Riverside Poly
1980, 2:02.47, Cynthia Woodhead, Riverside Poly
1981, 2:02.68, Patty Clark, Cardinal Newman
1982, 2:03.691, Patty Gavin, Haverford
1983, 2:01.88, Karin Werth, Mission Viejo
1984, 2:02.37, Karin Werth, Mission Viejo
1985, 2:03.68, Amy White, University
1986, 2:02.17, Michelle Griglione, TC Williams
1987, 2:02.80, Janet Evans, El Dorado
1988, 2:00.72, Janet Evans, El Dorado
1989, 1:59.96, Janet Evans, El Dorado
1990, 2:02.81, BJ Bedford, Peddie School
1991, 2:01.69, Indira Allick, James Madison
1992, 2:02.24, Kristine Quance, Granada Hills
1992, 2:02.24, Jodi Nayta, Peddie School
1993, 1:59.53, Kristine Quance, Granada Hills
1994, 2:01.56, Alegra Breaux, Stratford
1995, 1:58.91, Alison Wagner, Eastside
1996, 1:59.82, Emily Mastin, Xavier Prep
1997, 1:59.83, Natalie Coughlin, Carondelet
1998, 1:58.84, Natalie Coughlin, Carondelet
1999, 2:00.19, Kaitlin Sandeno, El Toro
2000, 1:58.45, Natalie Coughlin, Carondelet
2001, 1:58.76, Tami Ransom, Ursuline
2002, 2:00.33, Leah Retrum, Columbus North
2003, 1:59.46, Megan Tomes, Anderson
2004, 1:59.91, Yi Ting Siow, Bolles School
2005, 1:59.11,Julia Smit, Mount Sinai
2006, 1:58.29, Julia Smit, Mount Sinai
2007, 1:57.41, Mary Beck, Westlake
2008, 1:56.45, Mary Beck, Westlake
2009, 1:56.93, Dagny Knutson, Minot
2010, 1:53.82, Dagny Knutson, Minot
2011, 1:57.74, Emily Cameron, Warwick
2012, 1:58.19, Charlotte Meyer, Walt Whitman
2013, 1:55.15, Ella Eastin, Crean Lutheran
2014, 1:56.54, Ella Eastin, Crean Lutheran

2013-14 NISCA Girls High School All-Americans

2013-14 NISCA Boys High School All-Americans

NOTE: All America times have to be submitted to NISCA by a certain deadline in order to make the 2014 All-American list. Coaches can submit times here: http://www.niscaonline.org/aaswimming/. Corrections can also be submitted to NISCA via three emails: Boys Swimming contact: boysswaa@niscaonline.org; Girls Swimming contact: girlsswaa@niscaonline.org; Boys and Girls Diving contact: aadiving@niscaonline.org

This is the third day of what will be an 11-day showcase of the NISCA All-American program. Swimming World is proud to partner with NISCA to provided a global spotlight on high school swimming in the U.S., and will be talking to some of the top movers and shakers in high school swimming this week as part of the Morning Swim Show. Additionally, we’ll be taking a look back at some of the best of the best high school swimmers historically.

To access high school All-Americans all the way back through 1974, purchase back issues of Swimming World Magazine!

For more incredible high school content, make sure to subscribe to Swimming World TODAY to make sure you get our High School Swimmers of the Year (August) and High School National Champions of the Year (September) issues.

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