Ziegler Sets American Record in 500 Free, Ties National H.S. Record in 200 Free; Good Counsel Sets National Independent Standard in 200 Medley Relay

BOYDS, Maryland, February 26. OFTEN referred to as the finest distance freestyler since Janet Evans, Kate Ziegler erased the legend’s name from the record books on Saturday night. Competing for Bishop O’Connell High at the Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Championships, Ziegler established a new American record in the 500-yard freestyle by clocking an astonishing time of 4:33.35.

Ziegler’s swim, posted at the Germantown Indoor Swim Center, erased the former American mark of Evans, a 4:34.39 effort at the 1990 NCAA Championships. Then, Evans was competing for Stanford University. Ziegler also bettered Evans’ National High School Record of 4:37.30, which had stood since 1988. Ziegler went 4:37.67 in high school competition last year. Ziegler also clocked 1:45.49 for the 200 free, tying the overall national high school record of Rhi Jeffrey. That time, however, was good for a National Independent Schools record.

"You can't get used to the feeling, especially when it's a Janet Evans record,” Ziegler told The Washington Post. “I came in hoping to break the high school record and to get the American record was just the icing on the cake.

One night after Germantown Academy set a National Independent Schools record in the 200 medley relay at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships in Philadelphia, Good Counsel lowered the standard for prep schools as the foursome of Liz Kemp, Colleen Haase, Meg Waters and Kelli Kyle registered a swim of 1:43.51. Germantown Academy had gone 1:43.84. Good Counsel won the meet with 425 points and Kemp took top honors in the 50 free (23.28) and 100 butterfly (55.47). Waters won the 100 free (51.75) and Haase won the 100 breast in a brilliant time of 1:01.56. Kyle took the 100 back with a 56.56 and Good Counsel won the 200 free relay in 1:36.63.

Georgetown Prep won the boys’ team title as Josh Hafkin set meet records in the 100 backstroke (49.51) and 50 free (20.90).

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