USA Short Course Nationals: Dagny Knutson Sets American Record in 400 IM

ATLANTA, Georgia, December 5. THE second night of finals witnessed the continued emergence of Dagny Knutson at the USA Swimming Short Course Nationals held in Atlanta.

Knutson, who has had a meteoric rise within the ranks of U.S. women's swimming, claimed the American record previously set by Olympian Katie Hoff in the 400-yard IM.

Women's 200 medley relay
KING's foursome of Leona Jennings, Ariana Kukors, Lindsey Marchand and Kim Jasmer claimed the sprint medley title in 1:38.74, while Florida's Gemma Spofforth, Lindsay Rogers, Julianne Lago and Stephanie Napier took second in 1:39.32. Auburn's Rachel Goh, Micah Lawrence, Alana Dillette and Melissa Marik rounded out the top three in 1:40.01.

Men's 200 medley relay
Auburn's Kohlton Norys, Michael Silva, Matt Targett and Gideon Louw claimed the title in 1:26.91 with Louw dropping a strong anchor leg of 19.25. Georgia Tech's Ilia Ayzenshtok, Mickey Malul, Sullivan Lynch and Mauricio Sousa placed second in 1:27.29, while Michigan's Alon Mandel, James Ridgeway, Chris Brady and Bobby Savulich took third in 1:27.90.

Women's 400 IM
Swimming prodigy Dagny Knutson smoked the field in the distance medley to clip the American record in the event with a time of 4:00.62. That performance cleared the American standard of 4:00.66 set by Katie Hoff last December.

"It hasn't hit me yet," Knuston told USA Swimming after she broke the American record. "I'm kind of in shock. I was going for a personal best time, and I was pretty confident that I would beat that time this morning but I didn't expect to go this fast."

Ava Ohlgren of Auburn took second in 4:06.80, while Kirstie Chen of La Mirada finished third in 4:12.21.

Men's 400 IM
Trojan's Hidemasa Sano overtook Michigan's Tyler Clary, 3:39.97 to 3:40.96, to grab the overall title in the event. Nick D'Innocenzo of Magnus placed third in 3:43.36 to round out the podium.

Women's 100 fly
Athens Bulldog Mary DeScenza used a superior backhalf to win in 51.78, while KING's Lindsey Marchand placed second in 52.30. Rachel Komisarz captured the final podium spot with a time of 52.51.

Men's 100 fly
Tucson Ford's Masayuki Kishida came from behind with a triumphant time of 45.20. Training partner Matt Grevers claimed second in 45.47, while New Trier's Kyle Bubolz, Grevers' former training partner at Northwestern, took third in 45.61.

Women's 200 freestyle
Dagny Knutson of Minot claimed a difficult double victory for the evening with a top time of 1:42.83. Athens Bulldog Mary DeScenza continued picking up top-three finishes with a 1:43.93 for second, while Longhorn Samantha Tucker took third in 1:44.54.

Men's 200 freestyle
Daytona Beach's Ryan Lochte just missed the American record with a lightning fast time of 1:32.40. Not bad for a guy that has only been back in the pool for less than two weeks after Beijing. Michigan's Matt Patton (1:34.98) and Charlie Houchin (1:35.23) touched second and third in the event.

Women's 100 breaststroke
Suburban's Corrie Clark held off KING's Ariana Kukors, 59.82 to 59.98, for the title. Lakeside's Elizabeth Tinnon finished third in 1:00.35.

Men's 100 breaststroke
American-record holder Mike Alexandrov scared his national record with a time of 51.82 for the victory. SwimMAC's Mark Gangloff finished second in 52.13, while Longhorn Eric Shanteau placed third in 53.07.

Women's 100 backstroke
Athens Bulldog Mary DeScenza won during her third swim of the night with a time of 52.49. KING's Ariana Kukors touched second in 53.03, while Auburn's Margo McCawley finished third in 53.29.

Men's 100 backstroke
Daytona Beach's Ryan Lochte turned on the afterburners in the final 25 yards to win in 45.37. He overtook Tucson Ford's Matt Grevers (45.48) and Indiana's Ben Hesen (45.99), who both led throughout the race, yet settled for second and third.

Women's 800 free relay
Auburn's quartet of Ava Ohlgren, Maggie Bird, Melissa Marik and Caitlin Geary won in 7:05.80, while Florida's Shara Stafford, Teresa Crippen, Stephanie Proud and Laurabeth Guenthner finished second in 7:09.79. Auburn's B squad of Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Julianne McLane, Emile Ewing and Chelsea Haser wound up third in 7:11.49.

Men's 800 free relay
Michigan's team of Andre Schultz, Adam DeJong, Charlie Houchin and Matt Patton captured the title in 6:20.86, while Florida's Bradley Ally, Shaune Fraser, Roland Rudolf and Balazs Gercsak placed second in 6:25.25. Auburn's quartet of William Dove, Matt Targett, Gideon Louw and Tyler McGill touched third in 6:27.07.

Full Results

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