COLLEGE STATION, Texas, March 20. WITH studs like Stanford's Elaine Breeden and California's Dana Vollmer in the heat, Vollmer's teammate Amanda Sims pulled off a surprising victory in the women's 100 fly.
Sims clocked a 51.28 for the win, off her preliminary swim of 51.12, but it was good enough to be called national champion.
Breeden wound up second in 51.34, while California's Hannah Wilson took third in 51.47. Vollmer, the 2007 champion, finished fourth in 51.69.
The margin of victory of .06 seconds for Sims proved to be the closest in the NCAA history of the event. Previously, California's Mary T. Meagher (53.50) prevailed over Cincinnati's Caroline Cooper (53.58) by .08 back in 1985.
The title gave California its eighth 100 fly NCAA crown in school history, which tied it with Stanford for the most by any single school. Former winners for the Golden Bears were Meagher (1985, 87), Natalie Coughlin (2001-04) and Vollmer in 2007.
California's dominant effort in the event moved it into the lead with 207 points, while Arizona sat second with 196.5 points. Georgia (173), Stanford (167) and Auburn (132) comprised the rest of the top five.
