Five Masters World Records Fall at Arizona Short Course Meters State Championships

By Phillip Whitten

TEMPE, Arizona, October 8. FIVE Masters world records were swept into the dustbin of swimming history last weekend to highlight a very fast Arizona Short Course Meters State Championships, held at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Curiously, all five of the old records were bettered by the listed record-holder.

The indomitable Ron Johnson, 72, lowered three of his own records in the 70-74 age group and just missed two others, while the San Diego Swim Masters' women's 160+ relay team accounted for the other two global marks.

Johnson set records in the 50 meter free, where his 28.55 lowered his standard of 28.68 from 2001. In the 100 breast he touched in 1:25.11 (split: 39.66), destroying his old mark of 1:25.87 set two years ago. Finally, he clocked 3:12.98 (split: 1:31.64) in the 200m breaststroke, half a second faster than his 3:13.45 from '01. Johnson also just missed breaking his own records in the 50 and 100 fly.

A San Diego Swim Masters quartet in the 160+ age group made short shrift of the long-standing world marks set by San Diego Swim Masters teams in both the 200m freestyle and 200m medley relay.

In the 200m free, the SDSM ladies actually broke the seven year-old mark of 1:54.94 twice. The first time the team of Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen, Caroline Krattli, Vicky Davidson and Janet Cover clocked 1:53.80. But an official measurement found the pool to be one centimeter short in their lane (actually, the first three lanes). When they reswam the event, the fast San Diego women went even faster — 1:53.36.

In the 200m medley relaay, the same squad took two seconds off the record set in 1996 by another San Diego team. Karlynn Pipes-Neilsen (back, 31.56), Caroline Krattli (breast, 33.92), Vicky Davidson (fly, 30.15) and Janet Cover (free, 30.46) touched in a record 2:06.09.

Ron Johnson at 2003 scm SW Zone Meet at ASU

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