Streamlined News: March 19, 2012


PHOENIX, Arizona, March 19. TODAY'S edition of Streamlined News takes you to Australia, United States, Amsterdam and then to South America.

Australia's Olympic Trials are just past their halfway point, but Ian Thorpe's dreams of a third Olympics are over. After finishing out of the top-eight of the 200 free on Friday, Thorpe failed to make the semi-finals of the 100 free on Sunday. Fellow comeback kid Michael Klim did make it into that semi-final, but he finished in 15th and did not contend for an Olympic spot in today's final.

James Magnussen reminded the world who is the reigning world champion in the men's 100 free with a textile best.

Magnussen stunned the world last summer when he captured the world title in the event in front of heavy favorite Cesar Cielo of Brazil. He did it again this evening, when he delivered a reminder of just the type of talent he brings to the table. Magnussen dominated the finale with a blazing time of 47.10. That swim bypassed his lifetime best, which also happens to be the textile best, of 47.49 set as a relay leadoff for Australia at last summer's world championships.

The time shot Magnussen to fourth on the all time ranks, with only three techsuit-era outings ahead of him.

Stephanie Rice will defend her Olympic titles in both IMs in London after winning a highly-anticipated 200 IM final on Sunday. Rice overtook Alicia Coutts down the stretch to win in 2:09.38 and post the top time in the world. World Championships silver medalist Coutts swam a 2:09.83, and the Aussies will have a shot at earning two medals in that event at the Olympics. China's World champion Ye Shiwen and world record-holder Ariana Kukors will be the biggest threats the Aussies must face in London.

Nick D'Arcy initially made the 2008 Olympic team headed for Beijing, but he could not compete after a bar altercation with former swimmer Simon Cowley. D'Arcy escaped a jail sentence but did not get to compete in the World Championships in either 2009 or 2011. D'Arcy then filed for bankruptcy in December, and his eligibility for the Olympic team was in doubt. However, the Australian Olympic Committee cleared D'Arcy to compete at Trials, and he took advantage of his opportunity on Sunday, winning the 200 fly in 1:54.61. With that time he passed Michael Phelps as the top swimmer in the world this year. Not only is D'Arcy going to London, but he could contend for an Olympic medal.

Leisel Jones made her fourth Olympic team on Saturday with a second-place finish in the 100 breast. Jones clocked 1:07.64, nowhere near her lifetime best of 1:05.09 from 2006, but she did enough to secure an Olympic spot. Jones had not lost that race at Nationals in eight years, but Leiston Pickett took her down this year, winning in 1:06.88 to tie world champion Rebecca Soni for the top time in the world.

Cate Campbell, an Olympic bronze medalist, jumped to fourth in the world rankings with a 53.84 to top the semifinal rounds. Only Ranomi Kromowidjojo (53.30), Fran Halsall (53.57) and Melanie Schlanger (53.74) have been faster.

France's Olympic Trials kicked off on Sunday, and one swimmer earned a ticket to London on the first day. Lara Grangeon won the 400 IM in 4:40.12, under France's qualifying standard of 4:41.75. France is requiring swimmers to meet particular time standards in heats, semi-finals, and finals, which has eliminated several swimmers from contention. World championship finalist Sebastian Rouault missed qualifying in the 400 free after missing the cut of 3:48.92 with his 3:49.15.

The Cal women defended their NCAA team title this weekend in Auburn, Alabama, winning their third title in four years. Georgia took second, just as they did last year, and Pac-12 teams USC, Stanford, and Arizona rounded out the top five. Records fell in abundance. On Friday, Cal's Cindy Tran, Caitlin Leverenz, Colleen Fotsch, and Liv Jensen set an American and US Open record of 1:34.24 to win in the 200 medley relay before Katinka Hosszu crushed the US Open record in the 400 IM with a 3:56.54 to obliterate Julia Smit's old record of 3:58.23. Leverenz also got under the old record with a 3:57.89, which stands as the American record.

Megan Romano knocked three tenths of a second off of Dana Vollmer's 200 free American record with a 1:41.21, before Breeja Larson took down Tara Kirk's long-standing 100 breast record with a 57.71. On Saturday, Stephanie Peacock and Wendy Trott started off with more records. Peacock upended three-time defending champion Trott in the women's 1650, 15:38.79 to 15:38.94, as both broke Janet Evans' 22 year old NCAA record of 15:39.14.

Leverenz earned the win in the 200 breast in 2:04.76, just one one-hundredth of a second off of Rebecca Soni's American and US Open record and wrapping up the title of Swimmer of the Meet in the process. Stanford's Samantha Woodward, Madeline Schaefer, Andrea Murez, Elizabeth Webb set an American record of 3:10.77 in the 400 free relay, but Cal had already done enough damage to hang on for the win.

At the NCAA Division II Championships in Mansfield, Texas, Wayne State earned the women's team title. After three years of heartbreaking losses to Drury, Wayne State came out on top by just one point. UC San Diego, Tampa, and Grand Canyon completed the top five. For the men, Drury won its eighth straight title, while UC San Diego took second. Florida Southern, Incarnate World, and Wingate all finished in the top five. The DII record book took a tumble all weekend, including a stellar performance from Wayne State's Andrey Seryy. On Friday, Seryy set a DII record of 1:35.06 in the 200 free, breaking his own 1:35.61 from the day before. He then recorded a 42.61 100 free for another record, chopping three tenths off his time from last year.

Ranomi Kromwidjojo put up some quality sprint times at the Amsterdam Swim Cup over the weekend. Kromowidjojo moved to second in the world in the 50 free with a 24.24, and then she posted a lifetime best of 53.30 in the 100 free for the top time in the world. Femke Heemskerk also swam fast with a 1:56.54 in the 200 free, which puts her sixth in the world. A number of top Europeans competed in Amsterdam this weekend, with names such as Konrad Czerniak, Hannah Miley, and Otylia Jedrzejczak all scoring wins.

Cesar Cielo put on a show at the South American Championships, posting two times that rank first in the world this year. He posted a 21.85 in the 50 free to take down Nathan Adrian's 21.94 from January as the top swim this year and a 23.26 in the 50 fly, well under Matt Targett's 23.51. Cielo also posted a 48.70 in the 100 free, while countryman Thiago Pereira swam an impressive 1:58.49 in the 200 IM for third in the world in 2012.

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