Colonies Masters Zone Championships Features Six USMS Records

FAIRFAX, Virginia, April 17. THE Colonies Masters Zone Championships featured six USMS records this past weekend. In the team chase, the Virginia Masters Swim Team (VMST) won with 2,730 points, while defending champion Curl-Burke placed second with 720 points.

The 60 and 70-something aged athletes were something indeed, leading the charge with four new United States Masters Swimming (USMS) relay records. Beth Schreiner, a multi-national champion who trains in Fairfax County, swam the anchor leg on three of those relays, each one obliterating the former record by several seconds. Perhaps the most noteworthy performance was turned in by the mixed 65+ 400 yard free relay composed of Harry Sober (65), Johnnie Detrick (72), Art Wolfe (68), and Schreiner (67). Their winning time of 4:36.77 was more than 22 seconds faster than the previous standard set by San Diego Masters last year.

Overall, there were six USMS records established during the three-day meet, and VMST swimmers accounted for five of them. In individual competition, Chris Stevenson, 43, a chemistry professor from Richmond and current world record holder in the 50-100-200 backstroke events (SCM), improved upon his own USMS record in the 200 yard backstroke. He finished in 1:53.29 to crop seven-tenths off his previous mark.

The Colonies zone is composed of teams from the northeastern United States (Virginia to Maine), and the annual short course event dates back to 1987. For the sixth consecutive year, the meet was hosted by Patriot Masters and ably directed by Cheryl and Peter Ward at George Mason University. There were 52 teams and 473 swimmers in attendance.

Special thanks to VMST for contributing this report.

A complete list of all the USMS records set at the meet is included below:

Mixed 65+
Harry Sober, Johnnie Detrick, Art Wolfe, Beth Schreiner
VMST – 400 Yard Free Relay 4:36.77 4/12/2008
(Old record: 4:59.29 4/1/2007 San Diego: Lund, Freshley, Clifford, Best)

Women 65+
Betsy Durrant, Ida Hlavacek, Barbara Zaremski, Beth Schreiner
VMST – 800 Yard Free Relay 12:03.97 4/12/2008
(Old record: 12:14.80 4/16/1989 Santa Barbara: Erickson, Altus, Baar, La Chasse)

Women 65+
Barbara Zaremski, Betsy Durrant, Johnnie Detrick, Beth Schreiner
VMST – 400 Yard Free Relay 5:19.35 4/13/2008
(Old record: 5:32.88 4/16/1989 Santa Barbara: Erickson, Altus, Baar, La Chasse)

Men 40-44
Chris Stevenson – VMST – 200 Yard Backstroke 1:53.29 4/12/2008 (Old record: 1:53.99 3/11/2007 Chris Stevenson)

Men 65-69
Louis Kronfeld – New England Masters (NEM) – 50 Yard Breaststroke 32.59 4/13/2008 (Old record: 32.91 5/18/1997 Nick Templeman)

Men 65+
Harry Sober, Warner Brundage, Art Wolfe, Ed Gaulrapp
VMST – 400 Yard Medley Relay 5:01.35 4/12/2008
(Old record: 5:02.76 4/9/2000 Walnut Creek: Brown, Nieman, Morner, Mayo)

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