Coughlin, Kerekjarto Win Two on Second Day of Speedo Grand Challengez

By Phillip Whitten

LOS ANGEES, May 24. Natalie Coughlin and Tamas Kerekjarto each won two events to highlight the second day of competition at the Speedo Grand Challenge at the McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium in Los Angeles. Lindsay Benko, who won the 400 free yesterday in a swift 4:11.82, took the 200 today in 2:00.36.

Coughlin, who yesterday won the 200 meter backstroke, took the 100 meter event today ahead of Cal Aquatics teammate Hayley Cope. Coughlin was out in a fast 30.40, more than a second faster than Cope's 31.56. The two womeen split identical 32.35s for the second 50, with Coughlin grabbing the win in 1:02.75 to Cope's 1:03.91.

Coughlin came back to win the 100 fly in convincing style against a tough field. Touching in 59.96, she
led Bethany Goodwin (1:01.01), Jana Krohn (1:02.14), Kim Vandenberg (1:02.30) and Michala Kwasny (1:02.44) to the wall.

Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen, 41, who finished in 1:05.67, set a Masters national record for women 40-44 with her 1:05.39 in prelims. Her old mark was 1:05.45.

Kerekjarto also faced down a stacked field with his win in the 200 free. The Hungarian took the lead after the first turn and clocked 1:51.52 to beat Ryk Neethling 91:52.28), Chad Carvin (1:52.98), Mark Warkentin (1:53.12), Scott Tucker (1:52.16), Ous Mellouli (1:53.38) and Larsen Jensen 91:54.89), among others.

Kerekjarto came back to take the day's last event, the 400m IM, clocking 4:26.44, to edge Trojan teammate Mellouli, 4:27.40.

In the women's 200 free, Lindsay Benko took the lead at the 75 meter mark and gradually stretched it out. Her 2:00.36 was just over a second ahead of Colleen Lanne (2:01.54) and Kaitlin Sandeno (2:01.70). In prelims, Pipes-Neilsen set a 40-44 Masters mark with her 2:09.00.

Sandeno came back to win the 400 IM in 4:48.74, outlasting Adrienne Binder (4:51.16), Michala Kwasny (4:53.25) and Hayley Peirsol (4:54.30).

The men's breaststroke sprint was won by Dave Denniston in a meet record 29.50, just ahead of
NOVA's Marco Gonzalez, 29.57.

The women's 50m breaststroke fell to Olympian Stacianna Stitts in 33.02, after she posted a 32.78 in the semis.

Croatia's Gordan Kozulj, swimming for Cal Aquatics, added the men's 100m backstroke to the 200m crown he won yesterday. His time, 55.84, was more than a second faster than teammate's Alex Lim's 56.97.

Russia's Igor Martchenko, also swimming for Cal Aquatics, took the men's 100m fly in a meet record 53.91. Nova's Michael Cavic was second in 54.40 followed by Roland Schoeman (54.66) and Andy Haidinyak (55.87). Forty-five year-old Paul Carter placed 21st with his 57.57.

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