Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen, Caroline Krattli Tear into Masters World Records in Tucson

TUCSON, Arizona, August 1. KARLYN Pipes-Neilsen and Caroline Krattli have a lot in common. They both are 45 years old, swim for San Diego Swim Masters (SDSM), have big smiles, warm personalities and when either of them is in the water watch out…they both LOVE to set records.

Last weekend at the Arizona Long Course State Championships held in Tucson, Ariz., at the University of Arizona, a total of seven FINA Masters world records for the 45-49 age group were erased by Pipes-Neilsen (butterfly, backstroke and freestyle) and Krattli (breaststroke).

Leading the way with four new marks, Pipes-Neilsen posted an impressive 29.68 50-meter fly becoming the first 45-year-old female to crack the 30-second barrier in this event. Her time sliced over half a second off the previous world best of 30.20 set by Germany's Angela Zingler in 2001, and a little more off of the USMS record of 30.30 set by Robin Parisi in 2002.

In the 100-meter free, Pipes-Neilsen swam a smooth 1:00.68 bettering Beth Lutz Knight's 1:00.95 world and national standard set in 2005. In the 400-meter free, Pipes-Neilsen swam a 4:38.29, erasing Suzanne Heim-Bowen's global and national record of 4:39.20 set in 2003.

Pipes-Neilsen's final record breaking swim came in the 100-meter backstroke where she posted a 1:10.12, which is just a tick faster than the 1:10.25 she swam at the Mexican Masters Nationals in Cuernevaca in May, and a second faster than the posted world record of 1:11.18 set by Belgium's Vera Capkova. The time also bettered the USMS standard of 1:12.70 done in 1997 by Laura Val.

Not to be outdone by her San Diego teammate, breaststroke queen Caroline Krattli obliterated three global and national standards for the 45-49 age group in her specialty.

In the 50-meter breast, Krattli swam a speedy 34.66 just nicking the previous world best of 34.74 done by Britain's Maggie Kelly in 2001. However, Krattli's time also chopped an impressive two seconds off the USMS record of 36.97 swum by Susan Roy way back on 1994.

Krattli time in the 100-meter breaststroke was a blistering 1:15.81, which took over two seconds off the previous world mark of 1:18.19, also set by Maggie Kelly in 2001. More impressively, Krattli hacked almost six seconds of the USMS standard of 1:21.72 set by Melinda Mann in 2002.

Saving the best for last, Krattli posted a stunning 2:47.89 200-meter breaststroke, taking a whopping eight seconds off of the global standard of 2:55.96 established by Australia's Jenny Whiteley in 2003. As for the USMS national record, it took a 10 second beating and was previously owned by Collette Crabbe with a time of 2:57.24 set in 2001.

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