Meet Record Book Takes Pounding During Day One of Junior Nationals

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 7 THE meet record book encountered a heavy amount of erasing as the 2006 Speedo USA Swimming Junior National Championships got underway on Monday. Overall, three records went down out of four chances.

Women’s 800-meter Freestyle
Swim Pasadena’s Samantha Vanden Berge tore through the rest of the field in the 800 free as she downed the previous meet standard of 8:43.49 set by North Coast Aquatics’ Blake Hayter last year at Junior Nationals. Overall, Vanden Berge touched in 8:43.27 after being the only competitor who went out under 30-seconds for the first 50 meters. She never looked back.

Holding a 33-second pace throughout the race (33.39 was her slowest split) she kicked into high gear at the 550-meter mark. Vanden Berge continually lowered her pace until dropping the hammer with a 32.46 in the final 50 to secure the meet title.

Notably, Vanden Berge’s effort would have placed ninth at Senior Nationals.

Meanwhile, The Woodlands’ Gabby Maddelena scored silver in 8:47.69, while SoNoCo Swim Club’s Alicia Mathieu snagged bronze in 8:47.89.

Overall, the top five swimmers posted Olympic Trial cuts as Arizona Desert Fox’s Alex Clarke (8:50.43) and Long Island’s Elizabeth Goldson (8:50.48) cleared the threshold.

Men’s 800-meter Freestyle
After finishing fifth in the 1500-meter freestyle at Senior Nationals last week, Mission Viejo’s Chad La Tourette picked up gold in 8:01.75 at Juniors tonight. La Tourette held a pretty consistent pace of 30 seconds per 50-meters throughout the 12th heat en route to capturing the title in a meet-record effort. His time eclipsed the previous standard of 8:12.63 set by Corvallis Aquatics’ Logan Storie last year.

Meanwhile, COSST’s Robert Looney started off the meet with a silver medal by touching in 8:07.90, while Trident Swim Club’s Josef Kinderwater claimed bronze in 8:10.39.

Women’s 200-meter Medley Relay
Sun Devil Aquatics erased the meet record of 2:00.20 set last year by the Lake Country Swim Team with a 1:59.95 to become the first sub-two-minute 200-meter relay in meet history on the women’s side.

Haley Krakowski led off with a 31.79, before giving way to Mary Olsen’s 33.96 in the second leg. Whitney Lopus turned up the heat a notch with a 28.08 in the third leg, before Traycie Swartz brought it home with an incredible 26.12.

Texas Gold’s team of Cassandra Cunningham, Alannah Lawrence, Lacey Bobo and Sherrill Thompson took silver in 2:00.26, while Atlantis Aquatics’ squad of Kristen Shickora, Allysa Vavra, Jessica Guro and Taylor Sostarecz garnered bronze in 2:00.54.

Men’s 200-meter Medley Relay
The meet-record book finally stopped taking a beating as Barracuda Swim Team’s contingent of Jonathan LaRocque, Bradley Craig, Gabriel Strickler and Morgan Priestley missed the standard of 1:47.02 set by Lakeside Swim Team last year by .2 seconds with a 1:47.22.

LaRocque opened the title-winning race with a 27.78, before Craig stopped the clock at the halfway mark with a 29.36. Strickler posted a 25.84 in the butterfly leg, while Priestley tore home in 24.24 on the anchor leg.

Tampa Bay Aquatics’ team of Tommy Wyher, Corey Swanson, Levi Curnutte and Ryan Stumpf touched second for silver in 1:47.25, while Irvine Novaquatics’ grabbed bronze as Aaron Casey, John Criste, Collin Gladys and Antonio Cisneros placed third just behind with a 1:47.26 in front of a hometown crowd.

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