Women’s NCAAs, Day 2: Natalie Holds On to Nip Dana Kirk, Sets an NCAA Mark in the 100 Fly

By Phillip Whitten

100 meter butterfly
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, March 19. WHICH Natalie would show up for the 100 fly?. For three sessions here, Cal’s Natalie Coughlin had been less than spectacular; she’d only been great. Expectations for the cal senior are so high, that being “only” great was a disappointment to many – though not to Nat or her coach, Teri McKeever.

In the prelims of the 100 fly, Stanford’s Dana Kirk had tied Natalie for the top spot at an NCAA record 57.69. Could either girl go faster?

Natalie, for one, intended to try. She rocketed into the lead at the start, with only Arizona’s Whitney Myers able to stay close. Kirk, by contrast, was crunched at the start and found herself near the back of the pack.

Coughlin went for her own world record of 56.34, splitting 26.21 at 50 meters – some eight-tenths under her own record-pace. But she couldn’t keep it up, and Kirk kept creeping up, inexorably, stroke after stroke.

Until she ran out of pool.

At the wall, Natalie touched in 56.88, an NCAA record, while Kirk was 57.16, well under the previous mark. Georgia’s Mary Descenza was third in 57.79.

Kirk’s second 50 split of 30.05 seconds was, by far, the fastest second 50.

Official Results: 100-Meter Butterfly Finals

EVENT: 9 WOMEN's 100 Meter Butterfly

NCAA Record: :56.34 Natalie Coughlin Cal. Berkeley 2002
NCAA Meet Record: :57.97 Limin Liu Nevada 2000
World Record: :56.34 Natalie Coughlin Cal. Berkeley 2002
American Record: :56.34 Natalie Coughlin Cal. Berkeley 2002
US Open Record: :56.34 Natalie Coughlin Cal. Berkeley 2002
QUALIFYING FOR "A" Cut: :53.75
QUALIFYING FOR This Meet: :54.62

RESULTS of FINALS

RANK NAME YEAR TEAM PRELIM TIME

CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

1) COUGHLIN, NATALIE SR CALIFORNIA :57.69 :56.88**
:26.21 :30.67
** NCAA Meet Record:
2) KIRK, DANA SO STANFORD :57.69 :57.16
:27.11 :30.05
3) DESCENZA, MARY SO GEORGIA :58.61 :57.79
:27.24 :30.55
4) MYERS, WHITNEY FR ARIZONA :58.62 :58.06
:27.31 :30.75
5) CHRISTIANSON,DEMERA SR AUBURN :58.80 :58.75
:28.04 :30.71
6) LEE, GEORGINA SR SOUTHERN METHOD. :59.16 :59.38
:27.83 :31.55
7) HARM, TRICIA SO GEORGIA :59.48 1:00.04
:28.12 :31.92
8) KROHN, JANA SR SOUTHERN CAL. :59.45 1:00.23
:28.05 :32.18

CONSOLATION FINAL

9) VANDENBERG, KIM SO UCLA :59.50 :59.36
:28.24 :31.12
10) BONCHER, BROOKE SO RICHMOND :59.94 :59.54
:27.67 :31.87
11) CATALANO, SHANNON SR PACIFIC :59.71 :59.69
:28.37 :31.32
12) WANEZEK, SARAH JR TEXAS :59.59 :59.77
:27.84 :31.93
13) LEWIS, KRISTEN SR UCLA :59.61 :59.83
:27.86 :31.97
14) WEILBACHER, ANNE SR MICHIGAN :59.92 1:00.08
:28.57 :31.51
15) KORNIYENKO, TANYA SR OAKLAND 1:00.07 1:00.12
:28.19 :31.93
16) MYCO, RACHEL FR GEORGIA 1:00.00 1:00.42
:28.15 :32.27

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