CHARLOTTE , N.C., June 11. AFTER a lengthy delay due to severe thunderstorms in the area, Club Wolverine concluded a dominant weekend of competition at the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday with five event titles on the day. Additionally, four meet records fell during the last day of action at the Charlotte UltraSwim.
The UltraSwim is the latest tune-up for this summer's United States Nationals in Irvine, Calif. That meet will serve as the selection competition for the Pan Pacific Championships and also will influence the selection of the U.S. squad for the 2007 World Champs in Melbourne.
Women's 1,500-meter freestyle
Club Wolverine's Hayley Peirsol opened the final day of competition at the UltraSwim with a meet-record time in the 1,500-meter freestyle. With second-place Flavia Rigamonti providing the motivation, Peirsol clocked a 16:08.25 to erase Rigamonti's three-year-old standard at the meet. Meanwhile, Rigamonti touched in 16:11.99, while West Shore YMCA’s Leah Gingrich placed third in a National cut time of 16:55.32. Dallas Mustang Anja Carman offered the other National cut with a fourth-place 16:56.30.
Meanwhile, five other swimmers qualified for Junior Nationals in the event.
Men's 800-meter freestyle
Club Wolverine scored another distance gold as Peter Vanderkaay raced to a meet-record time of 7:58.04 to rub out a three-year-old standard of 8:01.80, previously held by Germantown's Fran Crippen. Vanderkaay's teammates, Erik Vendt (8:03.79), Klete Keller (8:04.40) and Matt Patton (8:10.63), provided Club Wolverine with a top-four sweep while eclipsing the National cut threshold. Additionally, Cape Cod's Tobias Work qualified for Nationals with a
fifth-place 8:18.33.
Women's 200-meter IM
The Club Wolverine parade continued as Kaitlin Sandeno never trailed en route to an Olympic Trials cut of 2:18.16. Meanwhile, California's Jessica Hardy placed second in an Olympic Trials time of 2:19.07, while Germantown's Teresa Crippen posted a third-place Olympic Trials cut of 2:19.65. Sandeno's teammate, Justine Mueller, tied for third with an Olympic Trials cut of her own in 2:19.65. Moreover, Kara Denby registered a National cut of 2:21.11 for fifth place.
Men's 200-meter IM
No one could stop Club Wolverine as Michael Phelps obliterated the meet record in the 200 IM. He clocked an Olympic Trials cut time of 2:00.39 to best previous record holder Ron Karnaugh of Mission Viejo, who touched in 2:02.78 in 1992.
Pat Mellors placed a distant second in a National cut time of 2:07.57, while Raleigh's Jon Roberts took third in a National cut of 2:07.77. Two other swimmers qualified for Nationals as Club Wolverine's Alex Vanderkaay placed fourth in 2:07.93, while Falcon's Cody Weik nabbed fifth in 2:08.47.
Women's 200-meter backstroke
Crippen broke the Club Wolverine streak with a come-from-behind triumph in the 200 back. The Germantown swimmer touched in an Olympic Trials cut time of 2:14.90, while 13-year-old Elizabeth Beisel of Bluefish placed second with an Olympic Trials time of 2:15.19. Erin Volcan snared third with her own Olympic Trials cut of 2:16.01.
Men's 200-meter backstroke
Northern Kentucky Clipper Cory Chitwood raced to gold in one of the closest battles of the night. The 17-year-old clocked an Olympic Trials cut time of 2:03.72, while Bluefish's David Russell swam in for a second-place 2:03.83 to also clear the Olympic Trials cut. Auburn's Doug Van Wei rounded out the top three with an Olympic Trials time of 2:04.54, while Vendt clocked a National cut of 2:07.09 for fourth.
Women's 100-meter freestyle
SwimAtlanta's Amanda Weir downed a 10-year-old meet record in the 100 free with an Olympic Trials time of 55.11. The effort surpassed Jenny Thompson's 1996 mark of 55.45. Meanwhile, three other swimmers recorded Olympic Trials cuts as California's Emily Silver (56.10), Athens Bulldog Kara Lynn Joyce (56.21) and Club Wolverine's Lindsey Smith (57.05) closed out the top four in the event.
Men's 100-meter freestyle
Club Wolverine concluded the meet victorious as Phelps cruised to gold in an Olympic Trials cut time of 50.41. N.C. State's Cullen Jones almost pulled the upset with an Olympic Trials cut of 50.60 after leading halfway through the race. Meanwhile, Peter Vanderkaay snared third with an Olympic Trials time of 51.31.