Susan von der Lippe, Paul Smith and Mike Freshley Set Two National Records Each on Day 2 of the USMS Short Course Championships

By Phillip Whitten

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., May 12. FOURTEEN individual and two relay US national records were swept away on Day 2 of the USMS National Championships in Coral Springs, Florida. Three swimmers led the way, racking up two individual records apiece.

Susan von der Lippe
Susan von der Lippe, nee Susan Rapp – a two-time US Olympian – took down two of the toughest records in the women’s 40-44 age group, and she did it with ease. In the 50 yards butterfly, the Colorado Masters superstar flew to a time of 25.40, almost a full second faster than the old record of 26.34, set by Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen in 2003.

Later, von der Lippe, an NCAA champion at Stanford, breezed through the 200 yard breaststroke, splitting 1:05.85 on her way to a 2:17.06. Not only did the time destroy Caroline Krattli’s superb standard of 2:20.13 from 2002, it was also the fastest 200 breast in the meet. In fact, it is quicker than the national records in the 25-29, 30-34 and 35-39 age groups. Von der Lippe also swam a leg on both record-setting relays.

Paul Smith
Joining von der Lippe as a double record-setter today was her Colorado Masters teammate, Paul Smith, 46, who knocked off two national records in the red-hot men’s 45-49 age group.

Smith, a collegiate standout at UCSB, swam a sizzling 23.00 to hack almost half a second from Bill Specht’s mark of 23.48 set in 2003. Specht was second today in 23.89. Today, only one swimmer was faster than Smith. He was Andrew Jergen, whose 22.85 won the 25-29 division. Smith also swam the fly leg on one of the record-setting relays.

No one was faster than Smith in the 200 yard freestyle, where Tall Paul negative-split his way to a brilliant 1:44.39, erasing Jack Groselle’s 1:45.96 set four years ago. Out in 52.36, Smith came back in an amazing 52.13.

Mike Freshley
San Diego’s Mike Freshley was the third double winner today, setting his marks in the 65-69 age group. Freshley began his assault by clocking 27.44 for the 50 fly, taking out Bob Baile’s five year-old mark of 27.75.

In the 200 breast, Freshley became the first man over 65 to crack the 2:40 barrier. Splitting 1:14.76 at the 100, Freshley lit up the scoreboard at 2:38.69, well under Bob Patten’s six year-old standard of 2:43.05.

50 Fly
Aside from the three double record-setters, two other swimmers set national records in the 50 fly. In the women’s 80-84 age group, Flo Carr, SYSM, clocked 54.87, 36-hundredths under Dori Russell’s 55.23 from 2001.

Bob Baile made up for the loss of his 65-69 record for the 50 fly by setting a new one in the men’s 70-74 division. Baile, of WMST, hit the pads in 29.33 seconds, just under Ron Johnson’s former standard of 29.47 set in 2003.

200 Free
In addition to Paul Smith, there were two other swimmers who established national records in the 200 yard freestyle. DC Masters’ Anne Walker was the day’s oldest record-setter as she blew through the eight-lap race in4:42.10, well under the old mark of 4:56.62 set by Julia Dolce in 2002.

The unstoppable Jim McConica disposed with Tim Garton’s superb men’s 55-59 standard of 1:52.90, which had withstood every previous challenge since 1998. Today, McConica, an NCAA champion at USC in his younger days, blasted Garton’s mark with a beautifully paced 1:50.85. McConica split 54.81 – 56.04.

100 Back200 Breast
In addition to Susan von der Lippe’s and Mike Freshley’s barrier-bursting swims, the 200 breast saw six additional swimmers break five national records.

In the women’s 75-79 age group, 77 year-old Nan Bohl, representing MOVY, swam a strong 3:54.80, knocking off the former standard of 3:58.25 set by June Krauser in 2002.

In the men’s 18-24 age group, The Olympic Club’s Gary Marshall, 24, swam the fastest-ever 200 yard breaststroke by a Masters swimmer when he touched in 1:58.34 (split: 55.62). That distinction previously belonged to Ron Karnaugh, whose 1:59.23 from 2001 likely will remain the men’s 35-39 record for some years to come.

Marshall, who graduated from Stanford just two years ago after a sterling NCAA career at Virginia and Stanford, destroyed the 18-24 record of 2:05.93 set by Eric Wyles in 2001.

The race in the men’s 45-49 age group saw two swimmers shatter David Gray’s two year-old standard of 2:14.96: Jon Blank of North Carolina Masters (NCMS) and David Guthrie of the Masters of South Texas (MOST). Actually, Blank had already swum under Gray’s mark with a 2:14.37, but today both Blank and Guthrie were on record pace from the very first stroke.

Blank took the lead at the start and by the halfway mark was more than a second ahead of Guthrie, 1:03.44 to 1:04.55. He stretched his margin to 1.9 seconds at the 150 and appeared to have the race, and the record, locked up. But Guthrie came storming back. At the wall, the margin of victory had been cut to less than half a second, with Blank holding on to win in the new record time of 2:11.46 with Guthrie second in 2:11.94.

The final record swim in the 200 breast was produced by The Olympic Club’s Bob Strand in the 60-64 age group. Today Strand, who had swum well under Dave Gildea’s mark of 2:32.87 from 2004, made sure there was no doubt who the record-holder is.

Swimming smoothly from the start, Strand split a 1:09.30 before gliding home in 2:24.68 to win by almost 10 seconds. Strand now simultaneously holds the national records in three age groups: the 50-54, 55-59 and 60-64.

Relays
Colorado Masters accounted for both relay records set today. In the 35+ 200 yard mixed medley relay, the team of Shari Hart, Susan von der Lippe, and the “Smith Brothers” – Paul and John – clocked 1:40.15 to erase the former mark of 1:41.52 by Arizona Masters in 2004.

Hart and von der Lippe teamed up with Kathy Gerson and Barb Miller to set the day’s final mark, a 1:36.46 for the women’s 25+ 200 yard freestyle relay. The old mark of 1:L37.40 was set by Lone Star Masters back in 1989.

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