By John Lohn
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, August 3. WITH Natalie Coughlin, the world-record holder and queen of the event opting to bypass Nationals, the women's 100-meter backstroke was a wide-open race. Really, there wasn't much consensus as to which athlete would emerge on top. Ultimately, the answer was Longhorn's Hayley McGregory.
Swimming in Lane Two, McGregory got to the wall in 1:00.93, the only swimmer to dip under 1:01. McGregory, third at the 2004 Olympic Trials, was challenged at the wall by Leila Vaziri (Coral Springs), but Vaziri fell just short in 1:01.03. Earlier this year, Vaziri set a world record in the 50 backstroke at the World Championships in Melbourne.
Jenny Connolly, the 17-year-old from Boilermaker Aquatics, was the surprise top seed for the championship final and represented herself admirably by turning in a time of 1:01.38. That outing by Connelly enabled her to place ahead of Mary DeScenza (Athens Bulldogs), who was timed in 1:01.40. Fifth place was secured by Kirsten Shickora (Atlantis) in 1:01.79.
Click here to view event results PDF file.
