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.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s 800-meter Freestyle<\/b>
\nSwim Pasadena\u2019s 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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Notably, Vanden Berge\u2019s effort would have placed ninth at Senior Nationals.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, The Woodlands\u2019 Gabby Maddelena scored silver in 8:47.69, while SoNoCo Swim Club\u2019s Alicia Mathieu snagged bronze in 8:47.89.<\/p>\n
Overall, the top five swimmers posted Olympic Trial cuts as Arizona Desert Fox\u2019s Alex Clarke (8:50.43) and Long Island\u2019s Elizabeth Goldson (8:50.48) cleared the threshold.<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s 800-meter Freestyle<\/b>
\nAfter finishing fifth in the 1500-meter freestyle at Senior Nationals last week, Mission Viejo\u2019s 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\u2019 Logan Storie last year.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, COSST\u2019s Robert Looney started off the meet with a silver medal by touching in 8:07.90, while Trident Swim Club\u2019s Josef Kinderwater claimed bronze in 8:10.39.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s 200-meter Medley Relay<\/b>
\nSun 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\u2019s side.<\/p>\n
Haley Krakowski led off with a 31.79, before giving way to Mary Olsen\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Texas Gold\u2019s team of Cassandra Cunningham, Alannah Lawrence, Lacey Bobo and Sherrill Thompson took silver in 2:00.26, while Atlantis Aquatics\u2019 squad of Kristen Shickora, Allysa Vavra, Jessica Guro and Taylor Sostarecz garnered bronze in 2:00.54.<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s 200-meter Medley Relay<\/b>
\nThe meet-record book finally stopped taking a beating as Barracuda Swim Team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Aquatics\u2019 team of Tommy Wyher, Corey Swanson, Levi Curnutte and Ryan Stumpf touched second for silver in 1:47.25, while Irvine Novaquatics\u2019 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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