BALTIMORE, Md., Febraury 18. USC's Erik Vendt has probably never heard of Johns Hopkins senior distance specialist Scott Armstrong.<\/p>\n
And that's too bad because they may develop a very close relationship come April in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
Vendt, the national collegiate leader in the 1650 free and defending NCAA Division 1 champ, will be favored in the 1500 free come the U.S. Nationals in speedway city the first week of "the cruelest month."<\/p>\n
But Mr.Armstrong may just give him a run for the mile free gold if what he's done so far this collegiate season is any indication.<\/p>\n
Back in December, Armstrong, a Hopkins Blue Jay senior from Medford Lakes, NJ, who was runner-up in the 500-1650 frees at last season's NCAA DIII Championships, broke the divisional record in the mile by a cool five seconds-plus with his 15:20.62 at the Miami (OH) Invitational Dec. 5 in Oxford..<\/p>\n
Armstrong's clocking broke the old NCAA DIII record of 15:25.75 by Kenyon senior Mike Bonomo from last year's championshiups. Armstrong chased the winner home and finished a close second in a then pr and Hopkins record 15:27.80.<\/p>\n
The 6-3, 170-pound Blue Jay senior also swam division-leading times of 3:58.31 for the 400 IM and 4:27.52 for the 500 free at Oxford, and will likely be seeded No. 1 in each when this season's meet begins in another month at Emory University in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
His IM clocking was a pr and Hopkins record too. His 500 time was a couple of seconds off his pr-JHU standard of 4:25.7 that got him No. 2 at last year's NCAAs. <\/p>\n
However, the race's winner, U Cal Santa Cruz freshman Ben Weston (4:25.16), will be back to dcfend his crown so Armstrong's not home free by any stretch of the imagination. <\/p>\n
The DIII 500 record, 4:24.59 by Kenyon's Dennis Mulvihill, has been on the books for 15 long years — having been swum at the 1988 Championships. The divisional standard in the 400 IM — which Armstrong did not swim last season, opting for the 200 free instead — is 3:54.88 by yet another Kenyon star, Brett Holcomb, from two years ago.<\/p>\n
Armstrong, who is featured in this week's Sports Illustrated<\/i>'s "Faces in the Crowd" section, has already had success at Emory's pool. He won the 1650 there at an invitational the second weekend of November.<\/p>\n
As for the possible matchup with Vendt at Nationals, Armstrong laughs. "I just want to win NCAAs, that's my only goal right now."<\/p>\n
Until perhaps the late '80s-early '90s, the NCAA allowed championions from its DII-III meets to swim at the DI meet if they met the qualifying standard. Now, however, an athlete must meet the qualifying standard in-season. Since the rule's passage none have.<\/p>\n
The NCAA auto cut for the 1650 free is 15:01.39. Provisional is 15:28.43 but to enter "The Big Show" Armstrong would have to have an auto cut in another event. At present, neither he nor any other DIII swimmer has such.<\/p>\n
— Bill Bell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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