A national without the oomph!

Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, Jun 1999 by Lydersen, Kari

The Phillips 66 National Championships aren't likely to be-remembered fos abundance ol.fast times, but,-instead, for some exciting races and new faces.

LONG ISLAND, N.Y.-"It doesn't have the oomph of a summer nationals," said 400 free winner and comeback kid Chad Carvin.

"We just wanted to come and have fun," said 200 free champ Lindsay Benko.

"I wasn't sure whether I would come or not; it took me a few days to decide," said 100-200 fly victor Misty Hyman.

"It's a lot slower than I expected," added 100 back winner B.J. Bedford.

These remarks expressed the general sentiment about the Phillips 66 National Championships, held March 28-April 1. And there were legitimate reasons for the lackluster atmosphere: : No national teams were chosen from the results of this meet; : Many top-name stars were competing at the Short Course World Championships in Hong Kong; : Many college swimmers took a break after their NCAA Championships.

Overall, the meet (which was swum long course) was slow, yet there were still some standout swims at the less-than-year-old Nassau Aquatic Center pool that opened with the Goodwill Games last summer.

Most striking of all was Lenny Krayzelburg's American record in the 200 meter back on the second day of the meet. Unshaved and coming off altitude training at Colorado Springs, the Trojan Swim Club veteran won easily in 1:56.95, breaking his own 1:57.38 mark from last summer. That swim-the second fastest in historyearned him the Phillips Performance Award.

And women's high-point winner Kaitlin Sandeno, 16, had the type of meet all swimmers dream aboutimproving her times by a total of over a minute in four events and winning her first national title in the 400 IM. Scott Tucker, Benko, Diana Munz and Hyman were among others turning in impressive times, while Josh Davis and men's high-point winner Tom Wilkens asserted their dominance in several events (although they were well off their best times).

Fourteen-year-old Laura Davis of the Terrapins, who was only 12 when she won Rookie of the Meet in 1997, also raised eyebrows with her 200 IM win and 400 IM third-place finish. In the 200, she trailed Katie Yevak by over a second at the 150, but came back to win in 2:16.55.

Broken Barriers

"This is a very big surprise to me!" said Krayzelburg after his record. "I only rested three days. I think the altitude training had a lot to do with it. That was my first time at altitude."

Krayzelburg spent two weeks at the Olympic Training Center, then was home for about 10 days before nationals in which he had a "really good week of training," he said. Now Lenny is setting his sights on the world record of 1:56.57, set by Martin Zubero in 1991.

"Being able to go this fast now and having five months of solid training ahead of me, I think I can get that record," he said. "It's only four tenths away."

Krayzelburg continued his tradition of sweeping both backstrokes, just as he did at summer nationals in 1996, 1997 and 1998. He won the 100 in a solid 54.77, not far off his best of 54.43. In fact, only five Americans have ever broken 55 seconds.

"That was one of my best strategically-swum races ever as far as stroke rate and how I wanted to swim it," said Krayzelburg, who attributes his success partly to a new lighter, higher-rep weightlifting regime he started last fall. "The second 50 was one of the most comfortable I've ever felt. I definitely surprised myself in both events."

Though they didn't get American records, Lindsay Benko and Misty Hyman also broke through barriers.

Hyman broke a minute in the 100 fly for only the second and third times since last spring's rule change, which banned her preferred lengthy underwater kick. Not only did the Stanford University sophomore break 1:00, but she blasted through with a 58.89 in prelims, not far off her all-time best of 58.72. In finals, she won in 59.63. Hyman, swimming for Arizona Desert Fox, was equally successful in the 200 fly, where she went 2:10.49 to win.

"I was pretty shocked with the 58," she said, noting that a "bit of nerves" probably contributed to her going slower at night. Misty had debated whether to attend the meet just a little over a week after the NCAA Championships in Georgia, where she finished second in the 200 fly and won the 100 fly.

"I'm really glad I came!" she said. Her decision hinged mainly on the opportunity to practice a double taper of the type that will be needed for nationals and Pan Pacs this summer and maybe even for Olympic Trials and the Olympics next year.

"Practicing an extended taper is something I don't get to do that often," said Hyman, who, like Benko and a few other swimmers at the meet, was sporting the old-fashioned-looking knee-length bodysuit. "This will give me a lot of confidence because it shows how my body does with a rest period. It shows that I don't need to go back and work hard between meets."

Benko was also swimming on a second taper after NCAAs, and she judged the results as "incredible." She broke two minutes in the 200 free for the first time with a 1:59.72, a second-and-ahalf improvement.