This past weekend, Kate Ziegler took a major step to being one of the premium distance swimmers in the World. She broke the Janet Evans American Record of 4:34.39 in the 500 Free which was set back in 1990 at the Women's NCAA meet. She broke Janet Evans National HS record of 4:37.30 by almost 4 seconds. Last year Kate Ziegler went 4:37.67 in the 500 Free, so the HS record really wasn't a suprise. I believe the American Record was and this is a major breakthru swim for Kate Ziegler.
She also tied the 200 Free National HS Record at 1:45.49 which was almost as impressive as the 500 Free. Sippy Woodhead went 1:44.10 in the 200 Free in the 10th grade, but did not do that time in a HS meet. In HS she went 1:45.98, which was the record until a couple of years ago.
You hardly ever see swimmers in HS break American Records. I remember when Mark Spitz in 1967/1968 had 3 American Records and tied another. His :49.1 in the 100 Yard Fly was his most impressive and that HS record stood for 12 years. Some other impressive HS was Jeff Kostoff, 1983, 500 Free record which is still on the HS books at 4:16.39 and he broke the American Record by .01 which was held by Brian Goodell.
Another impressive HS record was one performed by Andy Coan in 1975, going :43.99 and breaking the HS of Joe Bottom of :45.00 and that was also an American Record. Another impressive HS record was one performed by John Kinsella in 1970. In those days HS swimmers swam the 400 Yard Free and not the 500 Free and I believe the HS federation switched in 1974/1975 to the 500 Free. He broke the HS record of 3:38.00 by Mark Spitz and took it down to 3:31.05 in 1970. What's impressive about that is that the NCAA Champion that year went a 4:33 in the 500 and his time converted to a 500 would have been in the 4:24 to 4:25 range. He set the American Record at 4:27 and won the AAU Nationals in 1970 as a senior in HS.
Could this be the start of Janet Evans 18 year old records being broken? It will be interesting to see if the 4:03, the 8:16, and the 15:52 World Records get broken at some international meets in the next year.
www.washingtonpost.com/.../AR2006022501879.htmlwww.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../10929.asp
The High school gals are rocking in general, you see the 400 free time of Germantown Academy (below)? That time would qualify for NCAA's and would have been 6th at the Pac 10 meet last weekend!
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Germantown Academy Blasts National High School Record in 400 Freestyle Relay -- February 26, 2006
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania. February 25. THE girls from Germantown Academy (Pennsylvania) obliterated the national high school record in the 400-yard freestyle relay on Saturday night at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships at La Salle University. The foursome of Katie Riefenstahl (50.89), Sara Coenen (51.10), Teresa Crippen (50.78) and Alicia Aemisegger (49.57) clocked an eye-popping 3:22.34, well under the former standard of 3:23.85, set by Pioneer High in Ann Arbor, Michigan last fall.
Originally posted by Frank Thompson
Another impressive HS record was one performed by Andy Coan in 1975, going :43.99 and breaking the HS of Joe Bottom of :45.00 and that was also an American Record.
I was at that meet where he went 43.99 If I remember it was in Ft Myers Florida.
Very impressive swims especially considering they were done in high school meets. I'm rooting for Ziegler but until she passes one of Evans LONG COURSE records, and in my opinion those are the best distance records, technically mid-distance if you consider the 400. Those swims LC are more impressive than SC.
On other hand, Dolan's 500 free SC record is the standard on the men's side (for 25 yard course). Still wonder why he didn't challenge Thorpe in the 400 at that time. He should have been close to that very incredible 3:40
You right about Ziegler's swim a "blast from the past" when HS record becomes the new American record. Don't see any of the guys doing that these days. Didn't Allison Wagner also set a new HS and American record a few years back in the 200 IM?
She beat the boy's champion pretty handily, too, at this meet.
Her HS coach has a deal worked out with her "real" coach to where he acts as a virtual coach and all-around supporter. I've swum masters with her HS coach, too, and it's good to see a coach with such a flexible and beneficial attitude for the sport.
In my heyday it was AAU or HS, never both, under a certain prominent coach. The no-compromise approach was broken with a subsequent coach and, I think, did both venues a lot of good. And boy was it a lot of fun, too, with all of the social dynamics that accompanied.
But now she's faster than I ever was (or ever will be again), so there's a funny feeling there, too.
Hope she's the next Big Thing, wouldn't that be fun to watch - Go Kate!
DV
Originally posted by seltzer
Very impressive swims especially considering they were done in high school meets. I'm rooting for Ziegler but until she passes one of Evans LONG COURSE records, and in my opinion those are the best distance records, technically mid-distance if you consider the 400. Those swims LC are more impressive than SC.
On other hand, Dolan's 500 free SC record is the standard on the men's side (for 25 yard course). Still wonder why he didn't challenge Thorpe in the 400 at that time. He should have been close to that very incredible 3:40
You right about Ziegler's swim a "blast from the past" when HS record becomes the new American record. Don't see any of the guys doing that these days. Didn't Allison Wagner also set a new HS and American record a few years back in the 200 IM?
Bob:
Tom Dolan had the best meet of his career at the 1995 NCAA's when he went the 4:08.75 in the 500 Free and that was the same meet he went 3:38.18 in the 400 IM. Both of those were and still to this day are American Records. However, both as good as they are, might not last this year. Peter Vanderkaay and Michael Phelps might have something to do with this. Tom Dolan next best meets were in 1994 at the Spring Nationals, where he was the first man to win 4 National Titles since Mark Spitz did back in 1971 and the 1994 World Championships in Rome when he broke the World Record in the 400 IM for the first time. I had read that those 3 meets is the only time his asthma did not give him trouble.
Tom Dolan never achieved the times in the 400 Free that he did in the 500 Free. He was the second fastest American ever in 1996, with a time of 3:48.99 which was behind American Record holder Matt Cetlinski of 3:48.05 from 1988. The World Record holder at that time was Kieren Perkins at 3:43.80 which was 6 seconds faster than Tom Dolan. Ian Thorpe in 1999, who was 16 years old broke that record at 3:41.83 and lowered it 2 years later at 3:40.08.
The 400 Free has not been a very good event internationally until Kleete Keller came along in 2000. He broke the old 1988 American Record at the 2000 Olympics with a time of 3:47.00 and is the current American Record holder today at 3:44.11, which is a good 4 seconds behind the Ian Thorpe record. I think that record is as good as any Free World Record right now and no USA swimmer has ever come close to that level. Maybe in the future, will see.
You are right about Janet Evans Long Course records being better than her Short Course Records. And it might be to early to tell if Kate Ziegler is there. I think of all of the USA distance swimmers in the last 10 years (Bennet, Sandeno, Munz) that Kate Ziegler has the best chance to get one if not all of those records and may take two more years possibly at Beijing in 2008.
I don't ever remember recently a HS person breaking an American Record by 1 full second and being faster than the NCAA swimmers by 3 to 4 seconds. Considering only two other people have gone under 4:36.00 that is quite outstanding. This could possibly be one of the best High School records ever.
Allison Wagner did set a HS Record in the 200 Yard IM of 1:58.91 in 1994 which was broken by Kristin Caverly in 2001 at 1:58.86. She was short of the American Record of Summer Sanders of 1:55.54 by a substantial margin. However, you are correct that she set an American and World Record while in HS but was not at a HS meet and therefore was never listed as a HS record. She set the World Record at the Short Course World Championships in Spain, in December 1993, in the 200 Meter IM with an impressive time of 2:07.79 which I believe is still the World Record today. Allison swims in USMS and has been to a couple of USMS Nationals.
Relax ... I was just clarifying ...
So was I. The article that I linked said absolutely nothing about World Records but about the 3 Short Course American Records that have been broken in the last year. My reference was to the 3 Long Course American Records of the same distances in meters.
Kate Ziegler broke another one of Janet Evans American Records. Could this be the start of seeing the 4:03, the 8:16, and the 15:52 Long Course Free records being broken next year? These records are 16 - 17 years plus and counting.
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../12963.asp
What an awesome 1650 swim. This girl is swimming fantastic!!! Her splits on the 1650 were - 53.62 (100), 1:49.89 (200), 4:40.84 (500), 9:27.32 (1000), 14:13.74 (1500), and a 55.44 on the last 100. Her 2nd and 3rd 500 where 4:46. I have to call that a great swim. I look forward to seeing her swim the next two years as the 2008 Olympics approach.....:notworthy:
Kate Ziegler broke another one of Janet Evans American Records. Could this be the start of seeing the 4:03, the 8:16, and the 15:52 Long Course Free records being broken next year? These records are 16 - 17 years plus and counting.
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../12963.asp
Laure Mandadou (spelling?) broke the 400 record this summer ...
