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I remember when breaking the 4 minute barrier was a pretty big deal, now we have 23 guys doing it in the morning.
I believe it was Gary Hall swimming in the NCAA meet in 1973 who first went under 4:00 in the 400IM. Later in the meet he anchored Indiana's 800 relay, chasing down USC's Frank Heckle. Hall touched him out as both teams shattered the NCAA record. Mark Spitz was so excited he jumped into the pool!!! BEEEP!!!! DQ Indiana!!! There were still teams that hadn't finished the race. Oops.
These statements are only partially true. In 1973, Steve Furniss of USC won the 400 IM and he broke the American Record of 3:58.09 by Gary Hall with a time of 3:55.16 and Gary Hall did not even swim the event. He swam the 100 Fly, 200 Fly which he won, and the 200 IM in which he got second to Steve Furniss. I remember this well because I was at the meet and saw the performances at the University of Tennessee. Mark Spitz was not at this meet because he graduated in 1972 and retired from swimming after the 1972 Olympics.
At the 1972 NCAA Championships at West Point, Gary Hall won but went faster with the 3:58.09 at the AAU Nationals in Dallas a couple of weeks later. At the 1972 NCAA Championships it was the first time that 3 swimmers went under the 4 minute barrier in the Championship final. Gary Hall was first with a 3:58.71 and second was Steve Furniss at 3:58.82 and third was Rick Colella at 3:59.61.
The first time the 4 minute barrier was broken in the 400 IM was in 1969 when Gary Hall was a High School senior and he swam a 3:59.70 to shatter the US Open Record of Hans Fassnacht of 4:07.70 set at the 1969 NCAA Championships. These efforts helped him win the Swimmer of the Year Award in 1969. The next year, the NCAA Championships were in Utah at altitude and Hall managed to swim a 4:07.31 to break the NCAA Record. The next year in 1971, he swam a 3:58.25 to break his record that he set back in High School.
The 800 Free Relay you are referring to was in 1971 and not 1972 or 1973. In 1972 USC won with Jim McConica going the anchor leg against Gary Hall and USC won 6:38.63 to Indiana second place time of 6:40.13 and in 1973 the roles were reversed with Indiana winning with a time of 6:36.39 to USC second place time of 6:39.44 and Gary Hall swam against Jim McConica again but I am not sure of the splits for both swimmers.
The 800 Free Relay disqualification you are referring to was at the 1971 NCAA Championships at Iowa State. It was not Mark Spitz but John Kinsella that jumped in the pool to congratulate Hall before the other competitors finished the race. Both teams broke the American Record by 9 seconds but Indiana was disqualified and it didn't not count. If it would have counted, Gary Hall would have had the fastest split at that time for a 200 Free in an 800 Relay.
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I remember when breaking the 4 minute barrier was a pretty big deal, now we have 23 guys doing it in the morning.
I believe it was Gary Hall swimming in the NCAA meet in 1973 who first went under 4:00 in the 400IM. Later in the meet he anchored Indiana's 800 relay, chasing down USC's Frank Heckle. Hall touched him out as both teams shattered the NCAA record. Mark Spitz was so excited he jumped into the pool!!! BEEEP!!!! DQ Indiana!!! There were still teams that hadn't finished the race. Oops.
These statements are only partially true. In 1973, Steve Furniss of USC won the 400 IM and he broke the American Record of 3:58.09 by Gary Hall with a time of 3:55.16 and Gary Hall did not even swim the event. He swam the 100 Fly, 200 Fly which he won, and the 200 IM in which he got second to Steve Furniss. I remember this well because I was at the meet and saw the performances at the University of Tennessee. Mark Spitz was not at this meet because he graduated in 1972 and retired from swimming after the 1972 Olympics.
At the 1972 NCAA Championships at West Point, Gary Hall won but went faster with the 3:58.09 at the AAU Nationals in Dallas a couple of weeks later. At the 1972 NCAA Championships it was the first time that 3 swimmers went under the 4 minute barrier in the Championship final. Gary Hall was first with a 3:58.71 and second was Steve Furniss at 3:58.82 and third was Rick Colella at 3:59.61.
The first time the 4 minute barrier was broken in the 400 IM was in 1969 when Gary Hall was a High School senior and he swam a 3:59.70 to shatter the US Open Record of Hans Fassnacht of 4:07.70 set at the 1969 NCAA Championships. These efforts helped him win the Swimmer of the Year Award in 1969. The next year, the NCAA Championships were in Utah at altitude and Hall managed to swim a 4:07.31 to break the NCAA Record. The next year in 1971, he swam a 3:58.25 to break his record that he set back in High School.
The 800 Free Relay you are referring to was in 1971 and not 1972 or 1973. In 1972 USC won with Jim McConica going the anchor leg against Gary Hall and USC won 6:38.63 to Indiana second place time of 6:40.13 and in 1973 the roles were reversed with Indiana winning with a time of 6:36.39 to USC second place time of 6:39.44 and Gary Hall swam against Jim McConica again but I am not sure of the splits for both swimmers.
The 800 Free Relay disqualification you are referring to was at the 1971 NCAA Championships at Iowa State. It was not Mark Spitz but John Kinsella that jumped in the pool to congratulate Hall before the other competitors finished the race. Both teams broke the American Record by 9 seconds but Indiana was disqualified and it didn't not count. If it would have counted, Gary Hall would have had the fastest split at that time for a 200 Free in an 800 Relay.
