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1998 U.S. Open
World, American and European Records Tumble

Five Days In College Station

 

Nick Thierry


COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Megan Quann completed a sweep of the breaststroke events with a record-breaking performance at the 1998 U.S. Open Swimming Championships.

On the first day, Quann, 14, from Puyallup, Wash., broke Tracy Caulkins' 17-year-old American record in the 100 breaststroke as well as the American mark for the 50 breaststroke at the halfway point. She did it again, winning the 200-m breaststroke in 2:25.52, snapping 1996 Olympian Kristine Quance's American, U.S. Open, and meet records from 1993.


Megan Quann broke 3 American breaststroke records
Click image for larger photo. Photo © Marco Chiesa



Megan Quann, USA
BIRTHDAY 15 JAN 1984
HOMETOWN Puyallup, WA
HEIGHT 165 cm (5' 5")
WEIGHT 55 kg (121 lbs.)
CLUB Puyallup Aquatic Club
COACH Rick Benner
OCCUPATION Rogers High School, 2001
1998 Spring Nationals 1st 100 breast 1:09.42
Goodwill 3rd 100 breast 1:10.21
Summer Nationals 3rd 100 breast 1:09.14
US Open (25 m pool) 3 (Am Rec) 1st 100 breast in 1:07.41, splitting 31.86 at the 50 1st for 200 breast 2:25.52
Sixth fastest American long course 100 breaststroker, won Phillips Performance Award at Spring Nationals after dropping four seconds from previous best.


"My strategy for tonight was to go out in the first 100 like I did this morning, race that third 50, never give up at the end, and bring it home," Quann said. "I've been having some trouble with the 200, so getting out there and breaking that record is really nice."

During the week, there were 3 World and 14 American records set in the two days of World Cup swimming and three days of the U.S. Open.

The Phillips Performance Award for the meet's single outstanding swim went to Belgium's Fred deBurghgraeve, who on Thursday set the first world record in the U.S. Open meet since Janet Evans in 1987. The 1996 Olympic and 1998 World Champion went 58.79 in the 100 breaststroke to crush his own world standard of 59.02 from 1996.


World record for Fred deBurghgraeve (BEL) in the 100 breaststroke
Click image for larger photo. Photo © Marco Chiesa


Terrapins' Natalie Coughlin won her fourth event of the meet on the final night to wrap up the women's high point trophy with 97 points. She won the 200 butterfly by over four seconds with a 2:08.32. Earlier in the meet she won the 400 individual medley, 100 and 200 backstroke events, plus was second in the 200 individual medley.


Natalie Coughlin, the women's high point trophy winner
Click image for larger photo. Photo © Marco Chiesa



Natalie Coughlin, USA
BIRTHDAY 23 AUG 1982
HOMETOWN Vallejo, CA
CLUB Terrapins
COACH Ray Mitchell
OCCUPATION Carondelet High School, 2000
1998 US Open 1st 100 back 58.59, 1st 200 back 2:07.46 (Am Rec)
Summer Nationals 3rd 100 back 1:01.77, 1st 200 back 2:12.03,
2nd 200 IM 2:14.79
Spring Nationals 1st 200 back 2:14.16, 3rd 100 fly 1:00.98, 2nd 200 IM 2:14.71, 3rd 400 IM 4:48.99
1997 Spring Nationals 3rd 200 free, 5th 200 IM
Summer Nationals 8th 200 IM
US Open 3rd 200 IM, 4th 200 free
1996 Summer Nationals 8th 200 free
Seventh fastest all time American 100 backstroker and 200 individual medley.


SMU's Martina Moravcova won the 100 freestyle with a 54.23, a meet record, which gave her three individual titles on the week and her fourth meet record. Earlier in the meet she won the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley, both with European records. She also swam on all three winning relays. Leading off the Mustang 4x200 freestyle relay on Thursday, she set the meet record in the 200 freestyle.


Martina Moravcova (SVK) and Southern Methodist swam to European record in 200 I.M.
Click image for larger photo. Photo © Marco Chiesa


The men's high point trophy went to Tom Wilkens of the Santa Clara Swim Team, who won the 200 breaststroke for his second win of the meet. Wilkens swam 2:10.76. He also won the 400 individual medley, was second in the 200 IM, finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke, and took seventh in the 200 butterfly, scoring 82 points.

Sabir Muhammad, a member of the USA Swimming Resident Team, won his second event of the meet with a 48.91 in the 100 freestyle. The previous night, Muhammad won the 100 butterfly with an American record.

Lake Erie Silver Dolphin's Diana Munz won the evening's first event, the 800 freestyle, in meet-record time with an 8:26.14. Yann DeFabrique (FRA) of the Athens Bulldogs won the men's 200 butterfly with a 1:59.06. The men's 1500 freestyle was won by 1996 Olympian Ricardo Monasterio of Venezuela and the Indian River Community College, who set a meet record of 15:03.53.


Diana Munz of the Lake Erie Silver Dolphin's, winner of the 800m freestyle
Click image for larger photo. Photo © Marco Chiesa



Diana Munz, USA
BIRTHDAY 19 JUN 1982
HEIGHT 162 cm (5' 4")
WEIGHT 52 kg (115 lbs)
HOMETOWN Chagrin Falls, OH
CLUB Lake Erie Silver Dolphins
COACH Jerry Holtrey
OCCUPATION Chagrin Falls High School, 2000
1998 US Open 3rd 400 free 4:11.71, 1st 800 free 8:26.14
Worlds 2nd 800 freestyle
Summer Nationals 1st 800 free 8:31.74, 1st 1500 free 16:16.00, 3rd 400 free 4:11.18
Spring Nationals 1st 400 free 4:12.05, 1st 800 free 8:35.28, 1st 1500 free 16:20.93
1997 Pan Pacs 3rd 400 free 4:14.03, 3rd 800 free 8:29.06, 2nd 1500 free 16:17.05
Summer Nationals 2nd 400 free 4:12.68, 2nd 800 free 8:36.26, 2nd 1500 free 8:36.26
US Open 1st 800 free 8:36.23


The SMU team of Rania Elwani (EGY), Naoko Imoto (JPN), Lia Oberstar (USA), and Martina Moravcova (SVK) won the women's 4x100 freestyle relay with a 3:44.13. Texas A&M won the final event of the meet with another meet record. The team of David Morrow, Jerrod Kappler, Riley Janes (CAN), and Ken Kehlenbach went 3:18.33 to nip the USC squad by just 0.02 seconds, the closest race of the week.

Josh Davis, Texas Aquatics, had a remarkable week. He won the 200 free, 200 back, and 200 IM at the US Open, and the 200 back and 100 IM at the World Cup. He bettered American records in the 200 free with 1:45.24 and the 200 IM with 1:56.66.

Southern Cal swept the men's and combined team titles in the university division, with Southern Methodist claiming the women's title. The Bolles Sharks of Jacksonville, Fla., won the women's and combined club titles, with Island Swimming of British Columbia taking the men's club crown.






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