March 24, 2011
MINNEAPOLIS-- Stanford twice set an American record in the 200 free relay and Austin Staab won the 200 individual medley as the Cardinal are second to Texas after the first of three days at the NCAA Championships.
Bobby Bollier was a national runner-up in the 500 free (4:13.94) and the 400 medley relay team finished third to top off day one. Texas leads the field with 139 points, Stanford has 136 points and Cal has 134 points.
The Cardinal twice broke the American record in the 200 free relay, coming in second in the prelims with a time of 1:15.84 and then racing to a mark of 1:15.26, as Aaron Wayne touched the wall ahead of Cal's Tom Shield's by .08 seconds. The quartet of Alex Coville, Staab, Jake Allen and Wayne were the ninth 200 free relay title for the Cardinal, an NCAA record.
Stanford had come into the championships seeded fourth in the 200 free relay, and bettered their season-best (1:16.86) by a second in the morning prelims for second for the first of two American records.
Staab went wire to wire in the 200 IM, setting a pool record with a time of 1:41.57, and continuing an NCAA record of nine NCAA titles in the event for the Cardinal. The Pac-10 Champion in the event won his second career NCAA title and first since 2009.
Bollier's personal-best of 4:13.94 was three seconds slower than Virginia's Matt McLean (4:10.15) in the 500 free finals for second. Chad La Tourette was sixth with a time of 4:16.15.
Alex Coville was fifth in the 50 free as Cal's Nathan Adrian broke the American record in the event (18.66).
The Championships will run through Saturday with the 200 medley and 800 free relays, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and three-meter set to occur. The finals will be on ESPN3.com, with the prelims on gophersports.com.
NOTES: Stanford's time of 1:15.26 in the 200 free, also set the school-record, previously set in 2007 (1:15.97). It was Stanford's ninth NCAA title in the event and first since 2001-03. The 2009 Texas relay team owned the previously American and NCAA record at 1:15.90... Staab's time was also the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history...
Winners and Stanford All-Americans (or best finisher outside top-16)
Live Stats:
http://www.star-meets.org/results/NCAA/2011%20Men/
Live Video (finals at espn3.com):
gophersports.com
Thursday
(Stanford, 2nd, 136 points)
200 Free Relay: Winner-- Stanford, Coville/Staab/Allen/Wayne, 1:15.26
(twice broke American record, 1:15.84 in morning swim)
500 Free: Winner-- Matt McLean, Virginia, 4:10.15, 2. Bollier, 4:13.94; 6. La Tourette, 4:16.15
200 IM: Winner-- Austin Staab, Stanford 1:41.57 (pool record)
50 Free: Winner-- Nathan Adrian, Cal, 18.66 (American record), 3. Coville, 19.01
(One-Meter: 31. Eichenseer, 272.60)
400 Medley Relay: Winner-- California, 3:02.28, 3. Swanston/Criste/Staab/Coville, 3:06.52