NCAA Women’s Swim Meet : Stanford Overcomes Texas and Wins National Title

Richard Quick, who led Texas to five consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Assn. women’s swimming and diving titles, led Stanford to the championship Saturday in his first year as the Cardinal’s coach.

The 1988 U.S. Olympic coach won his sixth consecutive title when Stanford, leading by 25 points going into Saturday’s finals, outscored Texas, 610.5 to 547, for its second-ever NCAA title.

Florida, the favorite coming into the championships, was third with 536. Tennessee (258.5) was fourth and California (234) was fifth.

The Cardinal did not win an individual title Saturday night in the Indiana University Natatorium but placed nine swimmers in the championship heats to Florida’s five. They recorded two second-place finishes, a third and two fourths.

The Texas 400-yard freestyle relay team of Julie Cooper, Courtney Madsen, Jeanne Doolan and Leigh Ann Fetter set a U.S. record of 3:15.48.

The Longhorns broke the record of 3:16.89 set by Florida at last year’s meet.

Cooper swam the opening 100 in 49.64 seconds and Madsen followed with a 48.3. Doolan swam a 49.63 and Fetter, the U.S. record-holder in the 50 freestyle, swam the final leg in 47.9.

Fetter’s time bettered the 100 free U.S. record of 48.20 but did not count as an official record because she was not the leadoff swimmer.

Fetter, voted swimmer of the year by collegiate coaches, also won the 100 freestyle in 48.68 Saturday. Stanford’s Jenna Johnson was second at 48.78 in the meet’s closest race.

Third was Mitzi Kremer of Clemson, who won the 500 and 200 freestyle titles and was timed at 48.84 in the 100. U.S. record-holder Angel Myers of Furman finished sixth. Fetter and the last-place finisher in the championship heat were separated by only .81 second.

Florida freshman Kristen Linehan, winner of the 100 backstroke Friday, won the 200 backstroke in 1:57.89, more than a second ahead of Southern Methodist’s Jenny Jordan (1:59.35). Stanford, seeded to finish 1-2-3 in the event, instead captured third, fourth and fifth with Dede Trimble (1:59.79), Michelle Donahue (1:59.83) and Susannah Miller (2:00).

Julia Gorman of Florida won her second straight 200 butterfly title in 1:56.94. Placing second was Stanford’s Michelle Griglione (1:57.99).

Georgia’s Erika Hansen, a 1988 U.S. Olympian, won the 1,650 freestyle in 16:00.04. She trailed Texas’ Andrea Hayes, also a 1988 Olympian, by almost a length going into the final 450 yards, but pulled ahead with 100 yards to go and held on for a 2.64-second victory.