NCAA SWIMMING WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS : Evans Sets Mark, Leads Stanford

The University of Florida 200-yard medley relay set a U.S. record Friday and Stanford’s Janet Evans won her second event in as many days, setting an NCAA record in the 400 medley at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

Defending champion Stanford, trailing Texas by 26 points after the opening round Thursday, took the lead with a two-day total of 411.5. Texas dropped to second with 391, and Florida remained in third with 334.

Florida’s record of 1:40.05 seconds in the 200 medley broke the previous mark of 1:40.22 set by Stanford in 1986.

Sophomore Kristen Linehan gave the Lady Gators the lead in the opening leg with a 25.36-second split in the backstroke. Stephanie Zunich recorded a 27.72 in the breaststroke, and freshman Whitney Hedgepeth recorded a 24.24 in the butterfly. Lorraine Perkins anchored the squad with a 22.73 freestyle split. Zunich said the Lady Gators were not chasing the record.

“It was an exciting win, we didn’t even expect it. . . . We just wanted to beat Stanford and Texas,” Zunich said.

Evans, who set an American record in the 500-yard freestyle Thursday, swam the 400 medley in 4:07.59 to better Tracy Caulkins’ 1981 NCAA record of 4:07.75.

Evans, a freshman from Placentia, and three-time Olympic gold medalist in 1988, was timed in 4:13.35 in the preliminaries in the 400 medley.

Caulkins still holds the American record, 4:04.63, set in 1981.

Evans finished the evening by bringing Stanford from behind on the final leg of the 800 freestyle relay to win in 7:07.58.