Texas Swimmers Too Much for East German Squad

Longhorn Aquatics of Austin, Tex., pulled away from the field on the final day of the Charlotte UltraSwim competition as it won the men’s, women’s and combined titles.

The nearest team in each category was East Germany’s squad for the Goodwill Games.

Longhorn won the men’s competition, 960-558, over East Germany, 960-558; the women’s, 1,181-731; and the combined, 2,141-1,289.

The meet featured the full 22-member East German team and 15 members of the U.S. team which will compete in the Goodwill Games next month in Seattle.

East German swimmers broke 17 meet records during the four-day competition, and earned more than $3,000 in prize money.

The Mecklenburg Aquatic Club in Charlotte establishes a $100 prize for each meet record and adds another $100 for each year the meet record stands. Most of the records broken by the East Germans were two years old.

The East Germans set meet records Sunday night in the men’s and women’s 1500-meter freestyles. Grit Muller touched first in the women’s race in 16 minutes, 36.91 seconds, and Joerg Hoffman won his third event in 15:41.56. East German men won every individual event Sunday as Christian Gessner won the men’s 200 individual medley in 2:05.48 and Tino Weber took the 200 backstroke in 2:03.31, both meet record times. Ingolf Rasch spoiled the return of U.S. Olympic silver medalist Chris Jacobs in the 100 freestyle as he touched in 52.72, .29 seconds ahead of Jacobs.

Another Olympian, Erika Hansen, kept the East Germans from a Sunday sweep, winning the 200 individual medley in 2:19.37 with Nicole Haislett, of St. Petersburg, Fla., second in 2:21.35.

U.S. Olympian Doug Gjertsen and Hansen were the high point winners of the meet, Gjertsen earning 107 points and Hansen 143.