SWIMMING JUNIOR LONG COURSE : Pecastaing Makes Her Mark in 200

Penny Pecastaing returned this year to the U.S. Swimming Junior Olympics West determined not to repeat her mistake of 1989. But with all her training and effort, not even she was prepared for her performance Wednesday at Heritage Park in Irvine.

Pecastaing, of Albuquerque, N.M., not only set a meet record in the preliminaries of the 200-meter backstroke, she broke the Junior Olympic national record in the final. Her time of 2 minutes 17.67 seconds was nearly three seconds faster than second-place Jennifer Ross, who had a time of 2:20.40.

Nathalie Wunderlich held the record in the 200 backstroke with time of 2:18.23, set in 1988.

“I was surprised to swim that fast in the final,” said Pecastaing, 15. “I thought I had given about all I could in the prelims. I thought I could win, but I didn’t think I had enough left to set the record.”

The victory made up for Pecastaing’s performance in the 1989 meet. She failed to make the finals in the 200 backstroke and finished 11th.

Pecastaing blamed her poor showing on the preliminaries.

“I was certain I was going to win last year,” she said. “I came into the meet too confident. I didn’t give it everything in the prelims and missed the final. I was so disappointed, I didn’t do well in the consolation final either. This year, I went in determined to give it everything I had in the prelims.”

Pecastaing won her heat in the preliminaries with a time of 2:18.74, which broke the Junior Olympic West record of 2:19.36 set by Natalie Norberg in 1989. It also made her the top-seeded swimmer for the final.

“That scared me a little,” Pecastaing said. “I began to worry that the other swimmers had held back a little in the prelims.”

She shouldn’t have worried. Pecastaing dominated the race and, with 75 yards remaining, the only question was whether she would set the record.

Pecastaing’s record was the second at the meet Wednesday. Robert Fleming of Houston set the Junior Olympic national record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.36 in the preliminaries.

Chad Rolfs held the previous record of 51.55, set in 1989.

Fleming, who swam for the South team at the Olympic Festival in July, came back to win the final with a time of 51.76.

“I’ve been training for this race all year,” said Fleming, 18. “But I never expected to swim so fast. This exceeded all my goals.”

In other races, Lisa Jacobs of Mission Viejo won the 100 freestyle with a time of 58.37, and also finished ninth in the 200 butterfly.