SWIMMING NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS : Stanford’s Sanders Sets Mark; Texas Takes First-Day Lead

Freshman Summer Sanders of Stanford set a U.S. Open and American record of 1 minute 57.02 seconds in the 200-yard individual medley race as the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships opened Thursday.

Sanders, the silver medalist in the 200-meter medley at the world championships in January, led from start to finish. Defending champion Janel Jorgensen, also of Stanford, was second at the midway point but was passed by Dorsey Tierney of Texas on the third segment of the race and came back on the freestyle portion of the race to finish second in a season-best 1:58.65.

Tierney, a first cousin of Indy-car driver Danny Sullivan, took third in 1:59.06 as three women went under two minutes for the first time in the same 200-medley race.

Watching Sanders set the record was Tracy Caulkins, who had set the old mark of 1:57.06 for Florida in 1984 and was at the meet to provide commentary for the delayed telecast of the meet.

“I was flashing back to the 1984 Olympics when I watched Tracy Caulkins. She was my idol,” Sanders said. “I thought no one was ever going to match that. I can’t believe, I’m at the same level she was.”

Sanders and Jorgensen later teamed with Lori Heisick and Suzy Buckovich to give Stanford a victory in the 400 medley relay at 3:39.51 with Texas taking second in 3:39.94.

As expected, the battle for the team championship quickly developed into a showdown between defending champion Texas, seeking its seventh title in eight years, and 1989 champion Stanford. Texas held the lead after the first night in the three-day meet at the Indiana University Natatorium with 210 points. Stanford was second at 199 with California a distant third at 114, followed by Florida with 96.

Olympic gold medalist and world champion Janet Evans defended the first of the three NCAA championships she won for Stanford last year with a 4:38.71 in the 500 freestyle. The time was more than four seconds slower than her American record of 4:34.39 set last year and was even slower than her 4:37.70 in Thursday’s preliminaries.