SWIMMING AND DIVING / NCAA MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIPS : Stanford’s Rouse Sets U.S. Record in 100 Backstroke; Texas Leads

Despite a broken left wrist that limited his training to kicking, Stanford junior Jeff Rouse shattered the American record in the 100-yard backstroke Thursday night at the NCAA Division I Championships at Texas Swim Center.

Florida senior Martin Zubero, a citizen of the United States and Spain, also turned in a record-setting 1:44.01 swim in the 200 individual medley, but he was denied an American record because he competes internationally for Spain. Zubero finished more than a second ahead of USC’s David Wharton, the previous record-holder.

Three-time defending champion Texas set the third record on the first of three days of competition, an NCAA mark of 1:17.89 in the 200 freestyle relay preliminaries.

The Longhorns scored 160 points to lead USC, the 1990 runner-up, by 40. Florida is in third with 113, followed by Stanford (112), Southern Methodist (76), Arizona (71) and UCLA (66).

Swimming the majority of the opening leg of the Cardinal 400 medley relay underwater to maximize his new strength--kicking--Rouse touched in 46.63 seconds, breaking David Berkoff’s 1989 mark of 47.02.

Stanford lost the relay when Florida’s Anthony Nesty, an Olympic gold medalist in the butterfly from Suriname, clocked 45.88, the fastest split ever in a composite 3:10.23 to Stanford’s 3:10.41.

In the 200 freestyle relay final, Texas finished in 1:18.32 to win after Shaun Jordan gave the Longhorns more than a one-second lead in the opening leg.

An hour later, Jordan won another gold medal, defeating teammate Doug Dickinson in the 50 freestyle, 19.33 seconds to 19.61.

In the 200 individual medley, Zubero beat USC’s three-time defending champion Wharton by staying underwater for the majority of the backstroke leg, rising to the surface at the 85-yard mark with a three length lead.

Wharton marveled at Zubero’s style. “It takes a lot out of you oxygen-wise,” he said. “I like to have the air there.”

Zubero, who has never lived in Spain, said he has no regrets about swimming for the Spaniards, for whom his brother David swam.

Sporting a shaved head for the first time, Iowa’s Artur Wojdat passed Polish countryman Mariusz Podkoscielny of Arizona with 40 yards left to win the 500 freestyle in 4:12.80 for the third consecutive year, and Miami sophomore Dean Panaro won the one-meter diving with 555.80 points.