SWIMMING U.S. SPRING NATIONALS : Wagstaff Breaks U.S. Record but Fails in Her World Bid

Sixteen-year-old Janie Wagstaff set an American record in the preliminaries in the women’s 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. Spring Nationals swimming meet Saturday, then came up short in a bid for a world record in the finals.

Her time of 1 minute 1.10 seconds broke the U.S. mark of 1:01.20 set in 1986 by Betsy Mitchell, who retired last summer. Wagstaff won the final in 1:01.22.

Wagstaff had said her goal was to break one minute in Saturday night’s finals.

The world record of 1:00.59 was set by Ina Kleber for East Germany at the 1984 Friendship Games in Moscow.

Seth Van Neerden, 22, of Wilmington, Del., barely missed setting another American record when he won the men’s 100 breaststroke in 1:01.67, a meet record. The U.S. mark of 1:01.65 was set by Steve Lundquist in 1984. Van Neerden’s time was the second-best by an American.

Van Neerden finished third in the 200 breaststroke, won by Mike Barrowman. Barrowman was second in the 100 in 1:02.12.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans scored her third victory of the meet, winning her 16th consecutive 400 freestyle event in a major meet. Evans hasn’t been beaten in the 400 freestyle since the 1986 Goodwill Games.

She was timed in 4:09.11, far off the world record of 4:03.85 she set during the 1988 Olympics at Seoul.

It was Evans’ 27th national title. She also won the 800 freestyle and 400 individual medley this week.

Wagstaff, a 5-foot-11, 146-pound high school junior from Mission Hills, Kan., got her U.S. record in the 100 backstroke without being pushed. Beth Barr finished second in the heat in 1:03.12.

Wagstaff’s American-record performance came after she finished a disappointing third in both the 100 and 200 backstroke in the World Championships at Perth, Australia, in January.

Wagstaff said she is benefiting from international rules changes in backstroke events. Swimmers now aren’t required to touch the wall of the pool with their hands on their turns. Instead, they can flip and push off with their feet.