SWIMMING: MEET OF CHAMPIONS : Ahmann-Leighton Wins 2 in a Row

Crissy Ahmann-Leighton shook off what she described as a “horrible” day to post back-to-back victories in the 100-meter butterfly and 50 freestyle at the Chrysler Swim Meet of Champions Saturday in Mission Viejo.

Ahmann-Leighton was so “horrible” Friday she did not qualify for the finals of the 100 freestyle, and her 200 butterfly left her back in the pack at 36th place.

“I was glad I was able to keep my head on,” said the 22-year-old from the Hillebrand Swim Team in Tucson, Ariz. “I was very disappointed, but I decided yesterday was yesterday.”

Ahmann-Leighton, who swam the fourth-fastest 100-meter butterfly in U.S. history, won her specialty with ease in one minute, 1.69 seconds. Runner-up Angie Wester-Krieg of Stanford finished in 1:03.33.

Twenty minutes later, Ahmann-Leighton was back on the blocks for the 50 freestyle, which did not go off initially because of a false start, reducing the eight-woman field to seven.

“The false start actually helped me because I can regain my composure quickly and I know it worries other people,” said Ahmann-Leighton, who touched in 27.05. Cindy Unruh of Canada was second in 27.33.

In the men’s competition, five-time Olympic gold medalist Matt Biondi scored a wire-to-wire victory in the 50 freestyle. Biondi, 25, who trains at Cal, his alma mater, edged Steve Crocker, 28, of the Rockwood Swim Club in St. Louis, 23.34 to 23.57.

Biondi, who ranks second in the world in the 50, appreciated the push from Crocker, the fourth-fastest sprinter in U.S. history.

“That’s why we came down here, for competition,” Biondi said. “If you take Steve, Adam (Schmitt) and John (Miranda) out of the race you might as well stay home and swim a time trial, nothing against anybody else.”

In the 200 butterfly, Las Vegas Gold’s Melvin Stewart, the world-record holder, built a large enough lead to stave off Brian Gunn of Team Wolverine, 2:02.18 to 2:03.19.

“He’s a great butterflyer,” Stewart said of Gunn. “Right now there are a lot of great flyers in this country, five or six guys are right at two minutes; three years ago there weren’t as many.”

Artur Wojdat of Mission Viejo and Silvia Poll of Costa Rica each won their third events on the third day of the four-day meet. Wojdat was unchallenged in the 400 freestyle with a 3:57.76 and Poll dominated the 200 backstroke in 2:16.94.

Kristine Quance, 16, of Valley-based CLASS Aquatics, earned her second victory in as many days with a 1:12.04 in the 100 breast-stroke, 1.6 seconds ahead of the field.

“I knew I had to go out fast against all those sprinters,” said Quance, who is more adept at the 200 breaststroke--in which she is ranked fourth in the world.

Fifteen-year-old Kari Lyderson of Encinitas YMCA became the youngest champion of the meet with a surge at the 250 mark to take the lead en route to a 4:18.15 in the 400 freestyle.

Lyderson, who is not listed among the top 200 American female swimmers in U.S. Swimming’s media guide, might have earned her place with what she called her biggest victory.

“I’ve been to senior nationals and the U.S. Open and I’ve never won there,” Lyderson said. “This is the first time I’ve won a major event, and even though I’m not rested and no one else is rested it counts because we are all on even ground.”

While middle-distance freestyle events might wind up being Lyderson’s specialty, according to her coach, Karol Fano, she is training in all strokes at all distances.