SWIMMING U.S OLYMPIC TRIALS : Nall Sets World Record Twice; Morales Wins

In the eyes of her classmates at Towson (Md.) Catholic School, Anita Nall is a bookish, swimming nerd with permanently wet hair and an early bed time.

After shattering the world record twice in the 200-meter breaststroke Monday at the U.S. Olympic trials, Nall might have to continue to dispel that myth.

“My friends always tell me I’m crazy,” Nall said. “You don’t want them to think that all you are is this nerd who does school work and swims, so you try to go out with them sometimes and have fun.”

Nall’s personal idea of fun was a two minute, 25.92 second swim in the morning preliminaries, eight tenths of a second better than former East German Silke Hoerner’s world mark of 2:26.71 set at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

Eight hours later, Nall used her high-riding style and uniquely powerful kick to break the record again. This time, she touched in 2:25.35 to the roar of a soldout Indiana University Natatorium crowd of 4,700.

The other race that earned a standing ovation was Pablo Morales’ winning effort in the 100 butterfly.

It was the second time in as many days that an American woman broke a record owned by an East German swimmer. On Sunday, Jenny Thompson broke the world record in the 100 freestyle.

Nall, 15, became the first American woman to hold the 200 breaststroke world record since Catie Ball set it in Los Angeles in 1968, and held it until ’74.

“You have to do what you have to do to do what you want to do,” Nall said.

Nall led from the gun and won her heat by an incredible 3.2 seconds.

“That’s the best kick I’ve ever seen by a female breaststroker,” said CLASS Aquatics Coach Bud McAllister, whose swimmer Kristin Quance finished third behind Nall and Jill Johnson.

“I felt really good the last lap and the crowd really helped,” Nall said of her initial record-breaking swim in the morning.

Nall set her sights on the world mark after setting an American record 2:27.08 last spring.

“You have to reset goals,” she said. “The American record changed my way of looking at times.”

Downplaying her youth, North Baltimore Aquatics Coach Murray Stephens said: “Competitively, she’s about 25. She likes to compete.”

So does Morales, who left law school to return to the sport last summer after a three-year retirement.

Morales capped his comeback with a berth on the ’92 team after only seven months of training with Stanford Coach Skip Kenney.

The sentimental favorite, Morales was a dark horse in a field which included Brian Alderman of Santa Barbara, the last American to break 54 seconds in the event, Matt Biondi of Castro Valley, Calif., the ’88 silver medalist, and Melvin Stewart, the world record-holder in the 200 butterfly.

Stewart nearly chased Morales down in the last 10 meters of the race, but Morales hung on and touched in 54.05 to Stewart’s 54.06.

Biondi finished sixth in 54.68 and did not make the team (only the top two finishers in each individual event qualify).

Alderman, who was hampered by a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, was denied a berth on the team after clocking a 54.79 in the preliminaries.

Ironically, Morales, who still holds the world record in the 100 butterfly (52.84), was the heavy favorite in the ’88 trials in both butterfly events, but he finished third in both races and promptly retired.

“It is funny how things work,” Morales said.

Dennis Pursley, the national director of U.S. Swimming said: “I had two real good feelings when he made the team. No. 1, no one is more deserving, and selfishly, I know what he can do for a team from a leadership standpoint.”

As Stewart put it: “Pablo is as sweet as syrup.”

Swimming Notes

Nicole Haislett swam the second-fastest 200 freestyle ever by an American, a 1:58.65, to win the event. Jenny Thompson took the other berth in 1:59.98. . . . Eric Namesnik won the 400 individual medley in 4:15.60, just off his 1990 American record of 4:15.21. Former USC All-American David Wharton earned a berth on the team with a second-place finish in 4:17.58.

Melvin Stewart tried to negate the quick start of Matt Biondi and Seth Pepper by false-starting the 100 butterfly. Unlike U.S. Swimming rules which disqualify swimmers on their first false start, FINA, the international governing body of the sport, allows one false start. Because it is the Olympic trials, FINA rules are being used. Stewart would not admit that he false-started intentionally, but it was apparent that he did and his description of himself as “a weasel” confirmed it. “There was no doubt in my mind,” Stanford Coach Skip Kenney said. “Melvin is a come-from-behind swimmer. That’s good strategy. He played within the rules.”