SWIMMING U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS : Near-Misses for Stewart, Rouse

Melvin Stewart and Jeff Rouse attempted to lower their world records Thursday night and both came up short on the fifth day of the U.S. Olympic trials.

Stewart led the field by more than two body lengths when he hit the wall, three hundredths shy of the 200-meter butterfly world record he set in January of 1991 at the World Championships in Perth, Australia.

On that day, Stewart was pulled along through the first 175 meters by former world-record holder Michael Gross of Germany.

This time, Stewart, 23, of Charlotte, N.C., was motivated by a crowd of 4,000 at the sold-out Indiana University Natatorium.

“I heard the crowd with 30 meters left and I thought I must be close to something,” Stewart said. “So close and yet so far.”

Stewart touched in 1 minute 55.72 seconds, the second-fastest time in history.

“I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get the world record, but at the same time I’m excited to know that I can go that fast without the big guy (Gross) in front of me,” Stewart said.

Rouse finished .14 short of the 100 backstroke world record he set last August at the Pan Pacific Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

The 22-year-old Stanford senior moved ahead from the start with a powerful underwater kick. Unlike Stewart, he was flanked by two swimmers who pushed him.

Teammate Brian Retterer was right behind him for the first 50 and former world-record holder David Berkoff provided a challenge from the 50 mark to the 85 mark. At that point, Rouse increased his advantage and posted a 54.07 to Berkoff’s 54.65.

Berkoff, 25, retired after winning a silver medal in the ’88 Olympic Games, then returned to competition in 1991 with a victory at the U.S. Swimming Spring Nationals.

It was Berkoff’s swim last April that made his comeback possible. He swam fast enough then to earn a $1,500 monthly stipend, which allowed him to afford to continue to train.

Berkoff is one of four swimmers, along with Pablo Morales, Dara Torres and Angel Martino, who have made the ’92 U.S. Olympic team after retiring in ’88.

In the 50 freestyle, Matt Biondi, 26, and Tom Jager, 27, renewed their rivalry and shut out interloper Steve Crocker, who was attempting to break up their lock on the event and earn a spot on the team (only the top two in each individual event make the team).

With 200 of Crocker’s friends and family from nearby St. Louis cheering him on, he dove too deeply and lost the only advantage he had, a faster start.

Biondi prevailed in a pool-record 22.12 and Jager, a former UCLA All-American, was next in 22.17. Crocker, 28, followed in 22.49 and is contemplating retirement.

Summer Sanders and Janet Evans posted their second victories of the meet in the 200 individual medley and 800 freestyle, respectively.

Sanders, 19, of Roseville, Calif., has qualified in three events, including the 100 butterfly and 400 individual medley.

Evans, 20, of Placentia, clocked in at 8:27.74, three seconds faster than runner-up Erika Hansen, but 11 seconds slower than her 1989 world record of 8:16.22.

Swimming Notes

Former USC All-American David Wharton earned his second berth on the team with a runner-up finish in the 200 butterfly. Wharton touched in 1:59.66, barely ahead of USC freshman Mike Merrell, who posted a 1:59.68.

San Diego’s Dan Jorgensen scratched from tonight’s 1,500 freestyle final so as not to distract his brother, Lars, who specializes in the event. After making the team Wednesday in the 400 freestyle, Dan Jorgensen spent Thursday afternoon playing full-court basketball. He plans to spend the incentive money he earned for making the team on an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Carrie Steinseifer, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist.

Pasadena’s Joel Thomas, the sixth-place finisher in the 100 freestyle, officially earned a spot on the team as an alternate on the 400 freestyle relay. Shaun Jordan also earned a berth on the relay.

Of the 23 men who have made the team so far, 19 of them are noncollegians, either high school swimmers or post-graduates. These numbers lend credence to the belief among college coaches that having this meet during the NCAA season has slowed the college swimmers. Eight of the 14 women on the team are non-collegians.

With two world records and two other times that are the second-fastest in U.S. history, the American women are swimming better than the men, comparatively. Melvin Stewart agreed that the tables have turned. “It’s the greatest women’s team ever,” Stewart said.