Five Records Are Bettered in Irvine Meet

Broken records were the rule on the second day of the Speedo International Grand Challenge Swimming Invitational Saturday at the Heritage Park Aquatic Complex in Irvine.

Hope Gittings of Bolles-Shark Swim Club in Florida started the trend, setting the first of five meet records by winning the 100-meter backstroke in 1 minute 6.18 seconds.

Gittings broke Jessica Tong’s mark of 1:06.73 set in 1995.

Next, Angie Wester-Krieg of Stanford, a silver medalist in the 1992 Olympic Games, broke her record in the 100 butterfly, winning in 1:03.91.

Wester-Krieg, at 31 the oldest participant in the meet, also won the 200 freestyle in 2:06.42, out-touching Buena Ventura’s Kimberly Schneider.

Lenny Krayzelburg of the Trojan Swim Club set a meet record in the men’s 100 backstroke (57.52). Santa Barbara’s Mark Warkentin won the 200 free in a record 1:55.23.

Rafael Szukala of Rose Bowl Aquatics, a member of the Polish Olympic team and a 1992 silver medalist, won the 100 butterfly in 56.24, to break another meet record.

Andy Potts of Eastern Express won the 400 individual medley in 4:34.66 and Shannon Cullen of Redlands won the women’s 400 IM in 4:58.87. Amanda Beard of the Irvine Novaquatics finished second.