West Regaining His Form as He Looks Toward 2000

Considering that it’s been less than a month since Steve West got serious about swimming again, the former University of Michigan standout was happy with his performance Sunday at the Swim Meet of Champions.

West, who missed making the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, won the the 100 breaststroke in 1 minute 5.48 seconds at the Marguerite Aquatic Center in Mission Viejo.

At the 1996 Olympic trials, West was third in the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Only the top two finishers at the trials made the Olympic team.

“Up until June 1, I had only been working out three days a week. But I really love the sport,” West said. “And I want to keep in it and maybe give it another try as far as making the Olympic team. And if that doesn’t work, at least I’ll be a healthy guy.”

West, who works for a Yorba Linda software company, has set up a practice schedule with his club, the Irvine Novaquatics, that doesn’t affect his full-time job.

“I’m training about six days a week. I really don’t have a long-term plan right now. I’ll go to [Senior] Nationals in August and see how I do there,” West said. “And then I’ll take a week off and then start training hard in the fall.”

West says the 200 breaststroke is his best event, but that his times are not the best right now because he has only been training hard for the last month. West was fourth in the 200 breaststroke Saturday.

“I was really gassing the last part of that 200,” he said. “But I think I’ll be able to get my times down after a while.”

Brad Bridgewater, a gold medalist in Atlanta, was named the men’s swimmer of the meet. On Sunday, Bridgewater won the 100 backstroke in 56.71. Bridgewater, representing the Trojan Club, won the 200 individual medley in 2:06.91.

Mike Mintenko of Las Vegas Gold won the 100 butterfly in 56.27.

Misty Hyman, swimming for Arizona Desert Fox, won the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke Sunday.

In the 100 fly, Hyman’s time of 1:00.20 was short of her meet record of 59.25, which she set last year. Karen Campbell of the Trojan Swim Club was second, just three seconds behind Hyman, who won the 100 backstroke was 1:04.16.

Staciana Stitts of the Novaquatics won the 100 breaststroke in in 1:13.14. Teammate Kristen Caverly was second in 1:13.60.

Shannon Cullen of Redlands won the 200 IM in 2:20.84, defeating Amanda Beard of the Novaquatics by two seconds.

Jamie Cale of Golden West Swim Club won the 1,500 meter freestyle in 16:43.25.

Mark Warkentin of Buena Ventura won the men’s 1,500 in 16:12.58.