Quance-Julian Ends Up With Four Wins

Kristine Quance-Julian’s two victories highlighted the final day of a record-setting weekend in the Speedo Grand Challenge at Heritage Aquatics Complex in Irvine.

Back-to-back victories Sunday gave the 1996 Olympic gold-medal winner four victories in the meet, edging Jenny Thompson, who won three races, for individual honors.

A Granada Hills and USC graduate, Quance-Julian returned to swimming last summer after taking several months off to have a baby. She won the 200 and 400 individual medleys over the first two days, then came from behind in setting meet records Sunday in the 200 breaststroke (2 minutes 32.63 seconds) and 200 butterfly (2:14.03.)

“It made me feel really good to come from behind because that means I’m in shape,” Quance-Julian said. “This was an event I did not want to approach lightly. It’s important to use every opportunity you have to race good swimmers.”

Thompson, a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, set three meet records in her three wins, the last coming Sunday in the 100 freestyle, which she covered in 55.16, just ahead of Stanford teammate Dara Torres.

With their victories Sunday, Eric Vendt, Jason Lezak and Lindsay Benko became two-event winners.

Vendt, from USC via Boston, blistered the field in the 1,500 freestyle, finishing in 15:28.77, almost 20 seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer.