Publication Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2004
MEN'S SWIMMING
Marshall's world mark in 100 back highlights NCAAs
Marshall's world mark in 100 back highlights NCAAs
(March 31, 2004) by Keith Peters
Stanford senior Markus Rogan believes the European swimming community doesn't think much about the NCAA championships. After all, Europe swims meters and America swims yards.
"Most Europeans write off NCAAs," he said before he 2004 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships got under way last weekend in Long Island, N.Y. "But this year they'll see how fast college swimming really is."
Rogan's prediction came true in record-breaking fashion during the three-day championships, swum over short-course meters during an Olympic year. A total of eight world records were set, in addition to 10 American marks established.
Auburn, Stanford and Texas were responsible for the record breaking while finishing one-two-three in the final team standings. Auburn, with a roster filled with foreigners, set an NCAA record for most points scored with 634. That broke the previous record of 632 by Stanford in 1992.
The Cardinal, ranked No. 2 throughout the dual-meet season, lived up to its rank with a second-place finish of 377 1/2 points while Texas finished a close third with 374.
"We're quite pleased, especially with all the records set," said Ted Knapp, Stanford's assistant coach. "Any time you get any of those records, it's nice."
The Cardinal accounted for one world record, two U.S. marks, four U.S. Open records and three NCAA marks. Rogan, meanwhile, set three Austrian records all by himself.
Marshall, a senior from Atlanta, had a hand in five records. He set a world record in winning the 100 backstroke in 50.32. He also swam on the 200 free and 200 medley relays that set American records in the prelims. Both were broken later in the evening by other teams.
Rogan set his Austrian records with a second place in the 200 IM (1:55.51), a second place in the 100 back (51.60) and a second place in the 200 back (1:51.37). It took world records in all three races to beat Rogan.
Stanford had two individual champions in Marshall (100 back) and junior Jayme Cramer (200 free), with Cramer becoming only the second swimmer in Stanford history to win the 200. The first was Olympian Greg Buckingham in 1967.
Cramer also added a second play in the 200 fly and a fifth in the 400 free, joining Rogan in a three-way tie for third among the meet's high scorers with 51 points. Marshall was eighth with 47 points.
While Stanford's big three of Marshall, Rogan and Cramer led the way, the Cardinal also had a number of other finalists who contributed to the second-place finish.
Junior Gary Marshall, Peter's cousins, was third in the 200 breast and fourth in the 100 breast. Junior Matt McDonald was fifth in the 100 fly and sixth in the 200 fly; Peter Marshall added a fourth in the 200 back; while freshmen Hongzhe Sun (200 back) and Shaun Phillips (1,650 free) had sixth-place finishes.
Seniors Andrew Schnell and Bobby O'Bryan swam legs on Stanford's American record-setting 200 free and 200 medley relays, as did freshman Ben Wildman-Tobriner. Senior Michael Bruce ended his career with a leg on the 400 medley relay squad that sete NCAA and U.S. Open marks in the prelims.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
