Sports Shorts Sports Shorts (April 09, 2004)

NATION'S BEST . . . Stanford's Tara Kirk, who set the world record in winning the 100-meter short-course breaststroke in 1:04.79 at the 2004 NCAA Championships and became the first woman ever to win an NCAA breaststroke event four consecutive years, has been named the nation's most outstanding collegiate woman athlete in swimming and diving, according to results of national balloting among NCAA member schools. For winning, Kirk will receive the Honda Award, given annually to the top woman student-athlete in 12 sports. Kirk also is automatically nominated for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year honors along with athletes voted the most outstanding in cross country, field hockey, soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, golf, tennis, softball, lacrosse and track & field. The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined in June by separate balloting involving all NCAA-member institutions and will receive the Honda-Broderick Cup. Kirk, who hails from Bremerton, Wa., was voted the honor over Natalie Coughlin of the University of California, winner of the Honda Award the past two years; Margaret Hoelzer of Auburn University and Kaitlin Sandeno of the University of Southern California. Nominees were selected by the NCAA College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association. In addition to her world mark in the 100 breaststroke, Kirk also won the 200-meter breaststroke at the NCAA Championships, setting the American record at 2:20.70. Kirk, who had already been named the 2004 NCAA and Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year, also competed on Stanford's 400- and 200- meter medley relay teams, which finished second and third, respectively, at NCAAs. Kirk, the 2004 Pac-10 champion in both breaststrokes, recorded 11 NCAA titles in her career, finishing with a perfect 35-0 record in the 100 breaststroke and winning her last 19 races in the 200 breast. Kirk finished with 14 career Pac-10 titles, including seven in individual breaststroke events.

ALMOST IN OLYMPICS . . . Despite running a personal best of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 50 seconds, Magdalena Lewy Boulet of the Stanford-based Nike Farm Team finished fifth in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials last weekend in St. Louis, Mo. The top three finishers - Colleen De Reuck, Deena Kastor and Jen Rhines - all qualified for the USA team that will compete in Athens, Greece, this summer. De Reuck clocked 2:28.25. Lewy Boulet had the third-fastest time entering the race and was well below the Olympic Qualifying "A" standard of 2:37:00. The 123 competitors in the race ran the first mile at Francis Field on the campus of Washington University, site of the track and field competition at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. Thirteen of the top 20 finishers (and 27 overall) set personal bests during the race, while the top seven finishers ran the fastest times for those places in U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials history.

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