TRACY CAULKINS: SHE'S NO. 1 - Swimming World Magazine

USS NATIONALS continuedJeff Kostoff held off Rowdy Gaines' fists and feet for a 500 free win.500, 1000 and 1650--matching the triple by MissionViejo's Tiffany Cohen on the women's side.It should be noted, however, that 1982 is only thesecond year such a triple has been possible inasmuch asthe 1000 free was added to the short course championshipformat just last year. Many swimmers have completedthe 500-1650 sweep at previous U.S. Nationalsand in 1980, when the "short course" meet was longcourse, Mesa's Mike Bruner won the 400-1500 free andwas third in the 800. At the 1980 Olympic Trials Bruneragain won the 400-1500 free and was runner-up in the800.Kostoff's winning effort surpasses the 14:53.90 byUCLA's Rafael Escalas from last year's NCAAs as theNo. 2 all-time clocking. The time is also a 15-16 NAGstandard, and makes the slender Industry Hillsfreestyler (he won't be 17 until August 19) the fastestdistance swimmer of all time for his age. (Goodell hadjust turned 17 when he won at Montreal with worldrecords in the 400-1500 and Tim Shaw also was 17 whenhe set world records in the 200-400-1500 during the 1974season. )Second at Gainesville in the 1650 free was Columbia'sTony Corbisiero, who chased Kostoff to the latter'sAmerican record in the 1000 free opening night. Third,fourth and fifth went to Mission swimmers (as Corbisierois during the summer), with Rojer Madruga third(15:07.82, his lifetime best), NCAA 500 free champ An-dy Astbury next (15:08.59) and Bruce Hayes fifth at15:12.11.Two other promising young American distancespecialists, 16-year-old Paul Budd (Memphis State) and17-year-old Jeff Erwin (Boise YMCA, who'll swim forCoach Nort Thornton's Cal Golden Bears this fall) weresixth and seventh, respectively, in 15:19.47 and15:20.54. Eighth went to a 17-year-old Canadian,Saints' Dave Shemilt.Corbisiero, perhaps sensing his best chance for victorylay in getting out fast and trying to build up a sufficientlylarge lead off Kostoff so the latter might wearhimself out trying to catch up, led for the first 650yards. At first his margin was under a half-second perhundred but by a third of the race he had built it to nearlya second--5:23.73 to 5:24.41 at 600 yards.As the duo flipped after 650 yards Kostoff (in lane 4)was nearly even with Corbisiero (5:51.38 to 5:51.68)and after 700 yards had taken over No. 1 for good. At1000 yards he was up by more than four seconds(9:01.05 to 9:05.38) yet he was still nearly five secondsoff Goodell's record split of 8:56.25. Holding 54s foreach 100 thereafter, Kostoff stroked to victory overCorbisiero by over 13 seconds."We wanted him to hold 53s," Spencer said later, "butthis was a good swim. There's plenty of time for recordsdown the line."Kostoff, at 6-1/2 and 145 pounds, is from the old"animal lane" school of Lraining."That boy is a killer," marvels Industry teammate JillSterkel, who knows a bit about life in the "AnimalLane" herself. "I don't think he's discovered pain yet."100 BackAMERICAN AND U.S. OPEN RECORDClay Britt, Texas (3-27-81) 23.22 49.08DEFENDING SHORT COURSE CHAMPION (Cambridge, 4-11-81)Rick Carey, Badger Swim Club 23.8 49.79DEFENDING LONG COURSE CHAMPION (Brown Deer, 8-16-81)Rick Carey, Badger Swim Club1982 FINALISTS (April 10, 1982)Dave Bottom, 19, Walnut Creek 23.39 48.94*Rick Carey, 19, Badger 23.46 49.18Mark Rhodenbaugh, 17, CPM 23.27 49.51Clay Britt, 21, Longhorn 23.56 50.00Tom Jager, 17, Parkway 23.45 50.12Roger Von Jouanne, 21, Saluki 23.79 50.46Ja~, Yarid, 18, Mission Viejo 24.12 50.46Dave Wilson, 21, CPM 23.84 50.63* American and U.S. Open RecordAbout an hour before the finals of the 100 back areporter was approached by Walnut Creek Aquabearsdorsal specialist John Engs."Who you betting on'?." Engs not-so-matter-of-factlyasked."Carey," the reporter replied, not so much because hebelieved Badger's Rick Carey, two-time defendingnational champion, would win but because Engs wasobviously trying to goad the writer into predicting thathis WCAB teammate, Dave Bottom, would emerge asthe victor.Good thing, too, as Bottom was tops as Gainesville,winning with an American-U.S. Open record 48.94. Inthe process Bottom became the first (and only) man everunder 49 seconds for the 100 back. About an hour later,Bottom nearly broke his own record by leading off the D,-Swimming World/June 31