INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Former Cal men's swimming star Tom Shields broke a pair of his own American records in the butterfly as well as one in the 400-meter medley relay to highlight Team USA's seventh win over Team Europe at the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool at IUPUI Natatorium.
Shields wasn't the only Bear to make a major impact in Indianapolis. Nathan Adrian, who also still trains at Spieker Aquatics Complex alongside Shields, contributed to American record swims in the 400 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay while also winning the 50 and 100 freestyle. And, current Bear standout Josh Prenot helped add to Team USA's lead with a win of his own, claiming the 200 IM crown.
Team USA won the two-day event by a final of 153-109 and Shields tied Matt Grevers for high-point honors thanks to a series of extremely strong swims. Already the American record holder in the 100 butterfly, Shields shattered that mark by 17-hundreths of a second, stopping the clock in 48.63 to edge Europe's Laszlo Cseh.
In the 200, Shields again broke his own record, finishing in a time of 1:49.05 to shave over a second off his previous best time. And, his brilliance wasn't limited to individual races as he combined with Grevers, Kevin Cordes and Adrian to set an American record with a time of 3:20.91 in the medley relay.
Adrian's winning time of 20.95 in the 50 freestyle was just a tenth of a second off former Bear Anthony Ervin's American record, and his final leg on the 400 freestyle relay helped break the American record set in 2010. Prenot earned his victory in the final individual event of the meet, clocking a time of 1:53.09 that earned him first when Ryan Lochte was disqualified.