July 12, 2010
Los Angeles Grand Prix Results
LOS ANGELES -
Former California stars Natalie Coughlin and Dana Vollmer each won a race and led a successful Golden Bear run in the recently completed Los Angeles Grand Prix held at USC's McDonald's Swim Stadium. Coughlin won her signature event, the 100-meter backstroke, and Vollmer claimed the 100-meter butterfly in a meet record on July 11, the final day of the meet. Several current and other former Bears competed in the four-day meet, which is the last major tune-up for the Aug. 3-7 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships.
Coughlin, the two-time defending Olympic champion in the 100 back, clocked a time of 1:00.52 to clinch her win. Vollmer, the 2009 NCAA and Pac-10 Swimmer of the Year, posted a time of 57.39 to win the 100 fly and surpass the former meet record of 58.40 that she set in 2007. Current Cal All-American Sara Isakovic took seventh in the 100 fly with a time of 59.66.
Swimming for California Aquatics, the Bears collected several other championship final results, including the second-place 800-free relay (8:22.69; Erica Dagg, Vollmer, Sara Sun and Katherine Raatz), fourth-place 400-free relay (3:50.47; Liv Jensen, Lauren Boyle, Emily Bibb and Dagg) and eighth-place 400-free relay (3:55.34; Raatz, Sun, Amanda Sims and Colleen Fotsch). Caitlin Leverenz, the Pac-10's top newcomer last season, finished third in both the 400 individual medley (4:40.73) and 200 breaststroke (2:29.72), placed fifth in the 200 IM (2:13.87) and finished eighth in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.65).
Cal had three Bears in the 100-free top eight, with Coughlin taking second (54.84), Vollmer taking fifth (55.45) and returning senior Hannah Wilson placing seventh (55.87). Isakovic finished fifth in the 200 free (2:00.56) and seventh (2:12.01) in the 200 fly.
Boyle, a former Bear, placed fourth in the 800 free (8:39.24) and seventh in the 400 free (4:16.53), while erstwhile Cal star Madison Kennedy was fourth (25.50) and Vollmer was eighth (25.76) in the 50 free.
