Jan. 18, 2008

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Olympic silver medalist Erik Vendt (North Eaton, Mass.) broke an American record Friday on the first day of competition at the Toyota Southern California Grand Prix of Swimming. Vendt set the American record in the 1000y free with a time of 8:36.49, beating the previous record by more than six seconds.

Fellow Club Wolverine swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Kaitlin Sandeno (Lake Forest, Calif.) won the women's 1000y free to take home the first gold medal of the meet. Like Vendt, Sandeno led the field throughout the race to finish in 9:30.62, breaking her own pool record by more than six seconds.

Rounding out the top three in the men's 1000y free were Olympic silver medalist Larsen Jensen (Bakersfield, Calif.), who finished second in 8:58.64, and Boulder City Henderson swimmer Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev.), who finished third in 9:14.29.

On the women's side, Athens Bulldog Swim Club's Mary DeScenza finished second in 9:37.52 and Club Wolverine's Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio) was third in 9:48.42.

The Toyota Southern California Grand Prix of Swimming continues Saturday with ten events. The competition will include prelims and finals in the men's and women's 100y free, 200y fly, 200y back, and 500y free. The finals session will also feature the 400y free relay. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. and finals start at 5 p.m.

About USA Swimming

As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit usaswimming.org.