Olympians win national swim titles

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ryan Lochte held off hard-charging Tyler Clary to win the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. national championships Tuesday night, leading a parade of Olympians who qualified for the world meet later this month.

Lochte and Clary made it a two-man race to the wall, with Lochte touching first in 4 minutes, 6.40 seconds. Clary, who swims at Michigan, finished in 4:06.96.

Katie Hoff supplied the only surprise on opening night of the five-day meet. The Olympic silver medalist faded to sixth in the 400 freestyle, her latest disappointing result since the Beijing Games.

Three weeks ago, a virus prevented Hoff from competing in Santa Clara, Calif. She needed a week to rest and recover.

Except for Hoff, Olympians dominated with the world championships looming nearly a year after Beijing.

Along with Lochte, Christine Magnuson, Peter Vanderkaay, Julia Smit, Mark Gangloff and Allison Schmitt all earned trips to Rome by winning titles. Smit and Gangloff set American records.

Magnuson won the 100 butterfly, touching first in 57.15 seconds at the Indiana University Natatorium. She was the silver medalist in Beijing.

Vanderkaay held off 20-year-old training partner Daniel Madwed to win the 400 freestyle in 3:45.17. Vanderkaay, who was fourth in Beijing, was under American record pace through the first 350 meters.

Madwed, who trains at Michigan, hugged the lane line and drafted off Vanderkaay throughout, but he couldn’t catch him down the stretch and finished second in 3:47.24.

Dana Vollmer finished second to Magnuson in 57.32, putting herself in line for a trip to Rome. Olympian Elaine Breeden was third in 57.46.

Smit set an American record in the 200 individual medley, winning in 2:09.34. She lowered the mark of 2:09.71 set by Hoff at last year’s U.S. Olympic trials.

Elizabeth Pelton, a 16-year-old who trains at the same North Baltimore club as Phelps and Hoff, was under world record pace through the opening 100 meters. She held on for second in 2:10.03.

Dagny Knutson, a 17-year-old up-and-comer from Minot, N.D., was second early in the 200 IM before fading to fourth.

Gangloff and fellow Olympian Eric Shanteau dueled in the 100 breaststroke. Gangloff flirted with the world mark before winning in an American-record time of 59.01, fastest in the world this year.