Lochte Victorious on Final Night of the Swimnetwork.com Santa Clara International Grand Prix

Four Meet Records Fall as the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series Comes to a Close

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) added to his Grand Prix gold medal haul Sunday night, with a win in the men’s 100m back at the Swimnetwork.com Santa Clara International Grand Prix. Lochte also claimed the men’s high-point award for his overall performance in Santa Clara.

Lochte was able to hold on to his early lead in the 100m back against a field that included Olympic medalists Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) and Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.). Phelps came on strong in the final 25 meters but wasn’t able to pull off the win, finishing second in 54.31. Australia’s Ashley Delaney out touched Grevers for third, with a time of 54.41. 

Phelps also finished second in the men’s 100m free, behind Canada’s Brent Hayden who took home the gold in a meet-record time of 48.49. The final featured seven Olympians and saw three swimmers finish under the previous meet record. Phelps finished in 48.87 for the silver and Nathan Adrian (Bremerton, Wash.) took the bronze in 48.94. 

Mary DeScenza (Naperville, Ill.) won the women’s 200m fly, clinching her spot as the winner of the $20,000 2008-2009 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series. DeScenza also earned the women’s high-point award for the meet, sharing the title with Ariana Kukors (Auburn, Wash.). DeScenza earned gold in 2:08.78 and was followed by 2008 Olympian Kathleen Hersey (Atlanta, Ga.), who was second in 2:10.29, and Alyssa Anderson (Granite Bay, Calif.), who was third in 2:10.36.

Kukors earned gold with a win in the women’s 200m IM, breaking the meet record with her time of 2:10.88, besting the previous record by almost three seconds. 2008 Olympian Julia Smit (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) was second in 2:12.36 and Australia’s Stephanie Rice was third in 2:12.84.

Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry added to her gold medal haul in Santa Clara with a win in the women’s 200m back. The world record-holder broke the meet record in 2:06.99, the fastest time in the event this year by any swimmer in the world. Australia’s Meagan Nay was second in 2:08.61 and 2008 Olympian Elizabeth Beisel (Saunderstown, R.I.) was third in 2:12.86. Coventry’s swim in the 200m back earned her the performance of the meet award.

Australia’s Brenton Rickard set a meet record in the men’s 200m breast with a time of 2:10.37. Rickard, who won an Olympic silver medal in the event in Beijing, led the field throughout the race and took a considerable lead after the first 100 meters. Canada’s Scott Dickens was second in 2:14.52 and John Criste (Saugus, Calif.) was third in 2:15.35.

In the women’s 50m free, Cal Aquatics swimmer Madison Kennedy (Avon, Conn) beat the field by just 4 one-hundredths of a second to secure the gold medal in 25.29. 2004 Olympian Amanda Weir (Lawrenceville, Ga.) earned the silver in 25.33 and Smit (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.) took home the bronze in 25.43.

In other races, Canada’s Brian Johns won the men’s 200m IM with a time of 2:01.25. Jack Brown (Atlanta, Ga.) was second in 2:02.37 and Australia’s Stephen Parkes was third in 2:03.90. In the women’s 800m free, Australia’s Katie Goldman won the event in 8:34.81. Amber McDermott (Mill Creek, Wash.) was second in 8:36.85 and Kelsey Ditto (Austin, Texas) was third in 8:37.19. In the men’s 1500m free, the final event of the night, Canada’s Ryan Cochrane won the gold in 15:06.70, Australia’s Robert Hurley was second in 15:07.08 and Ryan Napoleon, also swimming for Australia, was third in 15:16.66.

The Swimnetwork.com Santa Clara International Grand Prix was the sixth and final stop of the 2008-2009 USA Swimming Grand Prix Series. The top swimmers in the U.S. will be back in the water next month for the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships, July 7-12 in Indianapolis, Ind. Swimmers competing in Indianapolis will look to make the 2009 U.S. World Championship team that will go on to compete at the FINA World Championships in Rome, July 26 through August 2.


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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.