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Area swimmers take titles at Oregon Masters Championships
By Staff Reports
Saturday, April 12, 2008 10:24 PM PDT
Three Bay Area swimmers combined to win nine individual events during the Oregon State Masters Championships in Beaverton last weekend.
Jayna Tomac, Denise Stuntzner-Gibson and Ralph Mohr also helped several relay teams to wins in the competition for swimmers 19 to 84 years old.
Tomac won five straight races, setting Oregon and Pacific Northwest Zone records in three of them in the 35-39 age group. She won the 50-meter breaststroke in a record time of 37.16 seconds, set a record with her time of 1:22.30 in the 100 breaststroke, and broke the record in the 200 individual medley with her time of 2:47.15. Her time in the 50 breaststroke was the fastest of any woman in the championships, regardless of age group.
Tomac set the Oregon record in the 200 breaststroke, with a time of 3:03.73, and won the 400 individual medley with a time of 5:54.97.
Stuntzner-Gibson was also victorious in multiple events in the 45-49 women’s age group. She won all three butterfly events. Her 50 butterfly time of 32.85 was only two tenths slower than a time she set 23 years ago, and “I know I can do better,” she said. Stuntzner-Gibson’s other winning times were 1:15.05 in the 100 butterfly and 3:00.28 in the 200 butterfly.
She was also second in the 45-49 women’s 200 freestyle, with a time of 2:34.07, and third in the 50 freestyle, with a time of 31.36.
Stuntzner-Gibson was pleased with her performance, especially considering she hadn’t competed in a long-course 50-meter pool in 26 years.
Mohr only won one event in the three day meet, the 65-69 Men’s 400 freestyle, with a time of 6:50.83. He was second in the 1,500-meter freestyle in 25:17.34, the 200 freestyle (3:12.62) and the 50 butterfly (46.03).
“I had asthma problems,” he said. “Other than the relays it was a below average meet for me.”
In masters long course swimming, relays are set up by the total age of the four participants. Mohr was on two winning men’s relays in the 280+ age group. The average age of the four guys was 70, but Mohr was the youngest at 66.
“They like to have me around,” he said. “I’m willing to swim butterfly.”
Tomac also swam the breaststroke leg of the winning 160-199 Women’s 200 medley relay. She was a teammate with Stuntzner-Gibson, who swam butterfly on the same relay. Stuntzner-Gibson also swam butterfly on the winning mixed 200 medley relay for the 200-239 combined age group. Mixed relays must have two men and two women, but they can swim the relay in any order.
Future plans for the trio of Bay Area swimmers are varied. Tomac will attend the Masters National Championships at the University of Texas Swim Center in Austin later in May. Stuntzner-Gibson will continue to swim at Oregon age group and masters meets during the summer. Mohr has already adjusted his training for summer open-water swims in Oregon lakes.
“We’re pretty excited about the next four months,”Stuntzner-Gibson said.
All three are pointing for the Masters Long Course National Championships to be held at the Mount Hood Community College Pool in Gresham the second weekend of August.
Karen Matson, another local masters swimmer, was unable to compete because of work conflicts.
The group works out most weekend mornings at Mingus Park Pool. |