Vendt defended his national title in the men's 1500m free, winning the race by more than 16 seconds. Vendt's time of 14:57.01 is the sixth-fastest time in that event this year and Vendt's best time since the 2000 Olympic Team Trials.
"I love this pool," Vendt said. "I've only swum one meet here, but it has a lot of history, a lot of mystique. I come out here and see my name on the wall - great memories."
American record-holder Larsen Jensen (Bakersfield, Calif.) swam the race in 15:13.94, while open water standout Chip Peterson (Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.) finished third in 15:19.49. In the women's 200m breast, Soni won the event in 2:23.62 to break the meet record. Soni's swim is the third fastest 200m breast time in the world this year.
"I was hoping to have a best time," Soni said. "That was it, so I am happy with it. I felt really good. I was struggling to finish the final 50 meters. I was pushing for [the American record]. It is definitely a goal."
Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz.), who won gold in the 200m breast at the 2007 Pan American Games, picked up second with a time of 2:25.78. Olympian Megan Jendrick (Puyallup, Wash.) rounded out the top three in 2:27.82.
World-record holders Kate Ziegler (Great Falls, Va.) and Katie Hoff (Towson, Md.) went head-to-head in the women's 800m freestyle, with Zeigler pulling ahead in the last 50m to win the race in 8:22.33. Hoff finished .47 seconds later in 8:22.60. The times are the third and fourth-fastest times posted in the world this year. Leah Gingrich (Enola, Pa.) hit the wall third in 8:36.97.
World-record holder Brendan Hansen (Havertown, Pa.) repeated as the men's 200m breast champion for the third consecutive year in 2:09.91. The time is one-tenth off of the fastest time recorded this year by Japan's Kosuke Kitajima. Hansen's teammate Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga.) stayed on his heels, turning just a half second after the Olympian at the halfway point. Shanteau continued to close in on Hansen on the third lap, but remained in second with a time of 2:10.65. Andrew Bree (Ireland) of Tennessee Aquatics was third in 2:14.65.
Kathleen Hersey (Atlanta, Ga.), who was the 2007 Pan American champion in the women's 200m fly, collected her first national title with her win in the 200m fly. Hersey finished the race in 2:07.19 to beat out a talented field, including 2007 U.S. World Championships Team members Mary Descenza (Naperville, Ill.), Kim Vandenberg (Moraga, Calif.) and Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas). Descenza posted the second fastest time of 2:07.84, while Vandenberg rounded out the top three in 2:08.19.
Davis Tarwater (Knoxville, Tenn.) won the men's 200m fly in 1:56.03, a personal best. Gil Stovall (Memphis, Tenn.) of Athens Swim Club made a run for Tarwater down the homestretch, but finished second in 1:57.13. Aquazot's Eddie Erazo (San Diego, Calif.) took third in 1:58.17.
The 2007 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships continues Wednesday, Aug. 1 and runs through Saturday, Aug. 4. For a full schedule of events for the meet, please visit usaswimming.org. All nights of finals will be webcast live at usaswimming.org starting at 6 p.m. EDT nightly. There is no cost for the webcast.
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 USA Swimming on-line.
