Lochte pulled ahead of the rest of the field and was about two-tenths of a second ahead of American record pace after the backstroke. From there, he built a body-length lead on Phelps that he maintained for the rest of the race. Phelps finished second in 1:41.32, while Longhorn Aquatics' Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga.) was third in 1:44.12.
Lochte's final time in the 200y IM was .47 seconds faster than his previous mark of 1:40.55, which he set in March of 2006.
Lochte claimed his second win of the night in the men's 50y free in 19.31, just out-touching Olympian Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.), who took second in 19.35. Auburn's Bryan Lundquist (Marietta, Ga.) was third in 19.39.
Coughlin, meanwhile, used her signature underwater abilities to overpower the rest of the field in the women's 50 and break the previous record of 21.63, set by Kara Lynn Joyce (Ann Arbor, Mich.) in 2006, by nearly two-tenths of a second.
"With all the swimmers out there, they create a lot waves, so I wanted to stay underwater as long as possible," Coughlin said. "It's really encouraging and gives me a lot of confidence to know I'm getting better."
Joyce finished second behind Coughlin in 21.81, followed by Georgian Amanda Weir (Lawrenceville) who was third in 21.99.
In other races, Auburn's Ava Ohlgren (Northville, Mich.) held off hometown product Kathleen Hersey in the final 25 yards of the women's 200y IM to come away with a victory in 1:55.83. Hersey finished second in 1:56.04, while Club Wolverine's Kaitlin Sandeno (Lake Forest, Calif.) was third in 1:57.61.
National Teamer Mary DeScenza (Naperville, Ill.) of Athens Bulldog Swim Club won the women's 500y free, turning in a time of 4:39.33. Second place went to Alyssa Anderson (Granite Bay, Calif.) in 4:39.70 while Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio) was third in 4:40.04
"Let this be a lesson to everyone out there," DeScenza said. "You can still swim off-events and do great."
Club Wolverine's Peter Vanderkaay (Rochester, Mich.) cruised to a decisive victory in the men's 500-yard free, crushing the rest of the field by nearly four seconds. His time of 4:10.75 was the fifth fastest swim in history. The American record- holder in the event, he now owns three of the top-five fastest times ever. National Teamer Larsen Jensen (Bakersfield, Calif.) was second in 4:14.36, while Club Wolverine's Erik Vendt (Easton, Mass.) was third in 4:14.75.
The 2007 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Short Course National Championships continues Friday with prelims and finals of the men's and women's 400y IM, 200y freestyle, 100y breaststroke and 100y backstroke. Timed finals of the men's and women's 800y freestyle relay will also be contested Friday.
The finals Friday and Saturday will be webcast live at SwimNetwork.com, beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
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. For more information, visit USA Swimming on-line.
