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Oldest American record falls
Posted: Saturday March 27, 1999 03:18 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The oldest American short-course swimming record was broken with the help of former record-holder Pablo Morales. Dod Wales, who had Morales as an assistant coach at Stanford last year, topped the American mark in winning the 100-yard butterfly Friday at the men's swimming and diving championships for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Wales won in 45.89 seconds, improving on the mark of 46.26 set by Morales in 1986. "About a year ago I set the goal of breaking Pablo's American record. As the year went on, that became more and more reasonable. I was to the point where I was putting too much pressure on myself," Wales said. Until his record, Wales wasn't happy with his swimming in the meet. "Swimming two 100 flys on the relays [Thursday] and this morning's swim, I wasn't really pleased," he said. "I felt like I was pushing myself a little too hard, a little too emotional. "I wanted it a little too bad and got out of my race strategy. In warmups, I worked on a couple of different things to help me get my rhythm back. Tonight, I just swam like I knew I was capable of doing. I didn't force it." Watching the race was Ross Wales, who won the event in 1967 with a time of 50.26 for Princeton and later went on to win a bronze medal in the 200-meter butterfly in the 1968 Olympics. They are the first father-son combination to win NCAA championships. "This has been a long time coming," said the elder Wales, who was in tears as he presented the award for the victory to his son. "To see him come through and work for his success, is gratifying."
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