Not one, not two, but three national records were broken in the women’s 400 IM. USC’s Katinka Hosszu broke the NCAA and U.S. Open Records with a win in 3:56.54. Cal’s Caitlin Leverenz broke the American Record in second with a 3:57.89.
But out of 4th was the most under-the-radar record, as Maya DiRado of Stanford broke the 17-18 National Age Group Record in the 400 IM with a 3:59.37. That took down a legendary mark held by Katie Hoff in 4:00.66 when she was still in high school in 2007. Remember that Hoff was the best IM’er in the world in 2007 (200 and 400 dual World Champion), so to break that says big things about both DiRado, and how far this race has come.
It’s easy to overlook that DiRado is only 18 still, as she’s a sophomore, but the impressive Cardinal swimmer enrolled at Stanford when she was only 17.
Comparative splits:
Hoff – 57.16, 1:56.57 (59.41), 3:04.47 (1:07.90), 4:00.66 (56.19)
DiRado – 55.13, 1:55.26 (1:00.13), 3:04.61 (1:09.35), 3:59.88 (3:55.27)