The World Records Set at the William Woollett Aquatics Center
Will any world records fall at next month’s Pan Pacific Championships? Based on history, it’s likely. The William Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine will serve as the host site in Southern California, and world records are not uncommon at the venue. Meanwhile, with the likes of Summer McIntosh and Gretchen Walsh among the competitors, the talent level for global marks is obviously there.
Since 1980, the Woollett Aquatics Center has featured seven world-record performances. Here’s a look at the marks that have been set.
1980 United States Olympic Trials
Although the United States boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, Trials were still held. Contested at what was then known as Heritage Park Aquatics Center, the meet took place after the Olympic Games, with the winning times from the Olympics listed on the scoreboard as targets for the athletes.
The 200 butterfly featured world records in both men’s and women’s action. Craig Beardsley clocked 1:58.21 to break the previous standard of Mike Bruner (1:59.23) and was considerably faster than the winning Olympic time of the Soviet Union’s Sergey Fesenko (1:59.76). In women’s action, Mary T. Meagher ripped a mark of 2:06.37, an effort that cut .64 off her prior record. Additionally, Madame Butterfly’s time was four seconds faster than what East German Ines Geissler (2:10.44) went for the Olympic title.
The other world record at the 1980 Trials was set by Bill Barrett in the 200 individual medley. Barrett touched the wall in 2:03.24, which was slightly quicker than the 2:03.29 produced by Jesse Vassallo at the 1979 Pan American Games.
2006 United States Nationals
The 2006 United States National Championships served as the start of a momentous summer for Brendan Hansen. The Team USA veteran opened and closed the meet with world records. On the first night of the competition, Hansen lowered his own world record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.13. Four days later, he took his record in the 200 breaststroke to 2:08.74.
A few weeks later, Hansen doubled in the breaststroke events at the Pan Pacific Championships in British Columbia. While he won the 100 distance in 59.90, he dazzled in the 200 breaststroke by setting another world record, this time a 2:08.50 performance.
2014 United States Nationals
The first of Katie Ledecky’s world records in the 400 freestyle was set at the 2014 U.S. Nationals and featured the takedown of Federica Pellegrini’s super-suited global mark of 3:59.15. Ledecky put together a performance of 3:58.86, but the record endured for just 14 days, as Ledecky lit up the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast of Australia with a swim of 3:58.37.
2018 United States Nationals
The most recent world record established at the Woollett Aquatics Center was supplied by Kathleen Baker at the 2018 National Championships. Baker just missed becoming the first woman to crack the 58-second barrier in the 100 backstroke when she covered the event in 58.00. Baker broke the previous record of 58.10, set at the 2017 World Championships by Canadian Kylie Masse.
