SWIMMING JUNIOR OLYMPICS LONG COURSE : Fleming Gets Triple Gold

National Junior Olympic swimming records would seem easier to come by in a championship final before a roaring crowd. That’s why Jason Bourland’s performance Saturday was so unusual.

In a lonely three-man swim-off between the preliminaries and finals of the U.S. Swimming Junior Olympic West to make the finals field, Bourland set the National Junior Olympic 50-meter freestyle mark.

His time of 23.54 seconds at Irvine’s Heritage Aquatic Complex was one-tenth under Doug Dickinson’s 1988 record.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and I was so shocked I felt like passing out,” said Bourland, whose previous best was 24.22.

The key for the 18-year-old from Boise, Idaho, was a quick start and a perfectly timed stroke.

“All I was concerned about was winning to get into the finals,” Bourland said. “I was mentally ready to swim.”

Bourland was mentally spent by the time the finals rolled around, but his afternoon effort put sprint favorite Robert Fleming of Houston on edge.

“They woke me up at 3 o’clock to tell me about it (Bourland’s record),” Fleming said. “My nerves were shot. I tried to play cards to settle down, but the guy in Lane 8 (Bourland) had me scared.”

As it turned out, Paul Wolf was more of a concern. It took a fingertip touch for Fleming, 18, who took up the sport just two years ago, to beat Wolf and become the meet’s lone triple individual event winner, adding the 100 and 200. Bourland finished sixth.

Two swimmers won their second gold medals on the final day of the five-day meet. Michelle Clark of Phoenix dominated the 1,500 with a six-second victory, and 13-year-old Teresa Mauck of Kansas City won the 200 individual medley despite losing 1.2 seconds to El Cajon’s Alison Terry on the backstroke leg.

Even after passing Terry with an excellent breaststroke portion, Mauck had to contend with Alegra Breaux and a charging Terry on the final freestyle leg.

“The last 25 I was trying to go as hard as I could because she (Terry) caught me this morning (in the preliminaries),” Mauck said. “For me, this is beyond my expectations, but my coach still feels I can go faster.”

Three National Junior Olympic and two National Junior Olympic West marks were set during the meet. The Mission Viejo Nadadores won five events, the most of any team. The Woodlands won four, including all three boys’ relays.