Dana Vollmer signed on with Speedo earlier on this week through 2012.

The University of Florida wins the 2010 NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships. According to jconline.com, the Florida Gators women’s team beat second-place Stanford by 2.5 points (382-379.5), which was even more impressive considering they were in fifth place headed into the last day of the tournament.

Florida has not won an NCAA Women’s Championship since 1982, and this year’s championship is the second in its history. Stanford has won eight total women’s championships, with the last championship taking place in 1998.

Dana Vollmer agrees to a contract with Speedo through 2012. Vollmer, one of the most impressive young swimmers in the country, has agreed to terms with Speedo, according to its website.

The announcement comes just a few weeks after Speedo extended their deal with Natalie Coughlin during the first week of March.

The informational release states that Vollmer had “always envisoned herself as part of the Speedo family” from a young age.

Vollmer is currently in second place in the USA Swimming Grand Prix with 39 points, trailing only leader Chloe Sutton (68 points).

The 2010 NCAA Men’s Swimming Championships have been postponed one day due to gastrointestinal illness. The championships, which are being held in Columbus, Oh., have been delayed due to 18 swimmers coming down with the illness, according to CollegeSwimming.com. The report states that athletes from three colleges have been affected: Arizona, Texas and Stanford.

The NCAA Crisis Management Team finalized the decision.

One college swim team is eliminated, one is added . The University of North Florida (Jacksonville, Fl.) announced that they will cut their women’s swim program earlier today. On the flip side, Queens University of Charlotte announced that they will add men’s and women’s swimmingprograms to their athletics programs.

Some colleges that have cut or considered cutting their swim programs earlier on this year are Duquesne University and Cal-State Bakersfield.

Garrett Weber-Gale told the New York Times that that Olympic athletes really do eat McDonalds. Do we believe him? Sure. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Local swimmers shine at Junior Nationals. Rachel Naurath (Nova of Virginia) came through in a big way at Junior Nationals. Swimming World Magazine reported on her impressive meet, including a win in the 1000 freestyle. Naurath’s best race came in the 100 freestyle, where she finished with a time of 49.70.

Other notable competitors with impressive finishes include Jack Conger (RMSC), Bradley Phillips (Curl-Burke) and Chuck Katis (Curl-Burke). Swimming World Magazine has a full rundown of meet results, found here.

Olympic athletes actually do eat McDonalds, according to Garrett Weber-Gale. The New York Times ran an interesting story this past week, which reported that Garrett Weber-Gale said that olympic athletes do eat McDonalds.

The commercials are accurate, Mr. Weber-Gale wrote, in that there are McDonald’s restaurants and that McDonald’s food is available to Olympic athletes. “In my experience, eating in the dining hall at the Beijing Olympics, I’ve seen firsthand that many athletes do in fact eat McDonald’s,” he added.

Perhaps the most surprising fact that Weber-Gale shared was that some athletes eat McDonalds right before their events.

McDonalds advertised during the Olympic games, including the most recent winter games in Vancouver.

Bradenton-area company begins major water safety program. Water safety is a big issue in the state of Florida, so a Florida department store has stepped up to address the issues. Bealls department stores have worked towards improving awareness of water safety through their educational program and initiative.

Bealls is offering donation voucher sales to customers, and all the proceeds will go towards the Make A Splash Foundation. It’s a great step for Florida—as the article notes, water safety in Florida is truly at a high priority.

You can read more about Beall’s program here.

Ohio State wins the High Point title at the U.S. Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championships. The Ohio State Buckeyes took home their 26th overall high point title (96 points) with a victory at Stanford University this weekend. Host team Stanford came in second place with 82 points, and Canisius College and the University of the Incarnate Word tied in third place,with 72 points a piece.

A rundown of the top performers from the meet is available here.

Dana Vollmer was one of the most impressive swimmers in the Austin Grand Prix, held this past week at the University of Texas in Austin, Tex.

Reach For The Wall brings you the week in U.S. swimming one day earlier this week, with highlights from Michael Phelps’ swim in Maryland, the Austin Grand Prix and a feature story on a coach you have to read about.

Michael Phelps sets new record at Maryland event. On Sunday at the Maryland Swim Championships, Michael Phelps set a new American record in the 200 yard butterfly (1:39.65), breaking his old record of 1:39.70, set in 2006. Phelps also took home wins in the 200 yard individual medley (1:40.58) and the 400 yard individual medley (3:39.01).

Phelps competed for his club team, the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, which won the meet with 5,739.5 points. The Naval Academy Aquatic Club came in second place (2,274) and Loyola Bakerfield Aquatic secured a third-place finish (1,801.5).

A complete results document is available online at Maryland Swimming.

Dana Vollmer has impressive final day at Austin Grand Prix. Vollmer, 22, was one of the most impressive athletes on the final day of competition at the Austin Grand Prix. She swam a 54.30 in the 100 meter freestyle, which was the second fastest time in the world, according to Swimming World Magazine. Incredibly, the fastest time in this event was set earlier in the same day by a swimmer in France (54.27).

In the 200 meter butterfly, she dominated the field, finishing more than two seconds in front of second-place finisher, Kelly Nelson (2:15.88). Vollmer completed the event in a time of 2:13.86.

Complete results from the Austin Grand Prix event can be found at USA Swimming.

Natalie Coughlin agrees to a new deal with Speedo. Swimnetwork.com is reporting that Coughlin and Speedo have agreed to terms through 2013. Coughlin, who swam this past weekend at the Austin Grand Prix in Austin, Tex., has been with Speedo her entire career. The article notes that Coughlin is attempting to become the most decorated female swimmer of all time with her eyes set on 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Other American swimmers who are currently with Speedo include Michael Phelps, Katie Hoff and Ryan Lochte.

Donald Watkinds is a swim coach that has seen (and coached) it all. There was amazing feature story out of San Diego this week: If you haven’t heard of Donald Watkinds, you’re going to be impressed with his accomplishments. The Beach and Bay Press reports that he’s coached two Olympians and national record-holders, children as young as five and six years old and disabled swimmers as well.

Watkinds is the first coach to ever hold a USA Swimming-based camp for disabled swimmers.  

U.S. Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championships to be held at Stanford this weekend. The national synchronized swimming event is scheduled for March 11-13 of this week. Ohio State is the current defending champion of the event.

Reach For The Wall reported on this earlier in the month, and an updated article on the event details can be found at Palo Alto Online.

Natalie Coughlin will be amongst a lineup of big-name athletes participating in the Austin Grand Prix this weekend.

This Week in U.S. Swimming returns this week with big news on the Austin Grand Prix and an update on the college front.

The Austin Grand Prix will feature Natalie Coughlin, Aaron Peirsol and other major swimming athletes. Coughlin will be among a number of  big-name athletes who will compete this weekend at the Austin Grand Prix, held at the University of Texas. According to the American-Statesman, other major participants include Katie Hoff, Aaron Peirsol, Dana Vollmer, Cullen Jones, Kathleen Hershey and Garrett Weber-Gale.

More information about the USA Swimming Grand Prix series can be found here. The current series leader is Chloe Sutton (55 points) and will participate in the Austin event, according to about.com. Rebecca Soni and Matt Grevers are tied for second place with 26 points apiece. William Copeland is in third with 22 points.

Austin is the fourth out of eight stops on the series.

Julia Smit sets American record in the 200 IM. Smit had an incredible swim in the 200 IM at the Pac-10 Championships held last Thursday. The Stanford swimmer’s time of 1:52.31 surpassed her old record by more than a half second. Amazingly, Smit was not fully tapered for the Pac 10 meet, meaning that she could potentially swim faster times in future meets.

Stanford won the Women’s Pac 10 Swimming and Diving Championships. The University of California came in second place with the Southern Cal finishing third.

An update on the Raegan Koebler fundraiser. Koebler, who was covered in late-January post, originally pledged to raise enough money to support the Haitian earthquake and feed 100 orphans for a week. It turns out that she has surpassed her goal. The State-Journal Register reports that Koebler’s fundraiser raised more than $215,000.

Raegan is teaming up with one of her friends, Ruthie, in the creation of the Rae of Sunshine club. Koebler’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, as she was recently featured in a USA Swimming story.

Standout diver sets school records and makes American history. Michael Wright, a diver at the University of Tennessee, was covered in a feature story by Mary Wilson of the Tennessee Journalist this past week. Wright is one of the most talented divers in the nation. He is the first African-American to win a USA Diving National Championship Title.

His goals include competing in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games.

Informational: What is “tapering” exactly? Most experienced swimmers and coaches are familiar with the term, but casual fans or followers of swimming may not fully understand the concept of tapering. John Tuscano of the Patriot-News has complied an excellent article covering what he describes as “one of sports’ most complex training processes“.

If you’ve been wanting to understand more about how major swimming athletes prepare for meets or are just curious, the article should give you a good background on the approach.

Mark Gangloff set two new USMS records this past weekend at Auburn University. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Here is a recap of the biggest stories from the past week in U.S. Swimming.

Chloe Sutton dominates and continues impressive Grand Prix run in Missouri. Sutton won four races at the Missouri Grand Prix, held at the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Mo. this past weekend. In the process, she extended her series lead to 50 points, almost double the points of second place competitors Rebecca Soni and Matt Grevers.

You can read more about the event and other competitors here.

Michael Phelps, who announced he would participate in the Missouri Grand Prix, had to withdraw from competition. Baltimore received excessive amounts of snow which prevented Phelps from traveling to the event.

USMS national records set by Olympians Mark Gangloff and Fred Bousquet. Swimming World Magazine is reporting that Gangloff and Bousquet both set new United States Masters Swimming records this past weekend. The meet was held at Auburn University.

Gangloff posted new USMS records in the 100 yard breaststroke (52.47) and the 100 yard individual medley (48.27).  Gangloff beat the old breaststroke record by almost two seconds. Gary Marshall previously held the record with a time of 54.30.

Bousquet delivered in the 50 meter freestyle, posting a time of 18.67.

You can view results from this event here. (PDF Download provided by Swimming World Magazine)

Auburn Tigers aim for 14th straight Southeastern Conference title. The Auburn Tigers, a perennial competitor in collegiate swimming, are gunning for their 14th straight conference title. The SEC Championships are currently taking place in on the campus of the University of Georgia.

Scout.com’s report notes that earlier on this season, Auburn lost to the University of Florida, so it is not a given that Auburn will run away with the championship. Current men’s swimming rankings rank Auburn at No. 5 and Florida at No. 6. Just outside the top ten are two other SEC teams, the University of Tennessee (No. 11) and host team Georgia (No. 12).

As for the women’s chances, they face stiff competition in top-ranked Georgia and seventh-ranked Florida. Auburn’s women’s team comes in at eighth on the latest polls.

Conference championships begin on nationwide basis. Other major conference championships happening this week include the Big East Championships (University of Pittsburgh), the Big Ten Women’s Championships (Purdue University) and the ACC Women’s Championships (University of North Carolina and Duke University).

Are there any stories from the past week that caught your attention? Do you plan on tuning into any of the collegiate championship meets this week?

Chloe Sutton won the 1500 meter freestyle finals, her foutth gold medal of this weekend's grand prix event. (Photo by G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)

The Missouri Grand Prix was held this past weekend at the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Mo., and there were plenty of notable swims. Here is a rundown of the biggest swims from the event.

Chloe Sutton continued her dominance in the Grand Prix series with another first place meet finish. Her best races included wins in the 200 meter freestyle (2:01.26), 400 meter freestyle (4:11.75), 800 meter freestyle (8:40.16) and the 1500 meter freestyle (16:56.98). Sutton was the only swimmer to win four events in the meet.

Her overall dominance in her events and first place individual finish in the meet brought her Grand Prix point total to 50 points, almost doubling the point totals of second-place competitors Matt Grevers and Rebecca Soni. Neither Grevers nor Soni participated in the Missouri event.

Brent Hayden, a Canadian Olympian, had an excellent race weekend. He enjoyed wins in all three of his events: the 200 meter freestyle (1:48.70), 50 meter freestyle (22.56) and the 100 meter freestyle (49.43). Hayden defeated second-place William Copeland by more than a second in the 100 meter freestyle (49.43).

Double event winners included Nick Thoman (100 meter backstroke, 200 meter backstroke), Tanya Hunks (400 meter individual medley, 200 meter butterfly), Amanda Weir (50 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle), Ricardo Monasterio (800 meter freestyle, 1500 meter freestyle) and Eric Shanteau (200 meter individual medley, 200 meter breaststroke).

Michael Phelps, who originally announced that he would participate in the event, was unable to do so due to snow.

The complete results from the event can be accessed here. For additional information on the Grand Prix series, check out the USA Swimming website.

The next event in the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series will be held in Austin, Tex. beginning on Mar. 4, 2010. The winner of the Grand Prix circuit will win $20,000.

Cullen Jones returned to his former New Jersey swim team this week. (Associated Press photo)

Here is a brief rundown of the biggest stories from U.S. Swimming over the past week.

Cullen Jones returns home to New Jersey and will speak in a special presentation. NJ.com reported that the Olympic gold medalist practiced with his former swim team, the Jersey Gators.

He has  scheduled an appearance next Saturday (Feb. 20) where he will address his swimming journey, sign autographs and take photos. According to the article from MyCentralJersey.com, Jones will publicize his Make-A-Splash foundation as well as promote a new swim lessons program.

Lauren Heller holds three of the top times in the nation amongst her age group peers. Heller, a 11-year old girl from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, holds nationwide top times in three of her age-group events and is in the top five in two other ones.

Her best events, as noted by the Akron Beacon Journal, include the 50 yard freestyle (24.64), 100 yard freestyle (54.15) and the 200 freestyle (1:59.01)—ranked No. 1 in all three in the nation.

Heller will participate in the YMCA National Championships in April. The article notes that she is the fastest 11-year-old swimmer in the nation.

Two-time All American diver Ryan Hawkins wins second consecutive NC4A state championship. Hawkins, who won the NC4A state championship last year, won his second championship yesterday at the Pullen Aquatic Center in Cary, N.C.

One of the most impressive things about Hawkins’ accomplishments is that he was born with a club foot and though he underwent surgery, his right leg is not as strong as his left.

Matthew Lamping breaks an S-10 classification Paralympic American record. Swimming World Magazine is reporting that Lamping, an 18-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., broke the men’s 200 yard fly record (S-10 classification — 2:19.04) at the St. Andrew’s School Scotty Invite this past weekend.

What are your thoughts on these stories? Were there any other stories that caught your attention this past week?

Ryan Lochte visited Cary, NC this past week to deliver an inspiring message to a crowd of 1,000. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

Matt Grevers and Katie Hoff, both Olympians, took home top point trophies after the Southern California Grand Prix. In one of the biggest events so far in 2010, several Olympians took part in the Long Beach, Calif. meet. Records were broken on the final night of competition by Jessica Hardy (100 yard breaststroke),  Ariana Kukors (200 yard individual medley) and Kosuke Kitajima (100 yard breaststroke).

Perhaps most impressive was Hardy’s victory in the 100 breaststroke—she out-touched former Olympian Rebecca Soni by one one-hundreth of a second. Hardy finished at 58.99 while Soni finished at 59.00.

The next Grand Prix event will be held in Columbia, Mo. on February 12-15.

Auburn recruit Zane Grothe competes against Michael Phelps in the Southern California Grand Prix. Zane Grothe, a high school senior at Boulder City High School near Las Vegas, competed against Michael Phelps this past week and documented his experiences with the Las Vegas Sun. While he did not win the 500 meter freestyle, Grothe seemed pleased just getting an opportunity to compete against Phelps.

Two things that stand out about Grothe: he will be swimming for Auburn University — one of the premier collegiate swimming programs in the country — next year, and Grothe’s prospects for the 2012 Olympic Team have already arisen. Despite Grothe not pulling the upset on Phelps in this event, he is undoubtedly worth tracking as he begins his collegiate career.

Grothe is currently rated as the  No. 40 recruit on CollegeSwimming.com’s list of top male recruits.

Duquesne announces a cut of their Men’s Swimming program. Duquesne University is planning to cut four varsity sports and men’s swimming is among them. According to the Duquesne website, about 70 student athletes will be affected. The university has assured the athletes that if they decide to remain at the school, they will continue to receive their academic scholarships equivalent to their remaining NCAA eligibility.

Questions arose earlier in the month regarding the future of California State University-Bakersfield ’s men’s and women’s wwimming teams, so as collegiate budgets continue to shift around the country, expect to see more collegiate programs in danger and potentially cut.

Illinois swimmer raises more than $8,500 for earthquake victims. Raegan Koebler, an 8-year-old girl from Springfield, IL, raised more than $8,500 for a Haitian orphanage. The story, found in The State Journal Register, says that the girl took less than an hour and a half to complete all of the laps and raise the funds.

Koebler’s classmates from Vachel Lindsay Elementary School, parents, older brother and swim coach all supported her in her efforts. USA Swimming agreed to pass along a letter from Raegan to Michael Phelps—an exciting opportunity for the young girl.

Ryan Lochte draws crowd of around 1,000 for inspirational discussion and autograph signing. Lochte, an Olympic gold medalist, world record holder and former Florida Gator, addressed about 1,000 parents and swimmers at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, NC. According to the article from the Cary Citizen, Lochte encouraged swimmers to listen to their coaches, set goals and to push themselves to achieve.

If anyone has pushed themselves beyond their limits, most people can’t count Lochte out. The article notes that Lochte swims five to six hours a day, six days a week.

Olympic star Michael Phelps competes in the men's 500-yard freestyle at the USA Swimming Southern California Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday. (Jason Redmond, Associated Press)

Michael Phelps dominated the 500-yard freestyle at a grand prix meet in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday, winning the event in 4 minutes, 18.70 seconds, more than five seconds ahead of second-place Dominic Meichtry (4:24.22).

Phelps, however, finished well below Peter Vanderkaay’s American record of 4:08.54 and Phelps’s meet record from 2008 of 4:10.43.

Phelps, meantime, was arguably upstaged at the meet at Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool by North Baltimore Aquatic Club teammate Elizabeth Pelton, who topped a star-studded field in the 200 backstroke with her finish in 1:51.48 and set a meet record in the process. More than two seconds behind: Margaret Hoelzer (1:54.01), Katie Hoff (1:54.23) and Ariana Kukors (1:56.02). Pelton, however, missed Natalie Coughlin’s ‘02 American record of 1:49.52.

In other events, Chloe Sutton, who won the 1,000 freestyle Friday, also won the 500 free Saturday in 4:36.76, topping Hoff (4:37.44) in a race in which both went under Kaitlin Sandeno’s 2008 meet record. In the 100 free, Dana Vollmer (47.63) beat hometown favorite Jessica Hardy (47.65). Olympic hero Jason Lezak, who did not compete at the world championships last summer, finished third in the men’s 100 free (43.38); Matt Grevers finished first in 43.06. Meantime, NBAC’s Felicia Lee, headed to Stanford in the fall, finished third in the 200 fly (1:56.18).

For complete results, click here.

Here is Karen Linhart’s poolside report for USA Swimming:

Olympian Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.) took home two gold medals Saturday night on the second day of competition at the 2010 Southern California Grand Prix in Long Beach, Calif. Grevers won gold in both the men’s 100y free and 200y back while Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) took home one gold in the 500y free, his only event of the night.

Three meet records also fell during competition Saturday night. Elizabeth Pelton (Ruxton, Md.) reverse split her 200y back on her way to the meet record. She swam a 1:51.48 to win gold, taking just four-tenths off the previous record. Japan’s Hidemasa Sano set a meet record and won gold in the 200y fly with a time of 1:41.44, while Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo, Calif.) took down the meet record in the 500y free. Sutton swam a personal best to finish in 4:36.76.

Grevers’ first gold of the night was in the 100y free. He swam a 43.06 to beat out William Copeland (Lexington, Va.) and Olympic gold medalist Jason Lezak (Irvine, Calif.). Copeland finished second in 43.30 and Lezak was third in 43.38. Grevers’ second gold was earned with a time of 1:40.22 in the 200y back. Austrian Olympic medalist Markus Rogan was second in 1:40.96 and David Russell (Wellesley, Mass.) was third in 1:41.65.

Phelps led the 500y free throughout the entire race to finish with a time of 4:18.70. Swiss Olympian Dominik Meichtry was second in 4:24.44 and Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev.) was third in 4:24.51.

In the women’s 200y back, Olympic medalist Margaret Hoelzer (Huntsville, Ala.) was second in 1:54.01 and Olympian Katie Hoff was third in 1:54.23. Hoff also placed second behind Sutton in the 500y free. She finished the race in 4:37.44 to win the silver, while Haley Anderson (Granite Bay, Calif.) was third in 4:45.05. In the men’s 200y fly, Todd Patrick (Rockwood,, Mo.) was second in 1:43.65 and Robert Margalis (St. Petersburg, Fla.) was third in 1:47.39.

In other races, Dana Vollmer (Granbury, Texas) won the women’s 100y free in 47.63. Jessica Hardy (Long Beach, Calif.) was a close second in 47.65, while Madison Kennedy (Avon, Conn.) was third in 49.01. Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu won the women’s 200y fly in 1:53.99. Lyndsay DePaul (Orange, Calif.) was second in 1:55.45 and Felicia Lee (Wayne, N.J.) was third in 1:56.18.

Scott Blackmun, left, will be announced as the U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Wednesday. (Rick Bowmer, The Washington Post)

The U.S. Olympic Committee has picked one of its former acting chief executive officers to be the organization’s next CEO, bypassing USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus, a source with direct knowledge of the selection said.

Scott Blackmun, a partner at a Colorado Springs, Colo., law firm, will be announced as the organization’s sixth CEO since 2000 during a press conference at the USOC headquarters in Colorado Springs Wednesday.

Blackmun, 52, will be charged with trying to restore international credibility and internal order to the 400-person organization with the start of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver just over a month away. Blackmun will replace acting chief executive Stephanie Streeter, who stepped in when former CEO Jim Scherr was forced out last spring.

The USOC has been consumed by internal turmoil since Chicago finished fourth in the race for the 2016 Games in October, losing to Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo. After the city’s embarrassing showing, the heads of more than three dozen Olympic sport governing bodies publicly called for the ouster of Streeter and USOC Chairman Larry Probst.

Probst declined to step down but said he was re-dedicating himself to the job. Streeter had already said she would not seek the permanent CEO post.

The USOC’s board of directors tabbed Blackmun over Wielgus, who is credited with leading USA Swimming to unprecedented growth since joining the organization in 1997. Wielgus pushed for the creation of the made-for-television ”Duel in the Pool” events and also restructured membership programs, while kicking off Splash magazine and other novel programs.

A USOC-appointed search team considered more than 150 candidates.

Blackmun, the organization’s former general counsel, served as acting chief executive for 11 months in the aftermath of the Salt Lake City bid scandal of 1999. His tenure was sandwiched between the wholly unsuccessful terms of Norm Blake and Lloyd Ward, both of whom were brought in from the corporate world as the USOC tried to become more business-driven.

Blackmun later held the CEO post at Anschutz Entertainment Group, a presenter of sports and entertainment events that controls sports venues worldwide, before returning to the Colorado firm Holme Roberts & Owen in 2006.

Blackmun will be expected to begin mending the USOC’s impaired relationship with the International Olympic Committee at the Feb. 13-24 Olympic Games, which will bring most of the IOC’s 100-plus members together. He will also be charged with guiding the USOC as it tries to weather the recession.

A long-time Colorado Springs resident, Blackmun attended law school at Stanford and earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth.

Other finalists for the post included former Major League Baseball executive Sandy Alderson; Jet Set Sports CEO Mark Lewis; TD Ameritrade chairman Joe Moglia; and USOC COO Norm Bellingham