Kaitlin Sandeno

El Toro/Sophomore Won the 200 individual medley at the Foothill Swim Games in a meet record time of 2 minutes 2.62 seconds, more than two seconds faster than previous best time, set by Marina's Jamie Cail last season. Sandeno, who was named girls' swimmer of the meet, also won the 500 freestyle in 4:50.86, which was nine seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Caylan Leslie/Tennis; Corona del Mar/Junior Won second consecutive Ojai singles title with 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.

John Naber is 55 and Louis Zamperini will be 95 in January, but they have two significant things in common: Both were Olympians and both were USC Trojans. And that is enough. Naber, who lives in Pasadena, was a USC swimming star who won five medals -- four of them gold -- at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Zamperini, who lives in the Hollywood Hills, was a track phenom at USC. And though he didn't win an Olympic medal, folded on a table in his living room is a swastika flag he tore from a wall and took home as a souvenir from the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Kaitlin Sandeno, a junior at El Toro High School, won her third consecutive national title in the 400-meter individual medley Thursday, swimming a personal-best 4:42.74 at the National Swimming Championships in Federal Way, Wash. Sandeno, swimming for the Nellie Gail Gators of Lake Forest, was third in the 800 freestyle and second in the 200 butterfly earlier in the meet.

Kaitlin Sandeno did the things you usually do after touching the wall following a swim race. Look at her time (4 minutes 42.13 seconds) in the 500-yard freestyle on the scoreboard, her second title Saturday after earlier winning the 200 butterfly at the Toyota Southern California Grand Prix of Swimming in Long Beach. Look at her family and friends in the stands.

Amanda Beard's goal of owning a clothing boutique might have to wait a few more years. She continues to show she isn't through closing shop on the competition. Beard broke a meet record in the 200-meter breaststroke Saturday at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions. The two-time Olympian and American record holder won the event in 2 minutes 28.42 seconds, breaking Masami Kitajima's three-year-old mark by .21 at the Marguerite Recreation Center in Mission Viejo.

Kaitlin Sandeno, a bronze medalist at last summer's Olympic games, has signed to swim at USC next fall. Sandeno, a senior at El Toro High, chose USC over Arizona and Georgia, the three-time defending NCAA Division I champion. "It was just a gut feeling," said Sandeno, a six-time national champion. "They are all great schools, but there was just something about USC. It felt right for me." Sandeno said Trojan Coach Mark Schubert influenced her decision.

It was the talk of the South Coast League swimming finals Friday at El Toro High. Kaitlin Sandeno vs. Kristen Caverly in the 200-yard individual medley. Sandeno of El Toro won an Olympic bronze medal. San Clemente's Caverly held the fastest time in the county in the individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. The race lived up to the hype. Despite slipping off the starting block, Sandeno broke her Southern Section Division I record, by 0.03 seconds, out-touching Caverly to win in 2 minutes 0.

El Toro junior Kaitlin Sandeno is not a person one should doubt. Her performance at the National Swimming Championships in March is all the proof that's needed. In a three-day span, she finished third in the 800-meter freestyle, second in the 200 butterfly and won her third consecutive national title in the 400 individual medley. All despite a tender left shoulder. So when she starts planning her goals for next year, everybody better listen up.

A slightly watered-down version of the Janet Evans Invitational did little to dampen the performances of several local swimmers. Kaitlin Sandeno won the women's 200-meter butterfly and 400 freestyle Friday at USC, and Trent Staley and Maureen Farrell won the 200 backstroke events in the U.S. Grand Prix meet. Sandeno, who will be a junior at USC in the fall, won the 200 butterfly in 2 minutes 9.72 seconds, just off the 6-year-old meet record of 2:09.18.

Kaitlin Sandeno said she left the blocks in the 800-meter freestyle race at the seventh Janet Evans Invitational wanting to make a statement. And she did it by holding off 1996 Olympian Claudia Poll of Costa Rica Thursday at USC McDonald's Swim Stadium. Sandeno's time of 8 minutes 38.66 seconds, 2.04 seconds faster than Poll's, highlighted the opening day of the four-day meet, which is a warmup to the Olympic trials Sept.9-16 in Indianapolis. "I'm very happy with the race," Sandeno said.

It wasn't the Olympics, but Kaitlin Sandeno still exacted some revenge from Yana Klochkova on Sunday at the final day of the TYR Swim Meet of Champions at Mission Viejo. Sandeno, who was runner-up to Klochkova in the 400 individual medley at the 2004 Olympics, defeated Klochkova in the 200 medley with a time of 2:16.46. Klochkova finished third in 2:18.96, and Maiko Fujino of Japan was second in 2:16.80.

After building to a physical and emotional peak at the Olympics, many athletes cut back their training or take a year off. Swimmer Kaitlin Sandeno still sets her alarm for 5:30 a.m. and has added events to her repertoire, intent on pushing herself and avoiding monotony. The Lake Forest native, who anchored the U.S.

Kaitlin Sandeno likes to stay busy. She swam in four grueling events at the Athens Olympics, winning three medals and just missing a fourth. Now, with a little down time on her hands before 2008, Sandeno is taking on a new challenge, traveling the country to tell Americans it's possible to control the debilitating effects of asthma. Just as she has for the past 2 1/2 years. "It's something I'm really passionate about," Sandeno said during a stop in Atlanta.

Kaitlin Sandeno's face was beaming as she sat in front of a microphone in Long Beach Arena early Thursday evening, discussing her unexpected victory in the women's 400-meter freestyle final on the second day of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. All of a sudden, her smile was replaced by a look of horror. "Oh, a spider," she said, recoiling as she pointed at the mike. With a sweep of her hand, she avoided the threat. No spider bite for her.

A slightly watered-down version of the Janet Evans Invitational did little to dampen the performances of several local swimmers. Kaitlin Sandeno won the women's 200-meter butterfly and 400 freestyle Friday at USC, and Trent Staley and Maureen Farrell won the 200 backstroke events in the U.S. Grand Prix meet. Sandeno, who will be a junior at USC in the fall, won the 200 butterfly in 2 minutes 9.72 seconds, just off the 6-year-old meet record of 2:09.18.

Amanda Beard's goal of owning a clothing boutique might have to wait a few more years. She continues to show she isn't through closing shop on the competition. Beard broke a meet record in the 200-meter breaststroke Saturday at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions. The two-time Olympian and American record holder won the event in 2 minutes 28.42 seconds, breaking Masami Kitajima's three-year-old mark by .21 at the Marguerite Recreation Center in Mission Viejo.

It wasn't the Olympics, but Kaitlin Sandeno still exacted some revenge from Yana Klochkova on Sunday at the final day of the TYR Swim Meet of Champions at Mission Viejo. Sandeno, who was runner-up to Klochkova in the 400 individual medley at the 2004 Olympics, defeated Klochkova in the 200 medley with a time of 2:16.46. Klochkova finished third in 2:18.96, and Maiko Fujino of Japan was second in 2:16.80.

Fresh off of her narrow victory in the 200-meter breaststroke race over 14-year-old Kristen Caverly, Kaitlin Sandeno spoke like a hardened swimming veteran. "I was joking with my teammates before the race that I couldn't let a 14-year-old beat me," Sandeno said. "She's a young'un, but in the world of swimming it doesn't matter." Sandeno let her experience take over in the close race. After all, she's a worldly 16 years old.

It was the talk of the South Coast League swimming finals Friday at El Toro High. Kaitlin Sandeno vs. Kristen Caverly in the 200-yard individual medley. Sandeno of El Toro won an Olympic bronze medal. San Clemente's Caverly held the fastest time in the county in the individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. The race lived up to the hype. Despite slipping off the starting block, Sandeno broke her Southern Section Division I record, by 0.03 seconds, out-touching Caverly to win in 2 minutes 0.

Kaitlin Sandeno, a bronze medalist at last summer's Olympic games, has signed to swim at USC next fall. Sandeno, a senior at El Toro High, chose USC over Arizona and Georgia, the three-time defending NCAA Division I champion. "It was just a gut feeling," said Sandeno, a six-time national champion. "They are all great schools, but there was just something about USC. It felt right for me." Sandeno said Trojan Coach Mark Schubert influenced her decision.