SWIMMING : Carvin’s Stroke Too Masterful

Brad Bridgewater, an outstanding USC backstroker, is a realist when it comes to assessing his chances in the pool.

So, although he was virtually tied with Arizona’s Chad Carvin after the third leg of the 400-meter individual medley Saturday night at the Janet Evans Invitational, Bridgewater knew it was over.

“I just haven’t got the background to keep up with him,” Bridgewater said after finishing second to the U.S. record holder for 1,500 meters.

No one did Saturday.

Carvin won the 400 IM in a meet-record time of 4 minutes 27.23 seconds, eclipsing the mark of 4:27.30 set by David Wharton in 1991. He also easily won the 200 freestyle in 1:52.48, marking his third victory of the four-day meet, which ends today at USC. Carvin, a Laguna Hills High graduate, won the 400 free Friday.

In one of the meet’s premier events, Carvin, 21, left Bridgewater in his wake in the final 25 meters of the 400 IM. Carvin’s endurance was evident.

“Swimming the last 50 of a 400 doesn’t seem like much,” Carvin said. “Being a miler, you have an advantage.”

Bridgewater, who lives in Century City, said: “A 400 is nothing for him. [But] it’s twice my normal race.”

Carvin was not the only Tucson swimmer to enjoy an outstanding meet. But he is much better known than Melanie Valerio, 26, formerly from the University of Virginia.

Valerio won the 200 free in 2:03.03, edging Janet Evans and Ashley Tappin, who tied for second in 2:03.66. After qualifying in the morning in 2:04.80, Evans said that was all she had left, but swam a strong final 50 meters for her third impressive performance in three days.

Valerio also tied teammate Crissy Ahmann-Leighton for second in a close 50 free, losing to Tappin by .03 seconds as the Hillenbrand Swim Club swept the event.

And Valerio won the 100 free Friday night, leading Coach Rick DeMont to say she is rolling.

Valerio graduated from Virginia in 1991 and took a year off from swimming. She became a Florida lifeguard, competing in ocean competitions.

Valerio, however, wants to make the most of her final chance at swimming stardom, saying, “I’m not going to waste it. I’m on a mission, and I’m going to do it right.”

Kristine Quance, a USC junior, is on another kind of mission. She simply wants to stay healthy for the next year so she can prove herself to the world.

Mark Schubert, USC’s coach, said Quance took “three giant steps in the right direction” with a superb victory in the 400 IM.

Quance won in 4:48.50, well ahead of Alison Fealey of Cincinnati, who was second in 4:54.01.

Quance took six weeks off after the NCAA championships in March because of shoulder problems. So even more than the victory, swimming pain free was a great feeling.

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Swimming Notes

David Fox won the men’s 50-meter freestyle in 22.64 seconds in the Santa Clara International swim meet. World-record holder Jeff Rouse was first in 56.73 in the 100-meter backstroke and Sergei Mariniuk won the 200-meter individual medley in 2:04.79. Amy Van Dyken won the women’s 100-meter freestyle in 57.69, Allison Wagner won the 200 IM in 2:16.12 and Lauren Thies won the 400 freestyle in 4:14.72. Summer Sanders, one of the stars of the 1992 Olympics, was third in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM.