Niehoff sets meet record

Abby Niehoff set a new meet record to lead the Carson Tigersharks on Thursday at the Santa Clara International Meet.

Niehoff was competing in the junior age group section of the meet being held in San Jose when she won the 13-14 girls 1,500 meter freestyle in 17 minutes, 36.45 seconds. Niehoff won the race by 50 meters and shattered the meet record by 32 seconds in lowering her best time by 11 seconds. Tatum Boehnke took sixth in a personal best 19:03.99.

Barbara Perkins took 10th in 15-16 girls in 18:53.05. In the 800 free, Kevin Dyer finished in 9:09.22 in 15-16 boys.

In the Santa Clara International Grand Prix meet, Lauren Costella, who will be a junior at Stanford and of the Tigersharks, took ninth in the 1,500 free in 17:14.61. Jamie Engan, who will be a senior at Carson High, was scheduled to swim in the 1,500 free, but scratched due to a shoulder injury.

Today, Costella will swim in the 400 free and depending on her shoulder, Engan is scheduled to swim in the 400 and 100 freestyles. Costell and Engan are preparing for the National Championships to be held in August in Irvine, Calif.

In the junior meet, Niehoff will compete in the 400 and 100 freestyles and Perkins and Boehnke will compete in the 400 free. If they are able to make the finals, they will receive the chance to swin at the Santa Clara international pool.

The Santa Clara meet features top swimmers from across the world and the United States. Among the swimmers competing are six-time gold medalist Michael Phelps and gold medalist Aaron Piersol.