Courtesy of: Swimming World

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 1. IN the midst of U.S. Open and American records broken by the top swimmers at the USA Swimming nationals and world championship trials, two Masters swimmers set U.S. long course national records in impressive performances.

Erika Erndl, 35, of T2 Aquatics, broke four national records in the 35-39 age group during the week, two of which had stood since the last millennium. She started the competition with a 55.17 in the prelims of the 100 freestyle, breaking the 18-year-old national mark of 58.87 swum by Olympian Sandy Neilson-Bell in 1995. (Erndl placed 14th in finals with a 55.43.)

In the 200 free, Erndl put up a 2:00.04 in the finals for 12th place, beating the 2:03.37 Dawn Heckman posted last summer. Another longstanding record fell in the 100 fly, as Erndl cracked the 1:00 barrier with a 59.52 to place seventh in the event at nationals. Her time erased Tracie Moll's 1:03.79 that had stood since 1999.

Erndl's meet wrapped up with the 50 free, swimming a 25.52 in prelims to wipe out Dara Torres' national record of 25.98 swum during Torres' comeback campaign in 2006.

All four of Erndl's times would have also broken Masters world records, but since the USA nationals was not a sanctioned Masters meet, Erndl will have to be satisfied with just four new national records. U.S. Masters swimming allows national records to be set in non-Masters meets.

Mania, 29, of Schroeder YMCA and a Polish Olympian in 2004, broke his own national record in the 50 backstroke in the 25-29 age group in Indianapolis. He posted a 25.13 in prelims to shatter his own mark of 26.05 from 2011. He placed seventh in the final with a 25.14. He just missed his national record of 55.15 in the 100 backstroke, swimming a 55.30 in prelims and 55.96 in finals.

Like Erndl, Mania's times will not count for Masters world records because they were not swum in sanctioned Masters competitions.

Though just about every winner at the USA Swimming nationals is of age to break Masters national records, only registered Masters swimmers (such as Erndl and Mania) are eligible to set records.