Kostich and Hentzen rule 3-mile swim

SEMANA NAUTICA

7/2/01

By MIKE TAKEUCHI

NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

Despite the familiarity of its champions, Sunday's three-mile swim race only seemed like the oft-repeated theme of the movie "Groundhog Day."

Overall champion Alex Kostich, and women's champion Morgan Hentzen again laid claim to the chilly waters off of East Beach in the Semana Nautica three-mile ocean swim.

Kostich, who won the one-mile event at the same place Saturday, took the lead at the start of the race and went on to victory in 58 minutes and eight seconds. But unlike the previous day's race, where he had to hold off hard charges from Adrienne Binder and Dawn Heckman, Kostich was never seriously challenged. He ended up winning the race by four minutes.

"Compared to yesterday's race, where I had to finish strong, I concentrated on keeping my heart rate up to keep warm," Kostich said. "The distance is three times as long and (the water) seemed much colder today. I felt I needed to keep my heart rate at 180 beats per minute to maintain my body temperature. The only time I felt it get lower was at the turnaround. I slowed to see where everyone else was and my heart rate dropped to 160. I just picked it up again and held it to the finish."

Kostich, a writer for the Active.com Web site, as well as a creative ad executive for Warner Brothers, said swimming both races was good preparation for the upcoming major open water events like the La Jolla Roughwater Swim. He added that it was good to get out in front and hold off the pack of swimmers from the Industry Hills Swim Club that was led by Hentzen.

Hentzen won last year's three-mile event. The distance swimmer, who has placed as high as eighth at Senior National meets, came with a contingent that is preparing for the Janet Evans Invitational in a few weeks, and the nationals in August.

Her winning time Sunday was 1:02:24, which was second overall. Hentzen's teammates Michael Jafari (2nd male, 3rd overall) and Temujin Gold (3rd male, 4th overall) finished in 1:02:50 and 1:03:12, respectively.

Rounding out the top three for the women were Melissa Miller (1:03:55, sixth overall) and Kelly Brophy (1:03:26, seventh overall), to make it a 1-2-3 women's sweep for Industry Hills.

Bart Simmons broke up the Industry Hills juggernaut by being the top local finisher with a time of 1:03:25, good for fifth overall. Simmons, who was celebrating his birthday at the race, was resplendent in a speed suit that was more Esther Williams than Ian Thorpe. To celebrate the day, the 42-year-old dove across the finish line in the sand. UCSB swimmer Tamara Pratummus finished in 1:09:03 as the top local and fifth woman overall.

A total of 65 swimmers braved the chilly waters.

While some swimmers suffered from mild hypothermia, one who did not seemed affected was Dave Williams, of Santa Barbara. Williams had the look of the happiest swimmer to finish. Despite having a debilitating form of Muscular Dystrophy called Charto Marie Toothe Disease that affects the peripheral muscles in his system, Williams finished ahead of several swimmers in 1:29:14.

Semana Nautica Three-Mile Swim

WOMEN

1, (2nd Overall) Morgan Hentzen, 1:02:25; 2, Melissa Miller, 1:03.25.5; 3, Kelly Brophy, 1:03:26; 4, Courtney Hentzen, 1:06:46; 5, Tamara Pratummas, 1:09:03; 6, Jenny Cook, 1:09:24; 7, Erica Batres,1:12:43; 8, Samantha Jafari, 1:12:59; 9.

Whitney Hentzen, 1:13:00; 10, Sherry Kittrell, 1:13:23.

MEN

1, Alex Kostich, 58:08; 2, Michael Jafari,1:02:50; 3, Temujin Gold, 1:03:12; 4, Bartman Simmons,1:03:25; 5, Bob Ward, 1:06:55; 6, Ryan Pingree, 1:07:53; 7, Rob Krhoun, 1:08:13; 8, Craig Rond; 1:09:09; 9, Patrick Dixon, 1:12:12; 10,Dan Kindron, 1:12:16.

Over-40 Division Master's Women

1, Cook, 2, Sherry Kittrell, 1:13:23; 3, Kathleen Mann, 1:15:59.