Aug. 9, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. - At the conclusion of the XII Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, six current and former Arizona State swimmers found themselves with three collective medals and a number of impressive finishes.
Two medals went to 1999 ASU graduate Francisco Sanchez, who established a new Pan Am Games record in the 100 meter butterfly with his gold medal-winning time of 53.33. Sanchez, a 1996 Olympian, also anchored the Venezuelan 4x100 freestyle relay team to the bronze medal in 3:22.21. The four-time All-American proceeded to win the consolation finals of the 100 freestyle, finishing eighth at 50.83. Last Friday, he recorded a time of 23.30 in the 50 free, ranking him 11th overall.
Sanchez was bested in the 50 free by his former teammate, current Sun Devil senior Pablo Abal, who clocked in at 23.29. In the same race, former ASU racers Felipe Delgado of Ecuador (23.27) and Craig Hutchison from Canada (23.57) placed eight and 13th, respectively. The Argentinian Abal also recorded a time 55.27 in 100 butterfly competition, good enough for eighth place. 1999 Arizona State alum Roberto Delgado, brother of Felipe, finished 15th in the 100 fly (56.89).
On the women's side, Sun Devil senior Carolyn Adel will carry a bronze medal back to her native Suriname following a 4:50.41 performance in the 400 individual medley. The All-American went on to record fifth-place showings in the 200 freestyle (2:04.20) and 200 IM (2:18.08).