Sandeno Wins Title at Nationals

Lake Forest’s Kaitlin Sandeno won her second national title Sunday, winning the 400-meter individual medley at the National Swimming Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Sandeno, a student at El Toro High, didn’t arrive at the meet until 6 a.m. Sunday and swam in the preliminaries just hours after arriving from the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she won two gold medals.

The 16-year-old easily outdistanced the field, finishing in 4 minutes 42.92, three seconds ahead of second-place Kristine Quance-Julian of the Trojan Swim Club. Sandeno won her first title in the 400 individual medley at the Spring Nationals earlier this year.

Top-seeded Chad Carvin, a graduate of Laguna Hills High, was upset in the 200-meter freestyle finishing third in 1:49.87. Ugur Taner of Tucson, Ariz., who won his second title in as many days, took the gold in 1:49.19. Josh Davis of Austin, Texas, finished second in 1:49.72.

JUNIOR BASEBALL

For the second consecutive game, Team USA picked up a victory in a shortened contest, defeating Japan, 6-3, in seven innings in the International Baseball Assn. World Championships in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

A transformer went out in the bottom of the seventh inning, knocking out a bank of lights on the roof of the new $130 million County Stadium, causing the game to be called. In their previous game against Guam, Team USA won, 13-1, in a six-inning, rain-shortened game.

First baseman Travis Wong of Boise, Idaho, singled in a run in the first inning and homered in the fifth, giving Team USA a 5-1 lead. Jeff Baker of Woodbridge, Va., doubled twice and scored two runs.

Team USA can clinch the No. 1 seed in its pool by defeating Panama and Australia. The top-seeded teams in each pool play the fourth-seeded team later this week.