Cal Alum Vollmer Breaks World Record in 100 Fly to Earn Gold

Cal alum Dana Vollmer set the pace among current and former NCAA swimmers on Sunday thanks to world-record-setting, gold medal performance in the 100 fly. Vollmer became the first woman in history to crack the 55-second barrier thanks to a winning time of 55.98.

Georgia's Allison Schmitt earned her second medal in as many days with a silver medal effort in the 400 free. Schmitt's personal best time of 4:01.77 put her just behind France's Camille Muffat (4:01.45) but well ahead of defending Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain (4:03.01).

The U.S. men's 400 free relay found itself in a role reversal of the 2008 Games as France (3:09.93) hawked down the Americans (3:10.38) in the final stretch to steal away the gold medal. Cal alum Nathan Adrian got the U.S. out to a lead on the first leg (47.89) and N.C. State alum Cullen Jones maintained it on the third (47.60) before a monster anchor leg by France's Yannick Agnel (46.74) enabled him to slip past Florida alum Ryan Lochte (47.74) and get revenge for 2008. Former Texas swimmers Ricky Berens and Jimmy Feigen, Northwestern alum Matt Grevers and Indiana alum Jason Lezak will all also earn silver medals after swimming prelims for the USA. USC alum Clement Lefert earned gold after swimming third leg for France while a current Trojan, Vlad Morosov, claimed bronze after swimming third leg for Russia.

The United States earned its first diving medal in 12 years, and its first synchro medal ever, thanks to the 2011 NCAA springboard champion duo of Kelci Bryant (Minnesota alum) and Abby Johnston (Duke). The pair combined to post a score of 321.90 to edge Canada (316.80) for the silver medal. Diving juggernaut China won the gold with a total of 346.20.

Texas alum Brendan Hansen rebounded from a medal-less 100 breast in Beijing to not only grab the bronze out of lane eight but beat Japan's Kosuke Kitajima at the Olympics for the first time. One of the most hyped individual swimming battles of the last decade likely came to an end with Hansen touching for third in 59.49 while his Japanese adversary placed fifth in 59.79 in the lane next to him. South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh won the gold in a world record time of 58.58.