Wilder adds 2 more masters swim records

Whether the pool is a "long course" or "short course," College of Charleston philosophy professor Hugh Wilder is among the best backstroke swimmers in his age group division in the world.

Over the weekend, Wilder added to his growing list of masters world swimming records, setting two more at the South Carolina Short-Course Meters Championship in Columbia, for the male age group of 60-64.

Wilder, 60, of Mount Pleasant, finished the 50-meter and 100-meter backstroke races in times of 31.06 seconds and 1:08.50, respectively, in the short-course pool, measuring 25 meters long.

In early June, Wilder set two world records for his age group in backstroke in a long-course pool (50 meters long) — a 31.36 in the 50-meter and 1:08.77 in the 100 meter — at the The Classic City/Georgia Masters Long Course Competition in Athens, Ga.

It's been quite a year for Wilder, who also won four national titles for the men's 60-64 age group at the 2007 United States Masters Swimming Long Course National Championships in The Woodlands, Texas, this summer. He won the 50-meter backstroke in 31.54 seconds, the 100-meter backstroke in 1:10.72, the 200-meter backstroke in 2:41.60 and 200-meter individual medley in 2:42.87.

As for the latest world records, Wilder said he was grateful to the Palmetto Masters' relatively new coach, Chris Rowe.

"He planned a good transition from the summer long course season to short course season this fall and winter. (He) helped us maintain our aerobic base while keeping us sharp for racing. It's a delicate balance, and Chris's challenging workouts are well-planned to help us reach our goals," Wilder said.

Another Palmetto Masters swimmer, Ron Koch, also took home an armload of honors from the 55-59 age group at the meet in Columbia.

Koch won seven events and set four state records, including 35.55 in the 50-meter breaststroke, 1:20.13 in the 100-meter breast stroke, 1:10.63 in the 100-meter individual medley and 2:36.24 in the 200-meter individual medley.

His other three victories came in the 200-meter breast stroke and 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly.