Costella wins bronze in World University Games

Carson High graduate Lauren Costella can say she has done something that not too many athletes can claim -- winning a medal in international competition.

Costella, who swims for the Carson Tigersharks, ended her competition in the World University Games in Korea with a bang on Friday, winning the bronze medal in her best event, the 1,500-meter freestyle.

The Americans had a solid showing in the 1,500 free, with Adrienne Binder taking second in 16 minutes, 19.32 seconds. Costella placed third in a personal best of 16:24.43.

"This is my first medal in an international event, so for me it was a great evening," Costella said. "Throughout the race I saw Adrienne and the other swimmer ahead of me, so I knew I had to push myself to hold on."

Tigershark coach Jim Puleo said he was pleased with Costella's swim in the 1,500 free, noting that the goal was for her to set a personal best in the event. "It was a real competitive swim on her part," he said.

"There's not a lot of people that do that," Puleo also said about Costella winning a medal. "It's quite a feather in her hat."

Costella, who will be a freshman at Stanford, had a solid showing at the games, placing fifth in the 800 free and seventh in the 400 individual medley. "I think she did as well as she could have," Puleo said.