Charlotte Grand Prix Produces Fast Times from Florida Swimmers
Monday, May 16, 2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The past, present and future of University of Florida swimming united this past Thursday through Sunday for the USA Swimming Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix, held at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charlotte, N.C. Over 25 current UF student-athletes competed in the event by swimming for their club teams, while several more former Gators also participated.
The U.S. National Team duo of Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) and Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) led the way for the current UF women, making the finals in multiple races. Beisel finished fourth in the A finals of Friday's 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:50.40, while Crippen won the B finals in 4:52.05. On Saturday, Beisel took fifth in the C finals of the 200-meter butterfly (2:18.20) and 100-meter backstroke (1:04.12). Beisel, the 2011 SEC Female Freshman Swimmer of the Year, wrapped up her meet Sunday by finishing eighth in the 200 back (2:16.55) and 800-meter freestyle (8:58.96). Crippen placed 18th in the 800 free (9:01.97) and took second in the C finals of the 200 IM (2:20.72).
All-Americans Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.) and Alicia Mathieu (Marlborough, Conn.) also swam well for the UF women. Mathieu started off the meet for UF Thursday with an eighth-place finish in the women's 1,500 free (17:14.64) and finished the meet Sunday with a 19th-place finish in the 800 free (9:02.22). Bateman took sixth in the B finals of the 100 fly (1:02.32) and 50 free (26.46).
On the men's side, current Gator All-Americans Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) and Connor Signorin (East Windsor, N.J.) placed in the top 25 of multiple events. Signorin started his meet on Friday with an eighth-place finish in the 400 IM (4:32.62), while wrapping it up Sunday with a 15th-place mark in the 1,500 free (16:14.23). Rousseau, a 2011 All-American in the 200-yard fly, took seventh in the 200-meter fly (2:02.49) and sixth in the 100 fly C finals (56.62).
Joining the current Gators in Charlotte were former UF SEC Male Swimmers of the Year Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) and Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.). Both U.S. National Team members, Lochte (fourth in 1:49.48) and Dwyer (fifth in 1:49.56) finished in the top five in Friday's 200 free. Lochte, the reigning USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year and multiple-time Olympic gold medalist, returned later Friday to touch the wall seventh in the 100 fly (53.82). On Saturday, Lochte took fourth in the 100 back (54.84) and won the B finals of the 400 free (3:56.42), while Dwyer finished second in the 400 free (3:53.65) and eighth in the 200 fly (2:03.62). Both men ended their meet Sunday with Lochte taking second in the 200 back (1:58.82) and Dwyer taking fifth in the 200 IM (2:03.15), along with a fourth-place B finals finish of 51.02 in the 100 free.
Carlos Omana (Miami, Fla.) and Nicholas Caldwell (Sarasota, Fla.), two members of UF's incoming 2011 freshmen class, also found success in downtown Charlotte. Omana started his meet Thursday by taking fifth in the 800 free in 8:16.76, which would qualify him for 10th-fastest all-time at UF if he was already enrolled. Omana would go on to finish seventh in the A finals of the 400 IM (4:30.56), fourth in the B finals of the 200 IM (2:10.57) and fourth in the C finals of the 200 free (4:04.10). Caldwell clocked in at 3:57.63 to take second in the B finals of the 400 free Saturday, while placing ninth in the 1,500 free Sunday (16:02.14).
Current Gators placing in the B or C finals this past weekend also included Jamie Bohunicky (Gainesville, Fla.), Cameron Martin (Clearwater, Fla.), Julia Nagy (Viera, Fla.) and Eric Solis (Holland, Mich.).
Past UF swimmers that also made the B or C finals at the meet included former national champions Shaune Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) and Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England), along with former All-Americans Roberto Gomez (Weston, Fla.), Mike Joyce (Voorhees, N.J.), Marco Loughran (London, England), Raul Martinez (Caguas, Puerto Rico), Stephanie Proud (Durham, England) and Rex Tullius (Port Orange, Fla.).
