Florida Gators
U.S. Open
Men's And Women's Swimming Continue Invite Weekend, Lochte Claims U.S. Open Record
Saturday, December 2, 2006 | Men's Swimming & Diving
University of Florida freshman Roland Rudolf (Budapest, Hungary) was again the high individual finisher for the Gators at the U.S. Open on Friday, placing eighth in the 100-meter back with a time of 57.69. Former UF standout Ryan Lochte claimed his first title of this year's Open, winning the 100-meter back in a meet-record time of 54.37.
“We swam a lot better today than yesterday, and it shows because we had a lot more finals swims,” Florida head coach Gregg Troy said. “Roland looked good again. He likes big meets, and he really gets up for them. A lot of our younger guys really look up to Ryan Lochte, and it was good to see him perform so well tonight.”
A quartet of Gator men posted top-25 finishes in the 400-meter individual medley on Friday, led by a 13th-place showing from sophomore Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) with a time of 4:31.84. Junior Kevin Nead (Ithaca, N.Y.) clocked in at 4:34.49 to finish 16th, while junior Dustin McLarty (DeLand, Fla.) finished 17th with a time of 4:30.99 and junior Tobias Work (Falmouth, Mass.) turned a time of 4:35.08 that was good for 21st place. Freshman Omar Pinzon (Bogota, Colombia) also represented Florida in the night session, swimming to a 15th-place finish in the 100-meter back with a time of 58.72.
Junior Natalie Pike (Boca Raton, Fla.) paced the UF women on Friday with a 19th-place showing in the 200-meter free (2:04.67). Senior Ashley Carusone (High Springs, Fla.) clocked in at 5:03.21 in the 400-meter IM to claim 24th place.
The Florida relays continued to produce solid results for the Gators, as the 400-meter MR was contested on the meet's second day. The quartet of junior Leah Retrum (Columbus, Ind.), junior Caroline Burckle (Louisville, Ky.), freshman Elizabeth Kemp (Potomac, Md.) and Pike finished sixth with a time of 4:21.79. Rudolf, Ally, junior Tim Hughes (Winter Park, Fla.) and junior Daniel Penniman (Pensacola, Fla.) capped the day's competition with a ninth-place finish in the men's race (3:53.51).
“I can see us starting to get some confidence as a team here,” Troy said. “Some people looked really good tonight. Bradley Ally and Dustin McLarty were both solid, as was Natalie Pike.”
Another contingent of Gator swimmers continued to race on Friday at the Texas Invitational in Austin, Texas. Sophomore Rex Tullius (Spruce Creek, Fla.) was the high finisher of the day, clocking a 48.87 in the 100 back to finish ninth, while junior Samantha Vanderbilt (Nashville, Tenn.) highlighted the women's day with a 10th-place effort and an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the same event (54.74). Seniors Bill Mrazek (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Scott Mullervy (Hightstown, N.J.) placed 13th and 14th in the 100 breast (56.35) and 400 IM (3:59.24), respectively, to round out the day for the UF men, and sophomore Kelsey Smith (Cary, N.C.) placed 19th in the 400 IM (4:24.75) for the women's squad.
“We swam really well this evening, especially the races that Rex Tullius and Samantha Vanderbilt swam in the 100 back,” Florida associate head coach Martyn Wilby said. “This invite is a great meet for the people we have down here because they are vying for spots at the end of the season. At a meet like this, you have to swim well in the morning to get to the night session, which gives them good experience because it will be the same way at the end of the season.”
U.S. Open Day One Finals Event Winners
| Event | Winner | Time |
| W 100-meter Back | Kirsty Coventry (Longhorn Aquatic) | 1:01.34 |
| M 100-meter Back | Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach Speed) | 54.37 |
| W 200-meter Free | Mary Descenza (Athens Bulldog) | 2:01.05 |
| M 200-meter Free | Michael Phelps (Club Wolverine) | 1:49.48 |
| W 100-meter Fly | Mary Descenza (Athens Bulldog) | 59.47 |
| M 100-meter Fly | Ian Crocker (Longhorn Aquatic) | 52.78 |
| W 400-meter IM | Katie Hoff (North Baltimore Aquatic) | 4:38.38 |
| M 400-meter IM | Ous Mellouli (Trojan) | 4:15.61 |
| W 400-meter MR | Auburn (Merik, Macgregor, Stupp, Denby) | 4:17.36 |
| M 400-meter MR | Club Wolverine (Phelps, Vanderkaay, Tarwater, Keller) | 3:46.75 |
Florida Finishes
Women's 100-meter Back
49. Leah Retrum – 1:07.27
Men's 100-meter Back
8. Roland Rudolf – 57.69
15. Omar Pinzon – 58.72
47. Grant Johnson – 1:00.74
35. Omar Pinzon – 2:10.90
63. Matt Coan – 4:05.28
Women's 200-meter Free
19. Natalie Pike – 2:04.67
44. Caroline Burckle – 2:07.52
57. Laurabeth Guenthner – 2:08.22
72. Elizabeth Kemp – 2:09.53
75. Kim Larson – 2:09.60
86. Stephanie Cota – 2:10.69
93. Coral Lopez – 2:11.67
Men's 200-meter Free
36. Shaune Fraser – 1:56.48
42. Roland Rudolf – 1:56.61
56. Dustin McLarty – 1:57.69
69. Clark Burckle – 1:59.21
72. Daniel Penniman – 1:59.38
81. Grant Johnson – 2:02.00
Women's 100-meter Fly
65. Stephanie Napier – 1:05.38
74. Elizabeth Kemp – 1:05.66
Men's 100-meter Fly
25. Tim Hughes – 56.92
39. Shaune Fraser – 57.19
Women's 400-meter IM
24. Ashley Carusone – 5:03.21
57. Stephanie Cota – 5:12.61
72. Stephanie Cota – 2:28.56
Men's 400-meter IM
13. Bradley Ally – 4:31.84
16. Kevin Nead – 4:34.49
17. Dustin McLarty – 4:30.99
21. Tobias Work – 4:35.08
-UF-
