Florida Gators
U.S. Open
Men's And Women's Swimming Wrap Up Invite Weekend
Saturday, December 2, 2006 | Men's Swimming & Diving
University of Florida sophomores Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Laurabeth Guenthner (Wellington, Fla.) swam to ninth-place finishes in the men's 200-meter breast (2:21.74) and the women's 800-meter free (8:54.02), respectively, on Saturday to highlight the final day of the U.S. Open for the Gators. Auburn took the university team title with a total of 427 points, while UF placed second with a tally of 266.
“We had a pretty good meet, and we got better each day,” Florida head coach Gregg Troy said. “Overall, this trip helped us figure out where we're at as a team. It's great to be able to see what we're looking at for next semester, and we got some added experience in good race situations.”
Freshman Clark Burckle (Louisville, Ky.) concluded his Open with an 11th-place showing in the 200-meter breast (2:22.46), and junior Natalie Pike (Boca Raton, Fla.) wrapped up the meet by finishing 13th in the 100-meter free with a time of 57.93. Junior Caroline Burckle (Louisville, Ky.) also produced a top-16 finish on Saturday, grabbing the 16th spot in the 800-meter free after clocking in at 8:58.45.
Sophomore Rex Tullius (Spruce Creek, Fla.) headlined the final day of the Texas Invitational for the Gator contingent in Austin, placing fifth in the 200 back with a career-best and NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 1:46.54. Sophomore Cody Kauffman (Harrisburg, Pa.) posted a ninth-place finish in the 1,650 free (15:49.80) for the Florida men, as well.
Freshman Elizabeth Goldson (Glen Cove, N.Y.) was the high finisher for the Gator women on Saturday, placing 16th in the 1,650 free with a time of 17:05.67. Redshirt freshman Erich Matulic (Federal Way, Wash.) also turned in a 16th-place finish in the men's 1,650 free.
U.S. Open Day Three Finals Event Winners
| Event | Winner | Time |
| W 800-meter Free | Katie Hoff (North Baltimore Aquatic) | 8:33.35 |
| W 100-meter Free | Mary Descenza (Athens Bulldog) | 56.19 |
| M 100-meter Free | Michael Phelps (Club Wolverine) | 49.16 |
| W 200-meter Breast | Caitlin Leverenz (El Dorado Aquatic) | 2:29.53 |
| M 200-meter Breast | Eric Shanteau (Swim Atlanta) | 2:13.46 |
| W 200-meter Fly | Kaitlin Sandeno (Club Wolverine) | 2:10.10 |
| M 200-meter Fly | Michael Phelps (Club Wolverine) | 1:55.77 |
| M 1,500-meter Free | Robert Margalis (St. Petersburg) | 15:21.17 |
| W 400-meter FR | Auburn (Ohlgren, Stupp, Marik, Kukors) | 3:50.02 |
| M 400-meter FR | Scottland (Hunter, Houston, Houston, Renwick) | 3:26.40 |
Florida Finishes
Women's 800-meter Free
9. Laurabeth Guenthner – 8:54.02
16. Caroline Burckle – 8:58.45
31. Kim Larson – 9:08.82
Women's 100-meter Free
13. Natalie Pike – 57.93
51. Stephanie Napier – 59.20
58. Elizabeth Kemp – 59.32
98. Coral Lopez – 1:00.54
63. Matt Coan – 4:05.28
Men's 100-meter Free
55. Shaune Fraser – 53.81
65. Daniel Penniman – 54.22
81. Grant Johnson – 56.80
Men's 200-meter Breast
9. Bradley Ally – 2:21.74
11. Clark Burckle – 2:22.46
Women's 200-meter Fly
31. Ashley Carusone – 2:21.00
37. Stephanie Cota – 2:21.33
Men's 200-meter Fly
28. Shaune Fraser – 2:06.87
30. Tim Hughes – 2:07.13
32. Dustin McLarty – 2:07.27
36. Omar Pinzon – 2:07.75
43. Bradley Ally – 2:08.71
54. Clark Burckle – 2:10.62
Men's 1,500-meter Free
17. Tobias Work – 16:02.85
30. Dustin McLarty – 16:20.60
72. Stephanie Cota – 2:28.56
-UF-
