Florida Shows Out on Day 2 of U.S. Open
Volunteer coach Katie Ledecky sets Championship Record in 400m Free
GREENSBORO, NC. – The Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving team finished the second day of the Toyota U.S. Open with six top-five finishes, including a record swim by volunteer coach Katie Ledecky in the first event of the night.
Current Gators Jake Mitchell, Alfonso Mestre, Joshua Liendo, Alberto Mestre, and Zoe Dixon collected impressive performances in the national spotlight, all shaving time off their prelim times during the evening session.
Florida 2023 signees Michaela Mattes, Grace Rainey, Amadeusz Knop, Caleb Maldari, and Josh Parent all competed Thursday as well. Mattes finished third in the 400m free, the top finish by the Gators incoming signing class.
Finals:
400m Free
Katie Ledecky just edged out Summer McIntosh to set a Championship Record with a 3:59.71 to finish on top of the podium. The Gators volunteer coach is now two-for-two after claiming the win in the 800m free last night.
Jake Mitchell and Alfonso Mestre battled in the top-3, with Mestre taking second at 3:49.63 and Mitchell just behind him at 3:49.65 for third. In the B-final, Eric Brown finished second at 3:54.69, while Oskar Lindholm touched the wall in 3:57.07 for fifth.
200m IM
Zoe Dixon shaved over two seconds off her prelim time, swimming a 2:14.37 to finish in third.
Mark Szaranek notched a top-five finish, clocking a 2:02.57 for fifth.
50m Free
Joshua Liendo collected a second-place finish, swimming a 21.99, just .07 of a second behind first. Alberto Mestre’s time of 22.26 put him in sixth.
Prelims:
400m Free:
Katie Ledecky, to no surprise, finished first at 4:02.51, advancing to the A-final alongside 2023 signee Michaela Mattes, who came in third.
Jake Mitchell (5th) and Alfonso Mestre (7th) qualified for the A-final, while Eric Brown and Oskar Lindholm finished 12th and 15th, respectively, to earn B-final bids. 2023 signee Amadeusz Knop earned a C-final appearance.
200m IM:
Freshman Zoe Dixon continued her impressive stretch, finishing fourth at 2:16.59 to qualify for the A-final.
Former Gator Mark Szaranek touched the wall in 2:03.05 to finish seventh and secure a spot in the A-final, while 2023 Signee Caleb Maldari earned a B-final appearance.
50m Free
Florida finished with two in the top-five, as Joshua Liendo placed third at 22.23, just ahead of Alberto Mestre in fifth with a 22.40. Eric Freise clocked a 22.35 to finish 32nd.
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