Triangle athletes swim to strong finishes at U.S. Open Championships

The Triangle as a variety of year-round competitive swim teams, many with links to area university clubs. Several of the senior swimmers from those organizations produced impressive results against an international field at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships, a long-course meet held Aug. 4-8 at the King County Aquatic Center in Seattle. (Complete meet results.)

Mason McGee of the Marlins of Raleigh Swim Team/N.C. State Aquatics swam to two top-seven finishes on Saturday, the meet's final day.

McGee, 21, the N.C. State team captain, finished seventh in the men's 800 freestyle in 8:07.64, an event won in a record time of 7:47.27 by Chad La Tourette, 21, of Mission Viejo (Calif.) Nadadores Swimming, who bettered his own U.S. Open record set in 2008.

In the 200 freestyle, McGee finished fifth in 1:49.81, improving from his seventh-place seeding. The event winner was Adam Ritter, 24, of Tucson, Ariz., in 1:47.57.

Another strong performance by McGee came Thursday when he placed 10th in the 400 freestyle in 3:54.68 after swimming 3:55.54 in the preliminaries. La Tourette won in 3:48.26.

McGee also swam on the MOR/Wolfpack Aquatics men's 800 freestyle relay team that swam to a 15th-place finish in 7:41.96. The team consisted of Ben Mechak, McGee, Kevin Woodhull-Smith and Taylor Harris. The event was won in a meet-record time of 7:18.82 by by the Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics team of  Jack Brown, Ritter, Alexander Tipton and Austen Thompson.   

Also among other area swimmers:

Cary's Gabi Shishkoff of MOR/N.C. State Aquatics finished 24th in the women's 400 individual medley with a time of 4:57.52.

Katura Harvey, 20, of Chapel Hill's North Carolina Aquatics finished fifth in the women's 800 freestyle in  8:42.83. First place went to Amber McDermott, 16, of Longhorn Aquatics in Texas in 8:27.90.

Harvey also finished fifth in the women's 1,500 freestyle in 16:41:36. McDermott won in 16:34.58.

In the women's 400 freestyle, Harvey was 15th in  4:17.78. McDermott won in 4:08.18.

in the women's 4x100 medley relay, Duke Aquatics - Ashley Howard, Maija Roses, Chelsea Howard and Dania Marinshaw - was 10th in  4:16.82 and N.C. Aquatics - Megan Steeves, Alison Clemens, Carly Smith and Harvey - finihsed 16th in 4:19.75. The meet-record winning time of 5:05.19 belong to the Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics team of Ana Agy, Ann Chandler, Whitney Myers and Leone Vorster.

Justine Mueller, 22, of Charlotte's SwimMAC Carolina won the women's 200 individual medley in a meet-record time of 2:11.46.

Mueller was fourth in the women's 200 breast stroke in  2:27.79. Katlin Freeman, 22, of Santa Barbara Aquatics won in meet-record time of 2;22.51.

In the women's 4x100 freestyle relay, two  N.C. teams finished in the top 19.
North Carolina Aquatics - Megan Steeves, Harvey, Sarah List and Marie Pescatreta - was 12th in 3:54.28. MOR/Wolfpack Aquatics - Jennifer Kopenitz, Gabi Shishkoff, Erica Smith and Anna Linkenauger - was 19th in 4:02.69. First place went to the Tuscon Ford Dealers Aquatics team of Vorster, Lara Jackson, Myers and Genevieve Konicke in meet-record time of  3:43.88.

*******

Got recreational sports news?

Report your own recreational sports news on the free community edition of Play! (You must be registered and logged in first.)

Or post a photo of your team or an outstanding individual competitor.

You'll also find an extensive Play! calendar of tryouts, tournaments, camps, clinics and events, including the Triangle's many running events.

Looking for a team or league? Try the Guide to Triangle Recreational Sports.

Does your team need equipment or donations, or do you have equipment or facility time to donate? Check out the Play! Exchange.

- Teri Boggess