Vanderkaay was followed in the Wendy's Carolinas Classic by Rebecca Soni (Plainsboro, N.J.), who took home $10,000 and Chloe Sutton (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was third and took home $7,500. The Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix hosted by SwimMAC is the first time that prize money has been awarded for an individual stop on the Grand Prix circuit.
The points based race of the Wendy's Carolinas Classic was contested between all entered athletes competing in individual events at the UltraSwim (non-Olympic events were not part of the scoring), however, any athlete who was ineligible for the cash prize, had their money donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption & the Wendy's Water Safety Clinics.
SwimMAC's Mueller's win in the 200m IM was done in a meet-record time of 2:12.44. She edged out a strong field that included Dagny Knutson (Minot, N.D.), who placed second in 2:12.61, and Felicia Lee (Wayne, N.J.), who was third in 2:14.99.
Michael Phelps (Baltimore, Md.) added to his meet hardware with a win in the men's 200m IM. Phelps swam a 1:58.35 for the win, posting the second fastest time in the world this year. Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga.) finished second in 1:59.90 and Todd Patrick (St. Louis, Mo.) was third in 2:01.80.
Missy Franklin (Aurora, Colo.) took home her first-ever Grand Prix win with her swim in the women's 200m back. The 15-year-old swam a 2:11.78 for the win. Elizabeth Beisel (Saunderstown, R.I.) was second in 2:12.10 and Lauren Driscoll of Ft. Lauderdale Aquatics was third in 2:13.84.
Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.) picked up a win in the men's 200m back with a time of 1:58.93. Sebastian Ranfagni of France was second in 1:59.74 and Matt Grevers (Lake Forest, Ill.) was third in 2:00.15.
Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.) picked up her final win of the Charlotte UltraSwim with her win in the 100m free. Coughlin won in 54.86. Canada's Victoria Poon placed second in 55.39 and Vanessa Garcia of Puerto Rico was third in 56.13. In the men's 100m free, the top spot went to Gideon Louw of Auburn University with a time of 50.09. Lochte and Vanderkaay tied for second with a time of 50.29.
The men's 800m free was won by Josef Kinderwater of West Shore YMCA in 8:12.46. Ian Rowe of Club Seminole was second in 5:16.77 and Ryan Feeley of Badger Swim Club was third in 8:17.36. In the women's 1500m free, Emily Brunemann (Crescent Springs, Ky.) won the event in 16:15.40. Sutton was second in 16:21.12 and Taylor O'Brien of Parkland Aquatic Club was third in 16:36.41.
The Grand Prix Series serves as an opportunity for swimmers to race against some of the best competition in the country, as they continue their preparation for the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships (3-7 Aug) and the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships (18-22 Aug), both of which will take place in Irvine, Calif. Remaining stops in the Grand Prix series include Santa Clara (17-20 Jun) and Los Angeles (8-11 Jul).
