Members of the Auburn swim team participated in the 2009 Charlotte UltraSwim Competition with outstanding results.
More than 20 swimmers represented Auburn at the four-day event held May 14-17.
Unlike regular swim meets, the UltraSwim requires individual competition in contrast to the usual team participation.
2009 Auburn graduate and 2008 Olympian, Fred Bousquet, once again dominated the event.
Bousquet not only came in first place in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 21.33 seconds, but he also beat Olympic Gold Medalist, Michael Phelps, in the 100-meter freestyle finals.
Phelps came in at 49.04 in the 100-meter freestyle and Bousquet came in at 48.22, giving Bousquet a U.S. Open record.
Bousquet was modest when asked how it feels to beat Phelps.
"Everyone was amazed by it," Bousquet said, "but as an athlete, I'm not so excited because we are two different individuals and you can't really compare his race to mine."
Bousquet said he started swimming in his later years because of issues with his bones. He had to stop playing soccer and take either dance or swimming. His decision would ultimately change his life forever.
"I grew up very quickly and my bone structure didn't, so I was pretty much breaking bones in my body every time I would play soccer," he said. "My mom took me to the doctor and they said until you finish growing up, you cannot play team aspect sports."
Bousquet said when he was younger, he swam one afternoon a week and he grew to like it.
He said he is not an aquatic person, but he is a hard worker and that he is consistent in the work he does.
That, he said, is how he got to the point he is at now.
Bousquet said his biggest accomplishments were winning the 50-meter freestyle three years in a row and making it to three different Olympics, which, he said, was "one of the toughest things to do."
Other notable Auburn swimmers were Tyler McGill and Maggie Bird.
Bird, a junior in finance from Muncie, Ind., finished in the top five for three of her races, an accomplishment she takes great pride in.
"It was our first meet this summer, and it was good to know I was on track with my goals," Bird said.
She finished fourth in the women's 1,500-meter freestyle final and 400-meter preliminary freestyle.
Bird said she was inspired to swim at the age of 6 by her older brother, but did not start to take it seriously until age 10.
"I started doing it all year long...dropped my other sports and then just stuck with swimming through high school and then college," she said.
Bird said her training regiment involves swimming twice a day, three days per week, weight lifting 3 days a week and running. She said she doesn't plan to swim after college.
"I think I'll be done swimming after next year," she said. "I'm ready to start something new, pursue finance and see what happens."
Olympic Trials finalist and five-time All-American Tyler McGill, a senior in economics from Champaign, Ill., has been swimming competitively since he was 11.
McGill came in fourth in the 100-meter freestyle finals.
Like Bird, McGill said he started swimming recreationally and a local coach got him involved in a year-round swimming club. That is when he started competing.
McGill described his biggest accomplishment in his swimming career as the team national title.
"My freshman year when we won, I didn't really have a huge role," said McGill. "This year, I was on more relays and I placed higher and scored more points. Being a team captain, it felt more personal to me to win this year."
McGill said although he is not certain about his future after school, he plans to train for the 2012 Olympics.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
