Florida Swim & Diving Competes at US Open Championship
The Toyota US Open Championship is underway tomorrow, and the Gators swim and dive teams are ready to make a splash. Florida has 50 entries in the competition across all events on both the women’s and men’s sides, with competitors in 30 of the 34 events.
The competitors in the U.S. Open Championship are vying to secure a spot at the 2026 World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Beijing, China.
In the 2025 World Aquatics World Cup, Florida swimmer Josh Liendo set a world record of 47.68 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly. He notched this record by merely three-hundredths of a second. The senior is a two-time Olympian and the first Black Canadian to win an Olympic medal. Liendo will not compete at the U.S Open Championship to focus on preparing for further competitions.
Freshman Ahmed Jaouadi is seeded first in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle and the 800-meter freestyle. He is also seeded sixth in the 400-meter freestyle. Jaouadi specializes in freestyle, and he has already had a successful freshman season, winning the men’s SEC Freshman and the Week honor in early November.
The junior backstroke swimmer Jonnny Marshall is another familiar face to watch. He is seeded sixth in the 100-meter backstroke and seventh in the 50-meter backstroke and 200-meter backstroke. Marshall owns the 100-yard and 200-yard Florida school records in the Backstroke. He set both of these in 2025.
Senior Aleksas Savickas is also a school record holder in the 200-yard breaststroke. He is seeded fourth in the 200-meter breaststroke, fifth in the 100-meter breaststroke and sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke.
On the women’s side, Caite Choate and Lainy Kruger are the top Florida competitors. Caite Choate is seeded eighth in the 100-meter backstroke and 11th in the 50-meter backstroke. Lainy Kruger’s top seedings are ninth in the 200-meter butterfly and 12th in the 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter backstroke.
Competitive events will begin tomorrow at 4 p.m. with the 1500-meter freestyle distance section. Racing will conclude on Saturday with the 200-meter butterfly.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Swimming and Diving, University of Florida, US Open
