Peirsol Cruises to Gold in 100m Backstroke, Knutson Wins Third Event at Charlotte UltraSwim

World record-holder Aaron Peirsol won the 100m backstroke in  in a down-to-the-wire race against Michael Phelps, and rising star Dagny Knutson claimed her third gold medal of the meet on the penultimate night of competition at the Charlotte UltraSwim on Saturday.  

Peirsol touched in 53.32 while Phelps followed in 53.79. North Baltimore's Nick Thoman rounded out the top three in the 100m backstroke, touching in 54.76, while two-time Olympian Ryan Lochte (Daytona, Fla.) took fourth in 55.13.  

French world record-holder Fred Bousquet also wowed the sell-out crowd, setting a U.S. Open record (21.33) and cruising to a win in the 50m freestyle.  U.S. Olympian Cullen Jones bolted off the blocks to take second in 21.92 and Trinidad's George Bovell swam the bronze-medal time of 22.01. 

Dagny Knutson scored her third gold medal in two days with a win in the 400m free. Her time of 4:09.60 edged Olympian Katie Hoff, who came in at 4:09.72 for the silver, by just 12 hundredths. Lauren Driscoll of Swim Florida completed the mid-distance event in 4:15.29 for bronze. 

The women's sprint race featured a stacked field, with three Olympians competing in the finals. Olympian Amanda Weir won the gold in 25.32, followed by Canada's Victoria Poon in 25.42. Only .01 seconds separated Olympians Julia Smit and Kara Lynn Joyce, as they took third and fourth in 25.43. and 25.44, respectively. 

Grand Prix leader Mary DeScenza kicked off the evening with a win in the women's 200m butterfly with a time of 2:09.25. Adrienne Bicek hit the wall next in 2:10.99, and Felicia Lee was third in 2:11.14. 

Two events later, DeScenza and Elizabeth Beisel battled for the top spot in the 100m back. Beisel posted the fastest time of 1:01.62, while DeScenza touched in at 1:02.12. Elizabeth Pelton clocked in at 1:02.21 for third. 

Club Wolverine dominated the men's 400m free, with two-time Olympian Peter Vanderkaay hammering home in a meet-record time of 3:46.04. Vanderkaay's teammates Tyler Clary and Matt Patton came in next at 3:55.06 and 3:55.88, respectively. 

For the second night in a row, Olympians Mark Gangloff and Eric Shanteau dueled in a breaststroke event. While Gangloff won the 100-meter race yesterday, it was Shanteau who came out on top in the 200-meter distance with a time of 2:09.71. Gangloff was second in 2:14.22, while Wales' Rob Holderness placed third in 2:16.20. 

In other events, Laura Sogar claimed the women's 200m breaststroke in 2:30.93. Corrie Clark was the runner-up in 2:31.59, and Martina Moravcikova completed the medal stands in 2:32.86. 

Competition concludes tomorrow with the men's and women's 200 IM and 200 back, as well as the women's 1500m free and the men's 800m free. Prelims will begin at 9 a.m., and finals will begin at 6 p.m. ET.  To view live footage of the UltraSwim, visit www.swimnetwork.com. For complete results, click here.

Tags: Aaron Peirsol, Amanda Weir, Charlotte UltraSwim, Cullen Jones, Dagny Knutson, Katie Hoff, Lauren Driscoll, Mary Descenza, Nick Thoman, Ryan Lochte, USA Swimming