Florida's elect for NCAA Woman of the Year Sara McLarty seems to have found her calling in open water swimming. After a win at the Atlantic City 10k last week, she followed it up with another at the RCP Tiburon Mile in San Francisco this Sunday.

McLarty (20:46) won the women's elite division handily, pocketing $10,000.00, and defeating five-time champion Brooke Bennett (21:19) by 33 seconds. Third place went to former open water World champion Erica Rose, who was another 20 seconds back in 21:39. McLarty, who has won US National championships in the 400 IM and will swim the 400 free at the upcoming FINA Short Course World Championships, has been plying new waters lately, and is starting to look like a good bet to win a berth on the US team for the Open Water Worlds in Dubai this December. To her credit also, McLarty's margin of victory over Bennett was greater than men's (and overall) winner Chad Carvin's margin of victory was over McLarty.

Carvin, 31, who has overcome numerous obstacles in his swimming career including a debilitating heart condition just before the 1996 Olympics only to bounce back and qualify for the 2000 Games, came to Tiburon one last time before hanging up his suit and cap for good. After missing the 2004 Olympic team by one spot in the 4x200 freestyle relay, he made the decision to finish his career here, and he did so ten thousand dollars richer. Carvin came ready to race, and dug deep to win his last-ever competitive mile, winning over Australia's Grant Cleland by seven seconds, 20:23 to 20:30. Third went to Russian swimmer Eugueny Bezroutchenko, who outtouched teammate Vladimir Dyatchine by mere thousandths, as both swimmers finished in 20:38.

Founded in 1998, the RCP Tiburon mile attracted over 850 swimmers this year from around the world, with the swim raising over $150,000 dollars for Special Olympics. Further information and complete results can be found at their official website: http://www.rcptiburonmile.com