Benjamin Wainman (@ben_wainman), a senior at Saginaw Valley State University from Sydney, Australia won the 2024 College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Collegiate Open Water Swimming Championship in dominant fashion, nearly 30 seconds over second place Maximilano Vega Cuevas (@maximilanovc) of Texas A&M University and Connor Fry (@swimmercfry) of University of South Carolina.

A finalist in the 2024 NCAA II Championships in the 1650 yard freestyle earlier this year, the sophomore thrived in the choppy waters of Biscayne Bay with steady winds churning things up in Miami, Florida.

His head coach Jason Lintjer [shown above] said, “Ben swam a perfect race and paced it very well. It’s amazing to see him beat several Division I swimmers. Ben is just an absolute monster. This was a huge accomplishment for his career.”

Samantha Barany, CSCAA Executive Director said, “Today’s championship reflects the incredible talent and dedication of our student-athletes. A heartfelt thank you to Florida International University for their gracious hospitality in hosting this important event. The contributions of the staff and volunteers were instrumental in ensuring a smooth and successful championship experience.”

Host and Race Director, Florida International University Head Coach Randy Horner, summed up the national competition, “Today was an incredible success. Open water provides such a unique and valuable experience for our sport. It’s amazing to see all NCAA divisions come together to compete for a national title. For the second consecutive time, the men’s champion came from Division II — how cool is that? I’m proud that FIU could play a role in making this event happen.”

The men’s team title was earned by the Gamecocks of the University of South Carolina. Times were based on the fastest three swimmers from each school.

Team Title Results

1. University of South Carolina: 3:03:58 with Connor Fry (1:01.11) + Ryan Turner (1:01.21) + Umut Yildirim (1:01.26)
2. Denver University: 3:06:06 with Connor Hughes (1:01.17) + Joe Hancock (1:01.21) + Will Melsha (1:03.28)
3. University of Cincinnati: 3:08:50 with Ido Gal (1:01.17) + Max Murray (1:03.34) + Brady Beyer (1:03.59)

5 km Men’s Top 20 Results

1. Benjamin Wainman of Saginaw Valley State University 1:00:41.97
2. Max Vega Cuevas of Texas A&M University 1:01:10.17
3. Connor C Fry of University of South Carolina 1:01:10.88
4. Trey Dickey of Texas A&M University 1:01:12.82
5. Jacob Hamlin of The University of Tampa 1:01:13.10
6. Thomas Langlois of Whittier College 1:01:14.93
7. Connor D Hughes of University of Denver 1:01:16.68
8. Ido Gal of University of Cincinnati 1:01:16.75
9. Ryan Turner of University of South Carolina 1:01:20.44
10. Joe M Hancock of University of Denver 1:01:20.63
11. Gavin M Webb of Youngstown State University 1:01:22.62
12. Sam Askin of Youngstown State University 1:01:25.50
13. Umut Yildirim of University of South Carolina 1:01:25.54
14. Charles A Schreiner of Boston University 1:01:42.20
15. Will C Melsha of University of Denver 1:03:27.83
16. Evan Mackesy of Purdue University 1:03:33.11
17. Ronan Fahey of Dartmouth College 1:03:33.59
18. Max P Murray of University of Cincinnati 1:03:33.91
19. Owen Nye of University of Villanova 1:03:33.98
20. Andres E Bodington of Max Hill University 1:03:35.80

Full results of men’s competitors are posted here.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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