Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
Jordan Wilimovsky swam away from the 10 km field at the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships. His dominating performance in Russia was not replicated at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, but he just swam the fastest two 1500m swims of his life in the days leading up to the Olympic marathon swimming final in Rio de Janeiro.
Wilimovsky has demonstrated speed at the NCAA Championships and is swimming extremely well. He looks to be the favorite going into the 2017 USA championships, but his competition at this week’s USA Swimming Open Water National Championships in Castaic Lake in Southern California is as primed as they can be.
Three-time Olympic medalist Ous Mellouli is back at USC and will be starting off the 2020 quadrennial as a serious contender to capture his first USA Swimming open water swimming title.
But both Wilimovsky and Mellouli will have to compete against Olympians Jack Burnell of Great Britain and the always-competitive Andrew Gemmell and bronze medalist Richard Weinberger.
“The anticipated lead pack of Wilimovsky, Mellouli, Burnell, Gemmell, and Weinberger will also be joined by Americans David Heron and Brendan Casey and Canadian Eric Hedlin,” predicted Steven Munatones. “With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 10K held in the totally flat Odaiba Bay without currents, tides or waves in a very easy-to-navigate rectangular course, the speed and endurance of the top men will be critical to winning these kinds of races over the next four years. This gives distinct advantages to those open water swimmers who are fast in a pool like Ferry Weertman and Jordan over 200m to 1500m.”
The men’s race will start at 11 am PT, followed by the women’s race with headliners like Olympic silver medalists Haley Anderson and Rachele Bruni.
A live webcast of each race will be available online at usaswimming.org.
Among the Americans, this weekend’s races will serve as qualifiers for the 2017-2018 USA Swimming National Team and National Junior Team, as well as a number of international events, including the 2017 FINA World Championships, 2017 World University Games and a junior FINA World Cup trip. Six men and six women will qualify for the National Team and National Junior Team.
On Sunday, the 5 km national championship race will be held. The competitors include:
5 km Psych Sheet
* Haley Anderson (Trojan Swim Club)
* Samantha Arevalo (Ecuador)
* Jordan Anderson (Unattached)
* Mackenzie Arens (Academy Bullets Swim Club)
* Banick, Mary Margaret Banick (Tennessee Aquatics)
* Arianna Bridi (Italy)
* Rachele Bruni (Italy)
* Katy Campbell (Team Santa Monica)
* Caitlin Daday (Villanova University)
* Martina De Memme (Italy)
* Alice Dearing (Great Britain)
* Mariah Denigan (Northern KY Clippers Swimming)
* Jade Dusablon (Canada)
* Abbey Erwin (Boise YMCA Swim Team)
* Eva Fabian (Unattached)
* Joy Field (Magnolia Aquatic Club)
* Ashlyn Fiorilli (Texas Ford Aquatics)
* Alice Franco (Italy)
* Bayley Frierson (Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club)
* Heidi Gan (Malaysia)
* Heidi George (Great Wolf Swim Team)
* Mckenzee Gordon (Scottsdale Aquatic Club)
* Hayley Hill (Scottsdale Aquatic Club)
* Steph Horner (Canada)
* Danielle Huskisson (Great Britain)
* Hanna Huston (Rice University)
* Morgan Johnson (Lost Creek Aquatics)
* Eliot Kennedy (Waves Bloomington/Normal Y S.T)
* Sidney Kennedy (Waves Bloomington/Normal Y S.T)
* Gabrielle Kopenski (Texas Ford Aquatics)
* Rocky Laabs (Bearcat Aquatics)
* Reese Lamph (Sandpipers Of Nevada)
* Kareena Lee (Australia)
* Becca Mann (Trojan Swim Club)
* Victoria McCullough (Nation’s Capital Swim Club)
* Kensey McMahon (Bolles School Sharks)
* Sam Milewski (Scottsdale Aquatic Club)
* Sarah Nowaski (College Area Swim Team)
* Barbara Pozzobon (Italy)
* Isabella Rongione (Nation’s Capital Swim Club)
* Cathryn Salladin (FAST Swim Team)
* Kaitlynn Sims (Magnolia Aquatic Club)
* Breanne Siwicki (Canada)
* Erica Sullivan (Sandpipers Of Nevada)
* Claire Therien (Orinda Aquatics)
* Chase Travis (Nation’s Capital Swim Club)
* Ashley Twichell (North Carolina Aquatic Club)
* Sara Wanasek (Bearcat Aquatics)
* Kat Wickham (Unattached)
Male Participants:
* Taylor Abbott (University Of Tennessee)
* Aaron Apel (Scottsdale Aquatic Club)
* Chris Balbo
* Ian Bidwell
* Ford Blaylock (Rockwall Aquatic Center)
* Chris Bready (Bearcat Aquatics)
* Michael Brinegar (Mission Viejo Nadadores)
* Jack Burnell (Great Britain)
* Brendan Casey (Unattached)
* Kevin Chao (Irvine Novaquatics)
* Kevin Choy (Malaysia)
* Taylor Delk (SwimAtlanta)
* Marcelo Fi Gueiredo
* Andrew Gemmell (National Capital Swim Club)
* Brennan Gravley (Sandpipers Of Nevada)
* Carter Grimes (Sandpipers Of Nevada)
* Philippe Guertin (Canada)
* Joseph Gutierrez (Sandpipers Of Nevada)
* Eric Hedlin (Canada)
* David Heron (University Of Tennessee)
* Matthew Hillmer (CSP Tideriders)
* Logan Houck (Sandpipers Of Nevada)
* Caleb Hughes (Great Britain)
* Simon Huitenga (Australia)
* Tyler Jones (Team Santa Monica)
* Dylan Keer (Radnor Aquatic Club)
* Simon Lamar (FAST Swim Team)
* Brody Lewis
* Blake Manganiello (AquaKids Sharks Swim Team)
* Christopher Mykkanen (Irvine Novaaquatics)
* Chip Peterson (North Carolina Aquatic Club)
* Ivan Puskovitch (Episcopal Academy Aquatic Club)
* Sam Rice (University Of Tennessee)
* Alex Robinson
* Toby Robinson (Great Britain)
* Tim Shuttleworth (Great Britain)
* T.C. Smith (Sarasota Tsunami Swim Team)
* Matteo Sogne (Italy)
* True Sweetser (Unattached)
* Taylor Uselis (Clearwater Aquatic Team)
* Clark Wakeland (Lost Creek Aquatics)
* Richard Weinberger (Canada)
* Jordan Wilimovsky (Team Santa Monica)
* Chris Yeager (Nitro Swimming)
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