May 20, 2007

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLA. - The University of North Carolina's Chip Peterson and Chloe Sutton won their second titles of the week Saturday at the 2007 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships.

Peterson, of North Carolina Aquatic Club, won the men's 10K race with a time of 1 hour, 41 minutes and 18.75 seconds, while Sutton, of California Capital Aquatics finished on top of the women's 10K in 1:49:08.63.

Both swimmers were the defending national champions in this race, and both won the 5K race on Thursday.

"I'm very excited," Sutton said. "This year, I got both races. I had so much fun out there today. This 10K was definitely the hardest race I ever swam."

Peterson made the same assessment.

"It was tough," he said. "I expected it would be a better competition today (than in Thursday's 5K), and it was by far the hardest national open water race I've been in. When I started leading at the beginning of the final leg, I thought I was going to be able to break away pretty easy, but there were always three or four guys right on my feet.

"It was really exciting. I knew this was going to be a pretty tough Nationals, and those were some amazingly fast times, as well."

There was more on the line in Saturday's 10K than just another national title. The top 15 American men and women would qualify for the U.S. Open Water Olympic Selection Meet/World Championships Trials, Oct. 20-21 in Fort Myers.

Not only that, but the top two American men and women would also qualify for the 2007 Pan American Games, July 10-15 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the top four men and women would earn the right to represent the United States at the Open Water World Cup, June 4-10 in Seville, Spain.

"It was just really competitive," Sutton said. "It was an extremely fast field out there. Everyone was trying to push me, and I'm trying to stay ahead and sprint the last thousand meters after just swimming 9,000."

Finishing second behind Sutton was Club Wolverine's Kalyn Keller, who won a silver medal in the 25K in March at the FINA World Open Water Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Keller's time of 1:49:10.46 was about two seconds ahead of third-place finisher Kirsten Groome of First Colony Swim Team.

Keller, who finished fourth in 1500m free at the 2004 Olympic Games, said open water gets easier every time she swims it.

"Last year was my first time to do a 10K, and I wasn't sure I'd live through it," Keller said. "This year I'm in much better shape. In fact, I might have taken it a little bit too easy, because I felt like I had a little too much left at the end.

"But I think I'm learning when to push and when to hold back. Thankfully, I'll have the opportunity to travel and try that out (against international competition)."

In the men's race, it was Fran Crippen of Mission Viejo Nadadores who finished second in 1:41:43.61, just ahead of Santa Barbara Swim Club's Mark Warkentin, who finished in 1:41:47.27.

Crippen, who finished second in the 5K on Thursday, had already qualified to represent the U.S. in the pool in the 400m free at the World University Games, July 29-Aug. 18, in Bangkok, Thailand.

"I'm very happy," Crippen said. "I've been a pool swimmer my whole life, and my (big meet) experience in the pool helped me with this. I just kept calm. Eating throughout the race and having a good race plan was key. I just wanted to conserve as much energy as possible and get a good finish at the end, and I did."

The 2007 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships wraps up Monday with the men's and women's 25K race. For complete coverage of the action from Fort Myers, go to our special 2007 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships section.

USA Swimming Open Water National Championships

10K Medalists

Men - 1. Chip Peterson, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:41:18.75; 2. Fran Crippen, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:41:43.61; 3. Mark Warkentin, Santa Barbara Swim Club, 1:41:47.27; 4. Noa Sakamoto, unattached, 1:41:47.65; 5. Scott Kaufman, Reno Aquatic Club, 1:43.10.69; 6. Ricardo Monasterio, Gator Swim Club, 1:43:35.63; 7. Jarrod Ballem, University of Calgary, 1:43:36.84; 8. Philippe Dubreuil, Club Nationale de Sherbrooke, 1:43:42.38.

Women - 1.Chloe Sutton, California Capital Aquatics, 1:49:08.63; 2. Kalyn Keller, Club Wolverine, 1:49:10.46; 3. Kirsten Groome, First Colony Swim Team, 1:49.12.32; 4. Tanya Hunks, UBC Dolphins, 1:50:18.26; 5. Erica Rose, unattached, 1:51:29.52; 6. Leah Gingrich, WSY Swimming, 1:53:57.96; 7. Christine Jennings, Minnesota Aquatics, 1:53:58.78; 8. Whitney Sprague, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:54:00.58.

Top 15 American Olympic Selection/World Championship Trials Qualifiers

Men - 1. Chip Peterson, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:41:18.75; 2. Fran Crippen, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:41:43.61; 3. Mark Warkentin, Santa Barbara Swim Club, 1:41:47.27; 4. Noa Sakamoto, unattached, 1:41:47.65; 5. Scott Kaufman, Reno Aquatic Club, 1:43.10.69; 6. Dan Demarco, Long Island Aquatic Club, 1:44:45.50; 7. John Kenny, Germantown Academy, 1:44:52.74; 8. Andrew Gemmell, Delaware Swim Team, 1:45:46.06; 9. Cody Kaufmann, Gator Swim Club, 1:45:48.35; 10. Chad LaTourette, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:45:58.71; 11. Joey Pedraza, Pine Crest School, 1:46:05.31; 12. Tommy O'Neill, Long Island Aquatic Club, 1:47:27.66; 13. Charlie Rimkus, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:48:23.60; 14. Josef Kinderwater, WSY Swimming, 1:48:24.60; 15. Vincent Donnelly, Tampa Bay Community Aquatics, 1:51:28.13.

Women - 1.Chloe Sutton, California Capital Aquatics, 1:49:08.63; 2. Kalyn Keller, Club Wolverine, 1:49:10.46; 3. Kirsten Groome, First Colony Swim Team, 1:49.12.32; 4. Erica Rose, unattached, 1:51:29.52; 5. Leah Gingrich, WSY Swimming, 1:53:57.96; 6. Christine Jennings, Minnesota Aquatics, 1:53:58.78; 7. Whitney Sprague, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:54:00.58; 8. Micha Burden, Mission Viejo, 1:54:01.96; 9. Katie Ball, Gator Swim Club, 1:54:06.28; 10. Katelyn Martin, Magnus Aquatic Group, 1:54:10.20; 11. Meghan Leddy, Eastern Express Swim Team, 1:54:14.54; 12. Alicia Mathieu, SoNoCo Swim Club, 1:54:18.48; 13. Kelly Baird, Winston-Salem YMCA, 1:54:20.86; 14. Chelsea Franklin, Gulf Coast Swim Team, 1:55:54.45; 15. Caitlin Warner, Rice Aquatics, 2:06:42.11