{"id":527783,"date":"2023-04-20T15:22:26","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T22:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=527783"},"modified":"2023-04-20T15:22:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T22:22:26","slug":"open-water-national-championships-set-to-kick-off-in-sarasota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/open-water-national-championships-set-to-kick-off-in-sarasota\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Water National Championships Set to Kick Off in Sarasota"},"content":{"rendered":"

National champion titles, as well as slots on the Open Water National Team, National Junior Team and several international teams will be on the line April 21-23 at the 2023 Open Water National Championships. The three-day event will be held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.<\/p>\n

More than 240 athletes from across the country, as well as competitors from Spain, Sweden and Japan are scheduled to compete. Swimming begins Friday with the 10K National Championship, followed by the 5K Junior National Championship on Saturday, and concluding with the 7.5K Junior National Championship and 5K National Championship on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Five women currently on the Open Water National Team have registered to compete, including last year\u2019s national champion\u00a0Katie Grimes<\/strong>\u00a0(Las Vegas, Nev.\/Sandpipers of Nevada). Grimes also won last year\u2019s Junior 7.5k event and will swim in the women\u2019s 5k and 10k events this year. 2020 Olympian\u00a0Ashley Twichell\u00a0<\/strong>(Cary, N.C.\/TAC Titans) also makes her return to open water competition in the 10k less than a year after giving birth to her first child.<\/p>\n

All six men on the Open Water National Team have registered to compete, including top American finishers in the 10k from last year\u2019s championships,\u00a0Brennan\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Dylan Gravley<\/strong>. Brennan (Las Vegas, Nev.\/University of Florida) finished second overall, as well as winning his first national title in the 5k event. His brother, Dylan (Las Vegas, Nev.\/Arizona State University), finished third in the 10k race. Both brothers will compete in the men\u2019s 5k and 10k events.<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s Junior world champion and Junior national champion in the 5k\u00a0Claire Weinstein<\/strong>\u00a0(White Plains, N.Y.\/Sandpipers of Nevada) will once again compete in the 5k race, but this time she\u2019s graduated up to the women\u2019s division, as well as swimming in the women\u2019s 10k race.<\/p>\n

Before racing kicks off, here are five things to look for in Sarasota:<\/p>\n