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Aug. 22, 2006

VICTORIA, British Columbia – University of Virginia graduate Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) earned a silver medal in the 10K Open Water race Monday (Aug. 21) during the final day of competition at the 2006 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships. Crippen, who competed in three events, helped the United States take the top spot in the five-day meet, while fourth-year Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day) competed in a pair of events for Canada, which finished fourth overall.

Crippen was runner-up in the 10K Open Water race with a time of 1 hour, 54 minutes and 50 seconds. Chip Peterson won the gold with a time of 1:54.26. The open water race was held at Victoria’s Elk Lake. Crippen was also sixth in the 800-meter freestyle with a time of 8:06.32 and placed 13th in the 400-meter freestyle, touching in 3:54.46. The conventional swimming events were held Aug. 17-20 at Saanich Commonwealth Place Pool in Victoria, B.C.

Hirniak competed in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly for Canada. He finished 13th overall in the 200 butterfly. Hirniak was fifth in the “B” final in a time of 1:59.72 after finishing 13th in the preliminaries (1:59.85). Hirniak also swam in the prelims of the 100-meter butterfly and placed 23rd with a time of 55.32.

Crippen earned an invitation to the Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships by virtue of his fifth-place performance in the 400-meter freestyle at the 2006 ConocoPhillips National Swimming Championships, which were held Aug. 1-5 in Irvine, Calif. Crippen posted a time of 3:51.07 in the finals of the 400 free.

Hirniak qualified for the Pan Pacs for Canada by finishing second in the 200-meter butterfly at the Canadian Pan Pacific Trials in July. Hirniak clocked a time of 2:01.52 to win the silver.

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