Crippen Wins Open Water National Championship

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former Virginia swimmer Fran Crippen became the 2010 USA Swimming National Champion in the 10K Open Water race held over the weekend at the Open Water National Championships in Long Beach, Calif.

The win secured Crippen, a native of Conshohocken, Pa., a spot on Team USA at the 2010 Open Water World Championships, which is set for July 17-22 in Roberval, Quebec. Additionally, the top four finishers also qualified for the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, scheduled for Aug. 22 in Irvine, Calif.

Crippen, a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference swimmer of the year and a 12-time All-American as a Cavalier, has broken into the open water circuit since he graduated in 2006. He claimed bronze at the 2009 FINA World Championships, held last summer in Rome and was also a gold medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.