Courtesy of United States Aquatic Sports, Dallas, Texas.

Ashley Twichell of the North Carolina Aquatic Club was awarded the USA Swimming Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year award at this week’s United States Aquatic Sports Convention.

She had quite a varied year, winning the 2017 aQuellé Midmar Mile in South Africa. She also won the 2017 Flowers Sea Swim on Seven Mile Beach in the Cayman Islands. She next won the 2017 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships 10 km marathon swim in Castaic Lake, California in a dominating fashion. She finished fourth in the 5 km USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships two days later.

After visiting Africa and the Caribbean, she next traveled to Europe where she won the 5 km race at the 2017 FINA World Swimming Championships in Lake Balaton, Hungary, finished 10th in the 10 km, and earned a silver in the 5 km team race with Haley Anderson, Andrew Gemmell, and Jordan Wilimovsky.

This was her second time to win the award, winning it the first time in 2011.

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