USA Swimming has a large and growing number of world-class competitive open water swimmers as it puts more resources into the sport.
The American team scored the most points at the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships.
The 12 members of the USA Swimming 2016-2017 Open Water National Team is headlined by two pre-race Olympic medal favorites.
In addition to 2016 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim finalists Haley Anderson, Sean Ryan and Jordan Wilimovsky, the team includes 2009 FINA World Championship medalists Andrew Gemmell and Ashley Twichell as well as former FINA 25 km world champion Alex Meyer, and two young men Brendan Casey and David Heron.
FINA World Cup veterans Emily Brunemann and Eva Fabian also join the team as they have long done so in the past, together with up-and-coming newcomers Stephanie Peacock and Taylor Pike.
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.