Northwestern University Athletics
Wilimovsky Wins USA Swimming 10K Open Water National Title
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Wilimovsky won the race by more than 12 seconds over Sean Ryan and Alex Meyer, who had a photo finish for second place. The victory caps an impressive progression for the NU junior, who finished second last year, fourth in 2013 and ninth in 2012.
Wilimovsky made the jump to the lead pack midway through the race before working his way up to the front with 2,000 meters to go. He continued to press, building an insurmountable advantage with a late break coming to the finish as the second-place battle unfolded behind him.
"I was just trying to kick as hard as I could the last little bit ... I would rather just go for it and see what happens," Wilimovsky said.
Wilimovsky now has a berth in the 10K event at Rio 2016 in his sights. He can qualify automatically with a top-10 finish at the World Championships in Kazan. He already is a member of the current U.S. National Team in both open water swimming and in the 1,500-meter freestyle pool race.
Wilimovsky won the Big Ten Championship this season in the 1,650 free with a school-record time before placing third in the event at the NCAA Championships. A three-time collegiate All-American for Northwestern, Wilimovsky will seek a second national title in the 5K open water event Sunday. He finished second in that race one year ago.
