Congratulations to Marin Pirate Olympic Trial qualifier and two time NCAA champion Matt Herman who competed in the USA Swimming Open Water Championships.  Matt finished in 6th place in the 5K (3.1 mile) swim with a 58:05.227 (just off the first place time of 57:50.920).  He also placed 14th in the 10 K (6.2 mile) swim with a 2:00.43.883 (1st place 1:58.03.875)

The top open water swimmers in the U.S. competed April 27 and 29 in Fort Myers, Fla., at the 2012 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships. The competition included both a 10K and 5K race, with the 10K race serving as the Trials for the 2012-13 USA Swimming National Open Water Team and National Junior Open Water Team.

The top two female finishers in the 10K race were selected to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Qualifier Event in Setubal, Portugal on June 8. The male spot for the 10K on Team USA for the 2012 Summer Games has already been secured by competitor Alex Meyer (Ithaca, N.Y.).

 The 10K race took place on Friday, April 27 with starts of 8:00 a.m. for the women and 11:00 a.m. for the men. The 5K competition was held on Sunday, April 29 at 9:00 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. for the men and women, respectively. All start times are Eastern Standard Times and are subject to change due to the number of entries or local conditions.

The 2012 10K Open Water National Championships also served as the Trials for the USA Swimming National Open Water Team and National Junior Open Water Team. For complete selection criteria, please refer to the National Team section of the USA Swimming.