For the second year in a row, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) is hosting an open water event that will serve as the qualifier for the 2018 USA Swimming 5K Open Water Championships.
The top five male and top five female finishers in the race on September 16th will earn an invite.
The 5K course is set for Lone Star Lake in Lawrence, Kansas, and will begin for women at 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. for the men.
Last year’s race featured a showdown on the women’s side between University of Kansas swimmers Libby Walker and Haley Bishop, who tied for first place, with their teammate Jenny Nusbaum clocking in only 0.53 seconds behind.
To participate, swimmers must be a member of either an NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA institution and have met one of the following time standards between July 1st, 2016, and the registration deadline (meter conversion times are accepted for international swimmers from the qualifying period beginning September 1st, 2015):
- 500 Freestyle SCY — Women: 5:10.00, Men: 4:50.00
- 1000 Freestyle SCY — Women: 10:30.00, Men: 10:00.00
- 1650 Freestyle SCY — Women: 18:00.00, Men: 17:00.00
If you’re a Division III swimmer who isn’t in-season yet but wants to participate, not to worry: the NCAA ruled that you can participate in the CSCAAOWN outside of the declared DIII season.
Registration is capped at 70 swimmers per event (only 68 swimmers total were in attendance last year), and you can register through September 9th.
Click here to register and here to read more about event logistics.